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Iranian Alert -- August 1, 2004 [EST]-- IRAN LIVE THREAD -- "Americans for Regime Change in Iran"
The Iranian Student Movement Up To The Minute Reports ^ | 8.1.2004 | DoctorZin

Posted on 07/31/2004 9:01:09 PM PDT by DoctorZIn

The US media still largley 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.” 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.

DoctorZin


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alsadr; armyofmahdi; ayatollah; cleric; humanrights; iaea; insurgency; iran; iranianalert; iranquake; iraq; islamicrepublic; jayshalmahdi; journalist; kazemi; khamenei; khatami; khatemi; moqtadaalsadr; mullahs; persecution; persia; persian; politicalprisoners; poop; protests; rafsanjani; revolutionaryguard; rumsfeld; satellitetelephones; shiite; southasia; southwestasia; studentmovement; studentprotest; terrorism; terrorists; wot
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

1 posted on 07/31/2004 9:01:17 PM PDT by DoctorZIn
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To: Pan_Yans Wife; fat city; freedom44; Tamsey; Grampa Dave; PhiKapMom; McGavin999; Hinoki Cypress; ...
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

2 posted on 07/31/2004 9:03:42 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn


3 posted on 07/31/2004 9:06:51 PM PDT by Diogenesis (Re: Protection from up on high, Keyser Sose has nothing on Sandy Berger, the DNC Burglar)
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To: DoctorZIn
Iran vows to continue nuclear development

Iranian editor predicts overthrow of govt in Iran

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jul. 31, 2004 15:04 | Updated Aug. 1, 2004 0:10
Jerusalem Post

TEHRAN, Iran
Iran confirmed Saturday it has resumed building nuclear centrifuges, saying it was retaliating for the failure of three European powers to get its file closed at the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

The announcement by Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi hardened the lines between Iran and the United States, which has been pushing to take Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council.

Kharrazi told a press conference that Iran has not resumed enriching uranium, but it was manufacturing centrifuges in response to the failure of Britain, Germany and France to help close Iran's dossier at the International Atomic Energy Agency in June.

"We still continue suspension on uranium enrichment, meaning that we have not resumed enrichment," Kharrazi . "But we are not committed to another agreement with them (Britain, Germany and France) on not to build centrifuges."

Diplomats said this week that Tehran had resumed building equipment used to make uranium hexaflouride which _ when processed in centrifuges _ can be enriched to low levels for power generation or high levels for nuclear weapons.

In talks under way in Paris, officials from Iran and the European powers are seeking to reach a consensus on Tehran's nuclear program.

Washington strongly suspects Iran is using a civilian nuclear program as a cover for a secret nuclear weapons project. It has been lobbying for the IAEA to refer Iran's nuclear dossier to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

The talks in Paris prepare the ground for a September meeting of the board of governors of the IAEA, which is expected to discuss Iran's program.

Kharrazi said the talks were designed to instill confidence that Iran is not seeking to make an atom bomb.

"We are holding these talks to reach further understanding and create more confidence in the direction that we are not seeking nuclear weapons," he said. "At the same time, we will insist on our legitimate rights."

A prominent hard-line editor, Hossein Shariatmadari, wrote Saturday that the Paris talks may result in humiliation for Iran.

In an editorial in Kayhan, he predicted that America's European allies will produce a "silent overthrow" of the ruling Islamic establishment in Iran, and that they would use the nuclear program as a lever to that end.


Shariatmadari is close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters.

Government officials were not immediately available for comment on Shariatmadari's remarks.

Hard-liners have urged the government to defy the IAEA, expel U.N. inspectors and resume uranium enrichment. The government, though, has taken a more moderate approach in the hope of avoiding international isolation.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is entirely for the peaceful production of nuclear energy.

Iran suspended actual uranium enrichment last year under international pressure. In return, Britain, Germany and France promised to make it easier for Iran to obtain advanced nuclear technology.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1091255394287
4 posted on 07/31/2004 9:07:47 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn

ERDOGAN BACK HOME FROM HIS TEHRAN VISIT EMPTY HANDS

By Safa Haeri
Posted Saturday, July 31, 2004

TEHRAN-ANKARA, 31 (IPS) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came back from his official two-days visit to Tehran on Thursday evening empty hand except for a vague promise by the Iranian side to increase fight against the Turkish separatist group Kongra-Gel, formerly know as the Workers Party of (Turish) Kurdistan.

