Iranian Alert -- March 23, 2004 [EST]-- IRAN LIVE THREAD -- Americans for Regime Change in Iran

The US media almost entirely ignores news regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Tony Snow of the Fox News Network has put it, “this is probably the most under-reported news story of the year.” But most American’s are unaware that the Islamic Republic of Iran is NOT supported by the masses of Iranians today. Modern Iranians are among the most pro-American in the Middle East.

There is a popular revolt against the Iranian regime brewing in Iran today. I began these daily threads June 10th 2003. On that date Iranians once again began taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Today in Iran, most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy.

The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movement in Iran from being reported. Unfortunately, the regime has successfully prohibited western news reporters from covering the demonstrations. The voices of discontent within Iran are sometime murdered, more often imprisoned. Still the people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.

In support of this revolt, Iranians in America have been broadcasting news stories by satellite into Iran. This 21st century news link has greatly encouraged these protests. The regime has been attempting to jam the signals, and locate the satellite dishes. Still the people violate the law and listen to these broadcasts. Iranians also use the Internet and the regime attempts to block their access to news against the regime. In spite of this, many Iranians inside of Iran read these posts daily to keep informed of the events in their own country.

This daily thread contains nearly all of the English news reports on Iran. It is thorough. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary. The news stories and commentary will from time to time include material from the regime itself. But if you read the post you will discover for yourself, the real story of what is occurring in Iran and its effects on the war on terror.

I am not of Iranian heritage. I am an American committed to supporting the efforts of those in Iran seeking to replace their government with a secular democracy. I am in contact with leaders of the Iranian community here in the United States and in Iran itself.

If you read the daily posts you will gain a better understanding of the US war on terrorism, the Middle East and why we need to support a change of regime in Iran. Feel free to ask your questions and post news stories you discover in the weeks to come.

If all goes well Iran will be free soon and I am convinced become a major ally in the war on terrorism. The regime will fall. Iran will be free. It is just a matter of time.

The regime is not to happy with this news. -- DoctorZin

EU Freezes Iran Trade Talks Over Nuclear Worries
AP - World News
Mar 22, 2004

BRUSSELS -- The European Union urged Iran on Monday to demonstrate to the U.N. that it's not developing nuclear weapons. The E.U. foreign ministers discussed Iran's nuclear program at a meeting and found that "a number of questions ... remain outstanding."

Iran insists its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

In a statement, the European ministers called on Tehran "to provide full and proactive cooperation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The U.N. body recently discovered uranium enrichment equipment and other suspicious activities that the government in Tehran failed to reveal.

Iran later agreed to allow inspections to resume Saturday. The IAEA hopes to have a definitive assessment of Iran's nuclear activities by June.

Iran's problems with the IAEA have come to interfere with E.U. plans for a free trade agreement. Negotiations were halted last June as allegations gathered strength that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.

The E.U. has said the talks can only resume if Iran makes a convincing case its nuclear program serves peaceful ends, it improves its human rights record and contributes more to the search for peace in the Middle East.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_5450.shtml

Iran & Syria – a match made in hell

Mar. 22, 2004 23:32
By ILAN BERMAN
Jerusalem Post

If the Bush administration needed another reason to look beyond Baghdad in its war on terrorism, it has just been given one. In late February, Iran's Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani embarked on a whirlwind tour of Syria and Lebanon. The resulting tightening of ties between Teheran, Beirut and Damascus marks the birth of an ominous new alliance, deeply threatening to American interests.

Shamkhani's diplomatic offensive commenced with a two-day tour of Syria. There, Iran's Defense Minister held a very-public summit with his Syrian counterpart, Lieutenant-General Mustafa Tlas, at which the two hammered out a landmark strategic accord. The new "memorandum of understanding" establishes a joint working group on bilateral military and security issues, paving the way for deeper defense-industrial cooperation between Teheran and Damascus. More significant still, the agreement contains an unprecedented Iranian commitment to defend Syria in the event of either an Israeli or an American offensive, formally making the Ba'athist state a part of Iran's security.

