"Nearly one-third of Iranian youth unemployed"
Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - ©2004 IranMania.com
TEHRAN, March 8 (AFP) -- Close to one-third of young Iranians are unable to find regular employment and the Islamic republic's jobless crisis is expected to worsen, an official close to the government was quoted as saying.
According to Rahim Ebadi, head of the Iranian Youth Organisation, 31% of those aged between 15 and 29 were without work, representing a successive 13% increase over the past two years.
In Iran, under-30's make up around 70% of the population, and unemployment remains a major headache for tens of thousands of graduates and those hoping to marry.
Officially, the overall jobless rate is put at 12.8%, although analysts say the real figure is substantially higher.
Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami has acknowledged failing to keep his promises to bring down unemployment -- a central pledge that helped him win landslide victories in 1997 and 2001.
Reforms aimed at shaking up the state-dominated and highly protected economy have also met with stiff opposition.
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=23249&NewsKind=Current%20AffairsIran to Rethink Everything
Mehr News Agency ( State-Run )
March 10th 2004
TEHRAN, March 10 (Mehr News Agency) -- Taking into consideration the fact that Iran’s constructive cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, which reached its zenith with the signing of the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), was followed by the drafting of a jointly-written resolution by the U.S. and the European Union and the IAEA bowing to U.S. political pressure, has prompted Iran to review and rethink its dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The draft resolution not only corresponds with U.S. views it also demonstrates that the European states, namely, Britain, France, and Germany, which agreed in October last year to recognize Iran’s legitimate right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, have reneged on their promises. No country will be permitted to deprive the Iranian nation of this right and the nations will also never compromise on this inalienable right which has been recognized by international organizations. The masterminds behind this resolution should never forget this point.
http://www.mehrnews.com/wfNewsDetails_en.aspx?NewsID=64974&t=Political