In his talks with senor Iranian officials, including the powerless President Mohammad Khatami and the powerful Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Erdogan had pressed his Iranian counterparts to put Turkish Kurd rebels on its list of terrorist groups.

"Both Iran and Turkey have decided to brand the PKK and the Iraqi-based Mojaheedin Khalq Organisation -- Iran's main armed opposition group now disarmed by the Americans-- as terrorist groups, and what was signed today stated that even if they continue to operate under different names, they will continue to be dealt with as terrorist groups", Iran's Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs, Ali Asghar Ahmadi, told AFP.

But the pro-conservatives Fars news agency quoted the same official as having warned that if the two sides fails to reach accord on the price of gas, the security agreements would not be signed either.

However, the official news agency IRNA reported that documents on the security issue had been signed in the presence of Mr. Erdogan and the Iranian first vice president.

The visit, aimed at boosting political and trade cooperation between the two powerful, non Arab Muslim neighbours was due to culminate with the signing of three key financial agreements and one on security cooperation later in the evening before Erdogan's departure.

“But after a scheduled signing ceremony covering several business deals was cancelled, officials from both sides put a brave face on what was evidently a disappointing conclusion to a landmark two-day visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan”, the French news agency AFP commented on the outcome of the trip.

The agency was referring to Erdogan’s failure to resolve disputes over the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA), awarding Turkcell, --Turkey's biggest mobile phone operator -- to set up Iran's first private mobile telephone network and get cheaper price for the natural gas Turkey imports from Iran.

On the first two issues, the Iranian side invoked “security concerns”, claiming that both the Tepe-Akfen-Vie (TAV), an Austrian-Turkish consortium that had secured contracts for the most of the services at the IKIA, including baggage, coffee shops, restaurants and shops as well as Turkcell had also ties with “Zionist (Israeli) companies.

It was because of these questions that the Revolutionary Guards shut down the new airport on 8 May 2004 hours after it had been officially inaugurated and one flight landed.

While the conservatives say they are against the contracts because of lack of proper studies and consideration for national security, the defeated reformists insist that the hard liners blocked the deals in order to humiliate further President Mohammad Khatami and adds that the Intelligence Ministry has found no evidence corroborating TAV and Turkcell’s connections with Israel, Iran’s arch foe enemy.

“If we can not cooperate with our neighbours, then how can we enter international markets’, one Iranian economist told Iran Press Service, adding that the failure of trade agreements with Turkey would badly harm Iran’s interests?

Turkey could invest up to three billion dollars in the project, which would rank among the largest foreign investments since Iran's Islamic revolution 25 years ago.

According to official figures, trade between the two countries has increased dramatically in recent years, and was valued at 2.4 billion dollars (2.0 billion euros) in 2003, a 90 percent increase on the previous year.

Iran says the figure could surge to 10 billion dollars in the coming years.

But Mr. Mohammad Khoshchehreh, deputy Chairman of Economic Committee of the conservative’s controlled Majles criticised the government that by agreeing to contracts to TAV and Turkcell before referring to the Parliament, it had placed the cart before the cows.

To echo him, conservative’s controlled newspapers accused Turkey to press for cheap gas prices “Beyond any logic”.

Turkey has halted imports, complaining of poor quality and asking Iran to reduce the price. Turkish and Iranian energy officials failed to ink a formal deal on the price of Iranian natural-gas supplies, despite nearly eight hours of negotiations.

Officials close to the talks said the two sides had appointed Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler and Iran's Oil Minister Bizhan Namdar Zanganeh to work on ironing out the hitches concerning a natural gas supply deal signed in 1996.

“Khatami should have known that decisions on such important deals involving the nation’s interests are taken in the Office of the Leader and must also be ratified by the Majles. But it seems that the President had been on the illusion that these matters are for the Executive”, observed a Tehran-based journalist.

However, the visit was not all negative, as the two sides had almost identical views on the situation in Iraq and Palestine.

Erdogan, who is also the leader of the moderate Islam-based Justice and Development Party, pleased the Iranians when he downgraded Turkey’s military, intelligence and security cooperation with the Jewish State in protest to the “iron fist” policy of the hard line Prime Minister Ariel Sharon against the Palestinians.