From Damascus, Shamkhani traveled to Beirut, where he held court with the upper echelons of the Lebanese government. In meetings with the country's president, Emile Lahoud, as well as prime minister Rafik Hariri, parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and army commander Michel Soleyman, he pledged closer military ties with Beirut – and an active Iranian role in Lebanon's emerging military modernization.

The Iranian defense minister also made a point of meeting with the leadership of Lebanon's Shi'ite terrorist powerhouse, Hizbullah, to whom he confirmed that the newly minted security guarantees between Syria and Iran would extend to their country.

The message was unmistakable – the Israeli and American enemy would now "think a thousand times before attacking Lebanon."

TEHERAN'S FULL-COURT diplomatic press is already paying dividends. In an outright show of support, Lebanese President Lahoud has publicly praised the regional importance of the emerging "Teheran, Damascus and Beirut axis."

And Syrian officials – under fire abroad for their government's deep support for terrorism – have similarly made no secret of their enthusiasm for the nascent alliance's deterrent potential.

But these stirrings reflect more than just a broadening of bonds between Iran, Syria and Lebanon. They are indicative of a larger realignment now underway in the Middle East, where the political vacuum created by overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime has begun to be filled.

Iran is rapidly emerging as the biggest beneficiary of the new regional status quo. Over the past two years, American efforts in the war on terrorism have successfully eliminated Iran's most immediate strategic adversaries – Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan – while effectively de-clawing the principal terror threat to the Islamic Republic: the radical, Iraq-based Mujahedeen e-Khalq organization. These moves have left the United States as Iran's principal regional challenger. It is no wonder that Iranian policymakers like Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Reza'i have begun to view their country as the natural "center of international power politics" in the post-Saddam Middle East.

Teheran has wasted no time translating this vision into action. In recent months, the Islamic Republic has gravitated toward a new, more confrontational strategic doctrine – one that includes a major expansion of Iran's military capabilities and political presence in both the Persian Gulf and the Caucasus. This aggressive agenda has only been solidified by the sweeping victory of regime hard-liners in the country's recent, hotly-contested parliamentary elections.

The trilateral alliance just crafted in Damascus and Beirut is a big part of these plans. Iran's leaders hope that such a radical coalition will blunt the impact of the US-led transformation taking place next door in Iraq on their own restive population, and derail larger American plans for a sea-change in the region's political balance – an initiative they view as a "serious threat to the security, independence and stability of the Islamic countries."

Simultaneously, Teheran is seeking an answer to pro-Western constructs, like the Israeli-Turkish strategic partnership, capable of supplementing American efforts. And, in the midst of the war on terrorism, the Islamic Republic is working hard to ensure the continued relevance of its most potent regional proxy, Hizbullah.

If it manages to accomplish these objectives, Washington might just find that US Middle East policy has become a victim of Teheran's success.

The writer is vice president for policy at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1079929450841&p=1006953079865

IRAN LASHES OUT OVER US RELUCTANCE TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE

Jim Lobe: 3/22/04
EURASIA INSIGHT March 22, 2004

Iranian officials have characterized Washington’s policy-making process as "childish" after a top Bush administration official downplayed the chances of a rapprochement between the United States and Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called on Iranians to be vigilant against foreign efforts to destabilize the country.

Iran’s conservatives, who regained control over the Iranian legislature in February’s parliamentary election, have been reportedly eager to pursue a rapprochement with Washington. The rationale for normalization, from the point of view of Iranian conservative leaders, is that a greater sense of international stability is needed to increase the chances for the successful implementation of their domestic agenda, which is aimed at providing an outlet for public frustration over the country’s flagging economy. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Over the last year, Iran has made repeated overtures to the United States, expressing a desire to restart a dialogue on the normalization of relations, according to a March 16 report in the Financial Times. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Tehran’s main aim would be the lifting of US sanctions, an act that would make it immeasurably easier for conservatives to invigorate Iran’s struggling economy.