The two sides confirmed their support for the Iraqi interim government of Mr. Iyad Alawi and the maintaining of Iraq’s present international borders.

“The United States, which considers Iran a rogue state, is reportedly unhappy with Ankara's efforts to forge cooperation with Tehran. Turkish media quoted a U.S. official as reminding Ankara that business deals with Iran worth more than $20 million would draw U.S. sanctions”, wrote the English-language Turkish Daily News.

"We have to think about the interests of our country. This is a responsibility put upon our shoulders by our 70 million people. We can't avoid that and every step that we take is for the well being of our nation. They are not meant to create trouble for any country", Erdogan said, when asked of the reported U.S. reaction.

Erdogan on the way home said his government was keeping its earlier promise to strengthen economic, political and commercial ties with its neighbouring countries.

In a landmark move, Ankara had normalised its relations with Syria.

"We believe these steps must be taken in order to support world peace. In addition, Turkey should take such steps as many of the world's countries are already so engaged", Erdogan said.

During his visit, Erdogan, accompanied by a political and economic delegation including some 130 businessmen, had also met with Iranian ministers of Oil, Defence and Foreign Affairs as well as Mr. Qolamali Haddad Adel, the Majles Speaker.

ENDS TURKEY IRAN 31704

http://www.iran-press-service.com/ips/articles-2004/july/turkey_iran_31704.shtml


5 posted on 07/31/2004 9:12:40 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: nuconvert; freedom44; downer911; faludeh_shirazi; Reza2004

I thought Iranian soccer fans like this news--- Pilot

IRAN SHOCK SOUTH KOREA

Iran overcame South Korea 4-3 in the match of the tournament in China........


http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=88205&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=27134


6 posted on 07/31/2004 9:25:04 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
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To: DoctorZIn

Bump!


7 posted on 07/31/2004 9:50:09 PM PDT by windchime (Podesta about Bush: "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done." (TIME-1/22/01))
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To: DoctorZIn

For good insight into Iran, rent the film "Not without my daughter". Do a search on Amazon.com for it. The reviews are about 80% positive. Islam will kill Iran and rape any hope it has of ever becoming a godly nation.


8 posted on 07/31/2004 10:11:47 PM PDT by Windsong (FighterPilot)
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To: Windsong; freedom44; SusanTK; downer911; nuconvert; Reza2004; The Scourge of Yazid

That movie is a disgusting production I have ever seen in my life. It's shameful that one can dare to call Persians as Barbarians or make them equal with ARABS.

The whole movie was taken in Southern Lebanon or in Palestinian areas. It does not have any thing to us. We are not like the people of that insane movie.

I hope you change your mind by reading this thread or by watching more useful movies. I dare to say that "Not without my daughter" is a lie about Iran or even Islam.

I offer you some of Jafar Panahis movies, Abbas Kiarostami movies. We are a peaceful nation.


9 posted on 07/31/2004 11:39:03 PM PDT by Khashayar
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To: Eurotwit; McGavin999; nuconvert; downer911; AdmSmith

Dissident Iran professor free after two-year battle

Associated Press
July 31, 2004, 9:51PM

TEHRAN, IRAN - A university professor who was twice condemned to death for blasphemy walked out of prison on Saturday night, free after a two-year battle with hard-line judges and mass student demonstrations in his favor.

Hashem Aghajari emerged from Evin prison in north Tehran to a warm welcome by relatives and friends, his daughter Maryam Aghajari told The Associated Press.

Maryam said her father was released on bail of $122,500. The bond had to be posted because he had not served his 3-year sentence. He spent more than two years behind bars.

Hashem Aghajari was prosecuted for a June 2002 speech in which he urged people to question religious teachings.

His comments enraged the clerical establishment. He was charged with blasphemy, insulting Islam and questioning clerical rule.

When a court condemned him to death, hundreds of thousands demonstrated.

Last month, a court convicted Aghajari of the lesser charges of insulting sacred Islamic tenets. It sentenced him to three years' imprisonment.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2712806


10 posted on 08/01/2004 1:43:10 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
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To: F14 Pilot

Iraqi judge to visit Iran about Saddam

The Washington Times
July 31, 2004

Tehran, Iran, Jul. 31 (UPI) -- Iran said Saturday the top Iraqi judge hearing the trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will visit Iran to make a case against the former leader.

The official Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Hussein Kazemi Qommi, the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Baghdad as saying Judge Salem Chalabi is expected in Iran as part of the case being built against Saddam.

Qommi said Chalabi's visit came within the "framework of the lawsuit that Iran is preparing against Saddam regarding the crimes he committed" during the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war.

The diplomat did not mention a date for such a visit.

IRNA quoted Qommi as accusing the former Iraqi president of using chemical weapons against his country, saying the "dictator used chemical bombs against defenseless (IRANIAN) civilians and killed prisoners of war."

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040731-103543-7883r.htm


11 posted on 08/01/2004 1:46:33 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
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To: DoctorZIn

Allawi Snubs Iranian Mullahs

August 01, 2004
Juan Cole
Informed Comment

Caretaker Prime Minister Iyad Allawi cancelled his planned visit to Iran, even as he was being feted in Kuwait. He has sent a ministerial delegation instead, according to al-Hayat, in protest against Iranian meddling in Iraq.

Allawi's Minister of Defense Hazem Shaalan, has recently spoken out vocally against Iran, calling it Iraq's number one enemy. Allawi had earlier dissociated himself from Shaalan's views, expressing puzzlement as to why the minister would say that. Vice President Ibrahim Jaafari of the pro-Iranian al-Da`wa Party said that Shaalan's views were personal, not those of the Iraqi government. But someone clearly has managed to convince Allawi of an egregious Iranian action toward Iraq, leading to the cancellation of his trip to Iran. Az-Zaman had reported on Friday that Iran was allowing Afghan jihadis to cross its territory and infiltrate Iraqi cities like Basra. (I take such reports with a grain of salt, since most Afghans don't speak Arabic and would have difficulty not standing out in Iraq, and anyway Iran's borders are impossible to patrol.)

Ash-Sharq al-Awsat reported that even while the large Iraqi ministerial delegation is in Iran, Iranian media are full of attacks on Shaalan and his colleague, Minister of the Interior Falah al-Naqib. Shaalan is being depicted as implicated in the Iraqi aggression against Iran in the 1980s, and as a British, American and Israeli spy.

In the meantime, Iran condemned a plan announced by Saudi Arabia for a Muslim multinational force in Iraq. Even US Secretary of State Colin Powell was lukewarm, saying it needed more study. And the countries mentioned as possible contributors all hastily backed away. Bangladesh said it was out of the question for it to send troops to Iraq except under a United Nations command. My own estimation is that no country in the global South or the Muslim world is going to provide any significant number of troops to an American-led military multinational force. They would have to report to the UN. And, the Bush administration just is not going to give the UN a command in Iraq. So, the Saudi plan is dead in the water.

Allawi's cozy relations with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and his snub of Iran, suggests an emerging pattern in the caretaker government. Secular, pro-American Shiites like Allawi and Shaalan are increasingly throwing their lot in with powerful Sunni Arab neighbors of Iraq, cementing their alliance with Sunni Iraqi politicians like President Yawar in the process. In contrast, the religious Shiite parties are not being given any significant role in the new government (al-Da`wa has a vice-presidency and SCIRI has the Finance Ministry, and that is about it; the Sadrists have nothing). They are the ones who would seek close relations with Iran if they could. The religious Shiite parties also appear to be being sidelined in the national congress. Are pro-American, secular Shiite leaders a trojan horse inside Shiite Iraq for restored Sunni power and diplomacy in Iraq and the Gulf?

Allawi's government cracked down this weekend on the Sadr movement. Iraqi National Guards and Coalition forces arrested Muqtada al-Sadr's representative in the holy Shiite city of Karbala, Shaikh Mithal al-Hasnawi, early in the morning at his house, along with his brother. Muqtada's spokesman, Ra'id al-Kadhimi, threatened retaliation. Muqtada and his movement are boycotting the national congress that will elect a weak, symoblic national assembly beginning in mid-August. US arrests of Muqtada aides in early April provoked substantial violence in Iraq. Note that this arrest would have been the work of Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib and would have been authorized by Iyad Allawi.