To demonstrate its good faith, Tehran reportedly offered to cut its support to a variety of radical groups in the Middle East, including the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Iranian officials also may have held out the prospect of talks concerning Tehran’s ongoing efforts to develop nuclear capabilities. Iranian leaders insist that the country’s nuclear program is designed to meet civilian energy needs. International experts worry, however, that Iran’s program may develop weapons-making capabilities. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The Bush administration never responded to the Iranian feelers. Apparently, fierce differences among top presidential advisors caused policy gridlock within the White House, the Financial Times report suggested.

Iranian officials did not comment on the Financial Times report. Then, in a March 18, television interview broadcast by the CNN network, US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice dismissed the need for US-Iranian talks. She cited US concerns about the Iranian nuclear program. Rice also mentioned Washington’s suspicion that Tehran may be sheltering leaders of the al Qaeda terrorist organization, and trying to disrupt US stabilization efforts in neighboring Iraq. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "I don’t think anybody needs to have a conversation with the Iranians, because they know what the problem is," Rice told CNN.

On March 20, the official Iranian news agency IRNA ridiculed Rice’s comments as "another example of contradictory and non-coherent stances in the American policy-making apparatus." The report went on to say that Washington had sent "contradictory" signals in recent months, mentioning specifically the US goodwill gesture of providing humanitarian aid to victims of the late December 2003 Bam earthquake, and the tough US stance on Iran’s nuclear program.

The IRNA commentary suggested that Iran was looking for a more consistent policy coming out of the White House. "Only a fundamental change in US policies would change the existing atmosphere of hostility between the two arch-foes [the United States and Iran]," the IRNA commentary said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, also heaped scorn on the Bush administration. "America’s childish persistence on its wrong policies has led to an escalation of insecurity in the world," the foreign ministry spokesman said. He added that the US reconstruction struggles in both Afghanistan and Iraq raised questions "about the appropriateness of American policies among its [Washington’s] own allies."

Iranian leaders are now concerned that, rather than engaging Tehran, Washington will undertake measures aimed at destabilizing the Islamic republic, especially in the event that Bush wins re-election in November. Many in Tehran apparently believe that ongoing problems with reconstruction efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan could prompt the Bush administration to attempt to cast Iran as a scapegoat.

In public comments March 21, Khamenei, the supreme leader, said the United States was "stuck in a quagmire" in Iraq. He went on to caution that the United States was likely to try to destabilize Iran. "The most important duty of people and officials is to be vigilant," IRNA quoted Khamenei as saying. "The enemy should know that any decision it is making against the Iranian nation will be thwarted because Iranians are awake and vigilant."

The shrill tone of recent Iranian rhetoric may be indicative of the conservatives’ profound disappointment over the Bush administration’s refusal to engage. The inability to count on a rapprochement with the United States means the conservatives’ ability to implement their domestic stabilization agenda is in doubt.

Just a few months ago, many observers in both Washington and Tehran believed that a thaw was in the offing. This idea gained momentum in January when the United States dispatched planeloads of emergency aid to Bam earthquake victims, and followed up with an offer to send a high-level delegation to inspect the damage.

In addition, while Washington was highly critical of February’s parliamentary election, it refrained from mounting an intensive effort to discredit the results. Meanwhile, in Iraq, the US-dominated Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) approved plans for the construction of an oil pipeline across the Shatt al-Arab waterway to the Iranian port of Abadan, a project that is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Iranian conservatives had hoped such signals meant that the United States was prepared to parlay. But subsequent events have shown that such hopes were misplaced.

Editor’s Note: Jim Lobe is a freelance reporter specializing in financial affairs. He is based in Washington.

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav032204.shtml

EU: Foreign Ministers Hold Talks On Terror, Iran, And Wider Middle East

By Ahto Lobjakas

EU foreign ministers today are holding their regular monthly meeting in Brussels. Discussions are expected to focus on terrorism, the topic also topping the agenda at the bloc's summit later this week. Talks will also turn to Iran, Syria, and the Wider Middle East -- including today's killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Hamas militant group. Yassin was killed by an Israeli air strike while leaving a mosque in Gaza City.

Brussels, 22 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- European Union foreign ministers today are continuing discussions on terrorism.