Informed Comment

Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

Juan Cole is Professor of History at the University of Michigan

http://www.juancole.com/2004_08_01_juancole_archive.html#109133790923552608


12 posted on 08/01/2004 6:24:29 AM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: F14 Pilot
YES!
13 posted on 08/01/2004 8:01:37 AM PDT by McGavin999 (If Kerry can't deal with the "Republican Attack Machine" how is he going to deal with Al Qaeda)
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To: Khashayar; windchime; Windsong; F14 Pilot; KangarooJacqui
Time for an irreverent, humorous intermission.

Jaffar Panahi:

Please little girl, you need to act in order for us to complete this film.

"Balloon" girl:

(Stamping feet. Walking off the set.)

NO! I will go home by myself!

Jaffar Panahi's DP:

Man, actresses can be so temperamental.

14 posted on 08/01/2004 10:00:04 AM PDT by The Scourge of Yazid (Paid for by the Palestinian National Authority. Actually paid for by those infidel devils. Shush!)
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To: DoctorZIn
Teachers protest persistent imprisonment of colleagues

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Aug 1, 2004

Tens of teachers gathered, today, in front of the Ministry of Education in order to request the immediate release of their arrested colleagues who have been imprisonned for oppostion to the regime's polcies and having protested against their poor conditions.

Some of the protesters were carrying placards denouncing the repression and stating "A Teacher's Place is in a Classroom and not in Prison".

Security forces were very careful to avoid showing another repressive action contenting to film and warn the demonstrators while keeping the perimeter close from public access.


15 posted on 08/01/2004 5:35:55 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn

Russia and Iran: Who is Strong-Arming Whom?

August 01, 2004
EurasiaNet
Mark N. Katz

Continued Russian support for Iran’s nuclear-energy program despite U.S. objections that this could help Tehran acquire nuclear weapons appears to be a source of great pride to many Russian officials and commentators. Indeed, Moscow’s defiance of Washington feeds into the notion that Russia is still a great power. Moscow’s continued contribution to the Iranian nuclear program may, however, ultimately serve to weaken Russia, not strengthen it.

The U.S. government has long been worried that Tehran is using its nuclear-energy program to develop nuclear weapons, and has therefore repeatedly urged Moscow to halt work on the reactor it is building for the Iranians at Bushehr. The standard Russian response has been that Iran is in compliance with all International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations, and thus has the right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) to develop a peaceful nuclear-energy program. But with the revelation that Iran possesses hitherto secret nuclear facilities that it had not declared to the IAEA and that some of the equipment IAEA inspectors have found in Iran bore traces of weapons grade uranium, it has become increasingly clear that Iran is not in total compliance with IAEA regulations

Yet despite these revelations, Russian work on the Iranian nuclear-energy program has continued. While the United States wanted the IAEA to declare Iran to be in violation of the NPT and refer the matter to the UN Security Council, Russia sided with European and other states that were unwilling to do so and sought to "engage" Tehran instead. In the past few months, though, it has become obvious to the Europeans that their engagement efforts have not succeeded, and that Iran appears determined to acquire the equipment and technology that could enable it to fabricate nuclear weapons, although Iran insists it seeks only to develop a peaceful nuclear-energy program.

Moscow meanwhile has continued to declare that it will complete the nuclear reactor it is currently helping to build at Bushehr, and to express its hopes of building several more. True, the Russian government insists that Iran must agree to return to Russia all spent fuel (which could be used for nuclear weapons), but the value of such an agreement (if it is signed) as a nonproliferation measure is dubious. Aleksandr Rumyantsev, head of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency, said in May that any such spent fuel would not arrive in Russia for at least seven or eight years.

It would seem that Russia would have as much of an incentive -- or an even greater one -- than the United States and the EU in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia is much closer geographically to Iran, and thus is much more within range of the type of missile currently available to Tehran. Nor would Russia be less vulnerable to an Iranian attack if Tehran were to succeed in developing longer-range missiles.

Yet, while Moscow genuinely does not want Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, it has a strong incentive to continue assisting the Iranian nuclear-energy program. In December 2002, Radzhab Safarov, who is director-general of the Russian Center for Contemporary Iranian Studies, noted that the Russian nuclear-power industry faced an uncertain future after it lost customers both in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union itself following the 1989-91 collapse of communism. "Therefore, Iran has in effect saved Russia’s nuclear-power sector. And we should be grateful to Iran for having provided tens of thousands of Russian companies with 70 percent of their work," Safarov told Ekho Moskvy. In other words, without the work in Iran, the Russian nuclear industry, which Moscow places a high priority on preserving, may not have enough customers to survive.

Iran regards the United States as its greatest opponent. One strong motive the Iranian hard-liners would appear to have for acquiring nuclear weapons is to deter the United States from military intervention against Iran. This motive was undoubtedly heightened after witnessing how rapidly U.S.-led forces overthrew first the Taliban and then Saddam Hussein in countries neighboring Iran. Iran, then, would appear to have a strong incentive to remain on good terms with Russia -- at least, that is, until Tehran actually does acquire nuclear weapons. What is surprising, though, is that Moscow does not attempt to exploit Iran’s dependence on Russia in the nuclear arena to obtain concessions in other areas, especially the delimitation of the Caspian Sea. However, Iran is refusing to accept an agreement signed in May 2003 by Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan that would give those three states nearly 70 percent of the seabed; Iran is holding out for dividing the seabed and the waters into five equal parts among the littoral states.

Iran’s intransigence has negatively affected Moscow because it has prevented Russian oil firms from participating in the exploitation of oil deposits in the area of the southern Caspian to which both Azerbaijan and Iran lay claim, and has motivated Azerbaijan to seek military assistance from the United States, which Moscow sees as undercutting its own influence in the region.

Moscow could attempt to link its continued participation in the Iranian nuclear-energy program to Iranian concessions on the delimitation of the Caspian. Alternatively, or simultaneously, Russia could cooperate with the United States in trying to persuade the IAEA to refer Iran’s violations of the NPT to the UN Security Council. Iran would then become much more dependent on Russia to prevent sanctions from being imposed on it -- and presumably consequently more willing to accommodate Moscow both in the Caspian and on the issue of nuclear safeguards (assuming that Tehran really is only developing a peaceful atomic energy program, as it claims, and is not seeking nuclear weapons).

Russia, though, has not made any such linkage, and Iran’s continued stubbornness on the Caspian issue suggests that Tehran does not fear it will do so. Instead, it is Moscow that seems afraid that annoying Tehran could result in the Russian nuclear-power industry not receiving contracts to build any more nuclear reactors for Iran after the first one at Bushehr is completed.

But if Tehran is unwilling to accommodate Russian interests in the Caspian before it acquires nuclear weapons, it is hardly likely to do so after acquiring them, when it will be less dependent on Russia. A more belligerent Iran armed with nuclear weapons might also confront Moscow with the choice between continuing to provide Tehran with nuclear know-how in order to appease it, or reluctantly turning to the United States for support. Thus, instead of enhancing Russia’s status as a great power, the sale of nuclear technology to Iran is far more likely to undermine it.

A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/pp080104.shtml


16 posted on 08/01/2004 5:37:25 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn

Rafsanjani: Europe Should Support Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Program

August 01, 2004
Islamic Republic News Agency
IRNA

The proper choice for Europe is to support Iran use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes but it seems that cooperation between Tehran and Europe has become sluggish under US pressure, said Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in Tehran on Sunday.

Rafsanjani told German Ambassador to Tehran Baron Paul Von Maltzahn that big powers should know that Iran would not under any circumstances be ready to compromise on its right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought and will never seek the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

On Germany's refusal to complete Bushehr Atomic Power Plan, Rafsanjani said that would motivate young Iranian experts to come forward and undertake the job by relying on their faith and expertise.

He said that if Europe and the US attempt to stem Iran's technical and industrial progress, they would realize their mistakes in the coming years.

He went on to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for transparent cooperation with the international community for peaceful use of nuclear energy.

He said the Islamic Republic of Iran faces no restriction in further expansion of ties with Germany.

The EC chief said efforts should be made to remove obstacles and promote strong points to expedite the process of cooperation.

Rafsanjani said Iran and Germany have high capacity for expansion of mutual technical and economic cooperation.

He said Tehran and Berlin have not yet been able to benefit from all their facilities for expanding cooperation.