That topic was at the center of an EU interior ministers' meeting on 19 March, and it is also expected to feature prominently in the bloc's two-day summit later this week (25-26 March).

There appears to be broad agreement on a bloc-wide political declaration of antiterrorism solidarity. This will allow member states targeted by an attack to receive quick community aid.

EU leaders later this week also expected to create the office of a new counterterrorism coordinator.

Most member states are also calling for the bloc to pool its intelligence resources.

States appear willing to share police intelligence. They are more reluctant to pool information from individual security services, with many member states rejecting the notion of a "European CIA," similar to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

But EU officials say the new counterterrorism office may include an intelligence unit that brings together information from all the member states.

Germany and France are also pushing for strict timetables to speed up the pace at which member states put existing antiterrorism legislation into practice.

Foreign ministers today will also discuss improving antiterrorism cooperation with non-EU countries.

EU treaties containing counterterrorism clauses have already been signed with Algeria, Lebanon, Croatia, Macedonia, and most South American countries. Talks with Iran, Syria, and the Gulf countries on similar agreements are already in progress.

Today's talks are also expected to focus on the Middle East, which is expected to figure prominently in future U.S.-EU policy discussions.

EU diplomats are looking for any Middle Eastern initiative to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That conflict reached a new crisis point today with the killing in an Israeli air strike of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of the Hamas militant group.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have staged spontaneous demonstrations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since this morning's attack. Hamas and other militant groups have threatened swift retaliation.

Ministers today are also likely to look at Iran. The EU is likely to express continued concern over Iran's failure to fully disclose details about its nuclear program to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

An EU official on 19 March said the bloc is adopting a wait-and-see attitude with the new Iranian parliament. The bloc does not expect to relaunch trade and political talks with Tehran until the IAEA finalizes a new assessment on Iran in June.

Relations with Syria will also be addressed. An EU said an association agreement the bloc expects to sign with Damascus in May will be the last step toward the EU's Barcelona process aimed at establishing closer links with the Mediterranean region.

Today's meeting will also confirm a series of EU initiatives at the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, currently under way in Geneva.

The EU and the United States have cosponsored resolutions criticizing Belarus and Turkmenistan for their lack of progress on rights issues. The EU has also authored statements on the human rights situation in Chechnya and Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.

Last week's flare-up of violence in Kosovo is likely to be condemned in an EU statement today. EU officials say they will call on local leaders in the province to settle differences by peaceful means.

The Serbian prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, is due to visit Brussels tomorrow. His Kosovar counterpart, Bajram Rexhepi, will travel there later this week.

The EU will also issue a statement calling for Serbia's full cooperation with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/3/F643647E-26A1-4031-8BAF-E23FFAC0F2A9.html

Alcatel Wins Iran DSL Project

MARCH 23, 2004
Light Reading

PARIS -- Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that it will supply the first DSL network in Iran. This contract has been signed with ADA (Asre Danesh Afzar), an Iranian Private Operator, as part of the Private Access Provider (PAP) governmental plan for DSL privatisation in Iran.

Alcatel will provide and support one hundred thousand DSL lines over the next 3 years, that will provide large numbers of users in Teheran and across the country with a high speed internet connection, and in time get access to a breadth of broadband services. The first phase of the agreement covers 23,000 lines and its deployment should be completed in May 2004.

Under the terms of the contract, ADA will deploy the Alcatel 7300 Advanced Services Access Manager, the industry’s leading broadband access platform with the highest density and lowest power consumption, throughout Iran. Alcatel's broadband access leadership allows it to offer an unequaled service level and an integrated product portfolio that helps operators face their key challenges: increasing coverage, tackling scaling problems, offering more services on their broadband infrastructure and converging voice and data platforms.

“Alcatel’s comprehensive broadband portfolio and global leadership in delivering high quality and cost effective DSL solutions made it an ideal business partner to support us in delivering enhanced broadband solutions to our subscribers,” said Ardeshir Montaseri, Chairman of ADA. “We are also confident that the Alcatel-solution is the most cost effective means of meeting our needs.”

According to Michel Rahier, Chief Operating Officer of Alcatel’s fixed communications activities, “This contract further confirms our commitment to helping to accelerate broadband deployments in emerging markets of the world. Moreover, as Alcatel would be one of the first companies entering the Iranian private operator’s market, it will improve our position in this country.”

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=lightreading&doc_id=49786

Hang Tough

by Ted Belman
Mar 22, '04
Arutz Sheva

Ha'aretz published an article by Aluf Benn entitled "Landau disappointed by Netanyahu's stance on PM's pullout". Evidently, "During Sunday's meeting, Sharon invited his ministers to offer their own, alternative proposals for ways to improve Israel's diplomatic and security situation."

With diminishing respect, that's the problem in a nutshell. Those issues should be secondary. The primary issue is what is the best policy Israel can follow to ensure we keep a large part of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, if not all of it.

Israel is doing a great job now in thwarting terror. True some attacks succeed, but the situation is improving and will continue to improve. Operation Continuing Story to destroy Hamas is going forward with American approval. The United States has decided that there is no chance for anyone to take over Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Even the European Union is not seriously condemning Israel on this operation. The Palestinian Authority is falling apart and Yasser Arafat won't last forever. Internecine fighting has begun. Now is not the time for Israel to cave.

The US also takes seriously the new treaty between Iran, Syria and Lebanon, which is dedicated to drive the US out of Iraq, among other things. Coupled with the announced intention of Iran to acquire the bomb, the US has no choice but to deal with the threat, irrespective of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

Furthermore, when the Western coalition against terror is struggling to hold itself together after Spain announced it would leave Iraq, and more attacks against supporters in the EU are expected, now is not the time for Israel to turn tail. Bush is in no mood for the further weakening of the coalition. My guess is that for this reason alone the US will not agree to the Gaza disengagement.

From a security point of view, Israel should continue what it is doing and perhaps do more, rather than to take the risk of losing control by retreating. Oslo proved the more Israel retreats, the more there is terrorism. While the retreat from Lebanon reduced the number of casualties Israel was suffering, it gave way to establishing Hezbollah as a major force, with Iran and Syria backing it.

According to Israel National News, Binyamin Netanyahu is willing to support the disengagement subject to three conditions:

The first is that Israel must control all entrances and exits to the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi route separating Egypt and Gaza.

Secondly, the counter-terrorism partition fence around Judea and Samaria must be completed - including around as-yet undefined "settlement blocs" and Route 443 (the Modi'in-Jerusalem Highway) - before he would agree to the retreat.

Thirdly, Netanyahu said, the Americans must issue public declarations in support of settlement blocs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza and against the so-called "Right of Return" for Arabs who left Israel in 1948.

Netanyahu also said that we must not retreat under fire, but must rather ensure that Gaza-based terrorism is neutralized before a withdrawal.

If he holds firm on his demands, then I, too, would favor the retreat, but the American declaration that he requires must be iron-clad. As we have seen in the past, the US can weasel out of most anything. Their assurances regarding Egypt in the Camp David Accords, and their agreement to give "serious consideration" to Israel's fourteen conditions to accepting the Roadmap are two cases in point.

Nothing short of agreed borders, to Israel's satisfaction, should be the quid pro quo for the retreat, with its attendant risks. Since Israel's position is that the fence is not the final border, it matters little if the US agrees to its location. The US must agree that it will also be the border.

To suggest, as Tzipi Livni and Silvan Shalom have done, that if the US rejects the "Right of Return", then that is reason enough to retreat, is frightening. To suggest that such a retreat is well worth it to get such support suggests that Israel is indeed weak and is vulnerable to having the "Right" imposed on it. I would like to believe that Israel can just say "no" to the "Right of Return" and need not give anything to prevent it.

This weakness is further reflected in the following extract: "Government sources in Jerusalem said that in individual conversations with the ministers ahead of Sunday's meeting, it has become clear that none of them think that Israel's current situation is particularly good. 'The argument is over the way to escape this situation,' said one."