For his part, Maltzahn said Iran is a strategically important country and is influential in the region.

He said Germany, France and Britain are determined to help Iran in its peaceful use of nuclear energy.

He added that contrary to the US, Europe considers peaceful use of nuclear energy as Iran's undisputable right.

He called for further expansion of Tehran-Berlin ties.

http://www.irna.ir/?SAB=OK&LANG=EN&PART=_HOME&TYPE=HP&id=200408011813595


17 posted on 08/01/2004 5:38:17 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn

This just in from Banafsheh...

Please note that we have a tape recording of Zbignew Brzezinski, at the Monday, July 17th press briefing at the Council on Foreign Relations, in Washington D.C. saying the exact opposite of everything that is written in the last paragraph of the attached article below, as well as the report produced by the task force of the Council on Foreign Relations (link also available below).

Mr. Brzezinski denied the fact that the Mullahs are strong and that the Iranian people's movement for secularism and democracy, is weak! The task force members also stated that IF the Mullahs do not accept the CONDITIONS recommended by the Council on Foreign Relations for dialogue, the offer for dialogue will be withdrawn!!! (by the way...the Mullahs have already stated that this plan is entirely contemptible and arrogant!) He had also reitereated that the people of Iran are intelligent people who live under unacceptable conditions and that the plan that is being offered through dialogue is in order to "protect" the Iranian people! SURE, Mr. Brzezinski, we really believe YOU and all your cronies because you did SUCH an unforgettable job 25 years ago!

Also, the head honchos at CFR had considered DENYING Iranians entry to the briefing!!! They had feared an "encounter" with Iranian opposition.

This goes to show just what lengths the fascio-Mullahcracy salesmen will go, to camouflage reality...These characters are (excuse the barb) pimps for oil companies (Brzezinski is a consultant for BP/Amoco); it's not surprising that they will go to any lengths to misrepresent facts to innocent people who want to respectfully (in the name of their being so-called "statesmen") believe them...

*Article to follow next week sometime...Stay tuned folks...as the corrupt are exposed!

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_3.html

CFR to Bush: Stop Israeli strike on Iran's nuke sites

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, July 30, 2004

A report by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations urged the Bush administration to stop any Israeli attempt to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. The council warned that such an Israeli attack would be blamed on the United States and hurt its interests in the region.
"Since Washington would be blamed for any unilateral Israeli military strike, the United States should, in any case, make it quite clear to Israel that U.S. interests would be adversely affected by such a move," the report, entitled "Iran: Time for a New Approach," said.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the United States supports Israel's right to what he termed weapons of deterrence, regarded as a reference to nuclear weapons, Middle East Newsline reported. He said the United States was also pressing Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program.

"Israel faces an existential threat, and it must be able to defend itself by itself by preserving its deterrent capability," Sharon said. "We have received here a clear American position that says in other words that Israel must not be touched when it comes to its deterrent capability."

An air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would incur civilian casualties, the report said. It pointed out that many of Iran's nuclear facilities have been located in or near urban centers.

Israel has never directly threatened Iran's nuclear facilities. But the Sharon government has warned that it would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal.

The U.S. report, drafted by an independent task force sponsored by the council, said Washington should resolve concerns over Iran's nuclear weapons program by coordinating with the European Union. But the council ruled out any military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

"In addition, any military effort to eliminate Iranian weapons capabilities runs the significant risk of reinforcing Teheran's desire to acquire a nuclear deterrent and of provoking nationalist passions in defense of that very course," the task force said. "It would most likely generate also hostile Iranian initiatives in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The report also said direct U.S. efforts to overthrow the Iranian clerical regime would not succeed. The council said the regime could eventually provide greater liberties to its people.

"Despite considerable political flux and popular dissatisfaction, Iran is not on the verge of another revolution," the report, entitled ". The current Iranian government appears to be durable and likely to persist in power for the short- and even medium-term. However, Iran's generational shift and prevailing popular frustration with the government portend the eventual transformation to a more democratic political order in the long term. That process is too deeply entrenched in Iran’s political history and social structure to be derailed or even long delayed."


18 posted on 08/01/2004 5:41:48 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn
This thread is now closed.

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19 posted on 08/01/2004 9:35:07 PM PDT by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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