I, for one, fail to understand why Israel's position is so weak. Sure, the World, including the State Department, supports a Palestinian State with '67 borders providing there is an end to terror, but what can they do if Israel says "no" and if the Arab terror continues? What, pray tell, are these ministers worried about? Without Israel's consent, the World can do nothing. And don't forget, the American people support Israel's fight against terror and its claim to the land.

The problem in Israel is that the Left doesn't value retaining the settlements and considers them bargaining chips to get peace and diplomatic approval. It is even prepared to forgo the bargaining value and to just withdraw. The Right, on the other hand, embraces the settlements as Israel's and will not concede them for a peace agreement. This is the central debate in Israel. Is Israel fighting for security or for its rights and its land? As to whether or not giving up the settlements will achieve peace and strengthen Israel or instead will weaken Israel is part of this debate.

What makes Israel weak is not that the World is against it, but that it is divided. The Left wants to give up what they don't value, land, for a mess of pottage, namely illusory peace and good will. The Right will have none of it and rightly so.

How is Israel to keep the settlements? Hang tough, rout the terrorists, reject the freeze, build the fence to suit its interests - not only in security, but also in keeping the land - and keep putting facts on the ground.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=3474

"Supreme Leader" on Yassin's Assassination

March 22, 2004
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
IRIB

Tehran -- Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei condemned here Monday the assassination of Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by the Zionist regime.

In a message, Ayatollah Khamenei said "I was informed that the sinful hands of the Zionist occupying regime committed a heinous crime and assassinated Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin."

"Undoubtedly, martyrdom was the wish of this pious man but this cannot decrease the magnitude of the sin the Zionist criminal occupiers committed", the Supreme Leader said.

"The blood of Ahmed Yassin will nourish the Islamic resistance and will further flame Palestinians' anger.

His oppression will hoist the flag of the Palestinians' oppression", the Leader said.

The message added "Yassin's weak and disabled body was the only thing they got. But they cannot deprive Palestinians from his thoughts and his way." "The spirit of Sheikh Yassin is alive and his thoughts, which is now further highlighted, will be the inspiration for Palestinian youth, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

"The occupying criminals should know that their stupid showdown is the greatest witness to their failure and weakness. The Zionist Regime is doomed to annihilation. "Palestine belongs to Palestinians and any stubbornness against this inalienable right i s doomed to failure," Ayatollah Khamenei concluded.

http://www.iribnews.ir/Full_en.asp?news_id=200789&n=31

EU adopts anti-terrorism measures

Washington Times - By Jerry Seper
Mar 23, 2004

Brooklyn man has been arrested by federal agents on charges of illegally shipping missile components, radar equipment and F-4 fighter parts through a company in Israel for later transfer to buyers in the Middle East.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Dean Boyd yesterday said Leib Kohn, 70, was arrested Friday on charges of violating the Arms Export Control Act and the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations. He was named last week in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Conn.

His arrest corresponded to the arrest Thursday by Israeli police of Eli Cohen, an Israeli arms dealer investigated in the past in connection with the illegal shipment of weapons to Iran, according to Mr. Boyd. In 2002, Mr. Cohen was the focus of an Israeli probe into accusations he transferred parts for armored personnel carriers to Iran. A request by Israel police that he be indicted was later rejected by prosecutors.

According to the complaint, Mr. Kohn obtained from Radio Research Instrument Co., a Waterbury, Conn., manufacturer, munitions over several months whose export is controlled by the State Department. The complaint says he shipped the items to Israel without the required State Department licenses.

The complaint says some of the exported items were for use in military radar, F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft and missile systems, and they left the United States bound for Israel. Mr. Boyd said ICE agents do not believe Israel was the final destination, but an investigation is continuing.

The complaint also says ICE agents worked with the Israeli national police, requesting they search a warehouse owned by QPS, an Israeli company, where they recovered some of the items Mr. Kohn obtained in Connecticut — including components of the Hawk missile and parts used in a radar system installed in warplanes.

Mr. Kohn was released on $200,000 bond after a court appearance Friday before a U.S. magistrate. Prosecutors said they would present the case to a federal grand jury in an effort to obtain an indictment.

"This case demonstrates that those who endanger U.S. security for the sake of profits will ultimately be held accountable," said Robin Avers, who heads the ICE office in New Haven, Conn. "Halting the illegal export of munitions and sensitive technology is one of the highest priorities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

Mr. Boyd said the military items at the heart of the case represent "a threat to Americans at home and abroad."

U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor in Bridgeport, whose office in handling the case, described assistance by the Israeli national police as "vital to the success of the investigation thus far," adding that federal authorities would "continue to work with the international law enforcement community to ensure that military items built in the United States do not fall into the wrong hands."

"This office is committed to preserving the integrity of the licensing process and will prosecute violations of the export statutes to the fullest extent," Mr. O'Connor said.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_5456.shtml

Norooz named Iranian-American Friendship Day by San Diego
By Badi Badiozamani, Center for East-West Understanding

I am pleased to announce that the city of San Diego through issuing a proclamation, has named March 20, 2004 (Norooz day) as the "Iranian-American Friendship Day".

In response a plaque containing a replica of Cyrus the Great's declaration of Human Rights was presented to the mayor of San Diego. The proclamation is being sent to you as an attachment. And below is the text of thanking remarks for your review.

Text of Badi Badiozamani's address upon receiving the Iranian-American Friendship Day proclamation:

Honorable Mayor Murphy & City Council members,

As you know, President Bush and several state governors have issued proclamations wishing Iranians a happy Norooz. But Iranians all over the world will be very proud, happy and grateful that this city has gone one step further to use the Persian New Year as an occasion to proclaim an Iranian-American Friendship Day.

It will be a distinct honor and privilege for me, as the founder of the Center for East-West Understanding- whose mission is to work to reduce extremism & violence by fostering understanding among and bringing the peoples of the world together- to disseminate your message throughout the world.

For thousands of years, Norooz has brought an occasion for new and renewed friendship to the people of the Middle East as well as central, southern & eastern Asia. Today, I am honored to be accompanied by Mrs. Najat Sadeghi, Hamida Askar, Shadia Mohammad of the Kurdish people of Iraq, Mr. Ashraf Yosofi of Afghanestan, Mr. Nazim Akburak of the Kurdish people of Turkey as unofficial representatives of many countries that celebrate Norooz. Your declaration today formally acknowledges Norooz's more recent role as a spark for strengthening relationships between Americans and the peace loving peoples of the Middle East. It is my hope and dream that our efforts in San Diego will be but one seed in a blossoming field of mutual friendship and tolerance.

I wish to present to the people of San Diego, as a token of appreciation, a replica of the decree on tolerance given by Cyrus the Great. It reads:

The First Declaration of Human Rights

Decree of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire, granting national and religious freedom to the peoples of Babylon in 542 B.C.

When I entered Babylon...I did not allow anyone to terrorize the land... I kept in view the needs of Babylon and all its sanctuaries to promote their well-being. The citizens of Babylon... I lifted their unbecoming yoke (slavery). Their dilapidated dwellings I restored. I put an end to their misfortunes.

Thus said the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden...(Isaiah, XLV-1-3)

Presented to the people of San Diego on 3/20/2004

By Badi Badiozamani, Ph.D.

Center for East-West Understanding

Mayor Murphy, Council member Atkins and other distinguished Council members, the House of Iran and the Persian community in the United States seek your blessing and support in placing a plaque containing Cyrus' message of tolerance and freedom in Balboa Park. We are prepared to bear the expenses. We hope you will see this, as we do, as a way of further encouraging both Americans and Iranians to learn more about the history of peace and tolerance in the Middle East and the humanity that brings our two cultures together.

As part of this continued learning, allow me to humbly ask you to please support the Persian Cultural Center, the Iranian School of San Diego, the House of Iran and other non-profit entities in our community that contribute tremendously to the cultural heritage and vitality of this great city in their efforts to educate both Iranians and Americans.

May the new Persian year bring friendship, peace and progress to San Die and the world

http://www.payvand.com/news/04/mar/1158.html

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