Iranian Alert -- August 19, 2003 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

Iran will not give in to Western nuclear demands - Khamenei

By DPA
Aug 19, 2003

TEHRAN - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Western demands that Teheran stop its nuclear activities, the news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.

In a related development, the news Web site Baztab reported that the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Russia have sent an urgent letter to Teheran asking the Iranian government to sign the international nuclear inspection protocol.

Khamenei told visiting Iranian diplomats from abroad that Iran's nuclear projects were peaceful and that the country was not after atomic weapons.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all state affairs, termed the demands that Iran to stop its nuclear activities as groundless and unfair and therefore unacceptable.

While accusing especially the United States of demanding the international community act according to its will, he considered any kind of concessions to the U.S. as a grave strategic mistake.

Baztab reported that the letters from European leaders were considered as too important to be answered by Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi.
President Mohammad Khatami himself took charge and assured the four ministers of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programs, Baztab said.

There was no official reaction from the Iranian foreign ministry to the Baztab report.

Last week, IRNA reported that Iran was planning to build a second nuclear plant in the southern Gulf port of Bushehr, to provide 1,000 megawatts to the country's electricity network.

Iran's first nuclear plant, also in Bushehr, will have a capacity of 6,000 megawatts when it is completed.

Iran is under intense international pressure to sign an additional protocol and allow unannounced inspections of its nuclear sites to prove it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons.

The issue is expected to be settled before the International Atomic Energy Agency board meets next month as the Islamic state has been threatened with international political isolation.

The issue has triggered intense debate within Iran.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_1811.shtml

Letter from Bin Laden found on body of Saudi bomber

By John R Bradley in Jeddah
Aug 19, 2003

A letter from Osama bin Laden and a telephone call made from Iran by his son Saad are linked to a series of al-Qa'ida attacks on Westerners in Saudi Arabia, according to Western diplomats and Saudi intelligence officials.

The letter from al-Qa'ida's leader was found on the body of Yosif Salih Fahd Alayeeri, one of 19 attackers involved in a closely co-ordinated series of bombings in Riyadh on 12 May, who was killed in a shootout with security forces in central Saudi Arabia in May. The Saudi authorities have refused to divulge the contents of the letter, confirming only that it was found on the dead terrorist.

Two days before the bombings, which killed 34 people, including nine Americans and two Britons, Saad bin Laden made a telephone call from somewhere in Iran to another member of the same al-Qa'ida gang, according to a senior Western diplomat. The unidentified Saudi suspect was arrested as part of a crackdown on Islamist militants after the May bombings. Authorities said he had revealed the details of the telephone conversation between himself and Saad bin Laden under interrogation.

British Airwayshalted flights to the kingdom on Wednesday last week after Saudi authorities learnt of a plot to shoot down one of its planes with a missile. The plan is believed to have been the work of the same wide network, directed by Bin Laden and associates, including his son Saad, to which the Riyadh gang belonged. Intelligence about the plot probably came from CIA agents working in the kingdom, and with whom the Saudis are now sharing information on al-Qa'ida.

The attack was foiled when a Saudi police special forces ambushed 10 terrorist suspects who had escaped a shootout in Riyadh the night before. Three Saudi officers died and five suspects were captured.

Details of the planned missile attack were found in documents in a car used by the gang, and BA announced it was suspending flights to Saudi Arabia the next day.

Adel al-Jubeir, a Saudi foreign policy adviser, partly confirmed the details in an interview yesterday with CNN. "One of the cells that was broken up ... there were maps, there were certain things that indicated that there was a high level of interest in British Airways," Mr Jubeir said. "The conclusion that was arrived at by British Airways ... was that there may be a threat there."

There have been fears of a missile attack against a civilian airliner in Saudi Arabia since May last year, when a shoulder-launched SA-7 missile was fired at an American fighter plane taking off from the Prince Sultan air base. Earlier, explosives were found outside the base, with another al-Qa'ida letter attached, demanding that all American forces withdraw.

Much of the intelligence coming out of Saudi Arabia is emerging from CIA interrogations. This is given more credibility by international experts than details provided by the Saudi Interior Ministry. Some of the best information is believed to be from Ali Abdul Rahman al-Faqaasi al-Ghamdi, who is accused of masterminding the Riyadh attacks, and who surrendered in Jeddah. Mr Ghamdi met Bin Laden insouthern Afghanistan before the Taliban regime fell.

It has not been revealed whether Mr Ghamdi was the source of the information about Saad bin Laden's phone call, but the revelation has severely affected relations between Riyadh and Tehran. The Iranians have denied US claims that the Riyadh bombings were directed from their territory.

Iran has declined to reveal the identities of terrorist suspects it is holding, other than saying they include "important and less important members" of al-Qa'ida. But US officials and Arab press reports say Saad bin Laden, who has been stripped of Saudi citizenship, is among those being held.

The Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Nayef, has confirmed that all the gangs arrested in the country since 12 May have links to al-Qa'ida.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_1813.shtml

U.S. expands sanctions on Iran

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, August 18, 2003

The United States has expanded sanctions on a leading Iranian opposition group.

The State Department has designated two political fronts of the Mujahadeen Khalq as terrorist organizations. Mujahadeen was placed on the department's list of terrorist organizations in 1997.

The action allowed federal authorities to close the offices of two organizations aligned with the Mujahadeen and seize their assets. About $100,000 in assets were found and seized.

Secretary of State Colin Powell amended the designation of the Mujahadeen Khalq as a foreign terrorist organization to include what officials termed two of the group's aliases. They were identified as the National Council of Resistance and National Council of Resistance of Iran, Middle East Newsline reported.
The groups are located in Washington and have been active in lobbying the U.S. Congress.

Officials said Powell cited Executive Order 1322, which allows the secretary of state to designate foreign entities and individuals as posing significant risks for U.S. national security. They did not specify the threat.

"The action to amend the Executive Order 13224 designation of the MEK [Mujahadeen Khalq] to include NCR and NCRI is based on information from a variety of sources that those entities functioned as part of the MEK and have supported the MEK's acts of terrorism," State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey said.

Officials said the State Department's designation came after consultations with congressional leaders. The Mujahadeen attacked U.S. interests in Iran during the period of the Shah of Iran in the mid-1970s. In the 1980s, Mujhadeen were harbored and supported by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

In November 2002, more than 100 House members signed a letter that urged the State Department to remove the Mujhadeen Khalq from the terror list. There was no outcry from Congress to last week's closure of the two Washington offices of the Iranian opposition.

In August 2002, the National Council disclosed two secret Iranian nuclear facilities. The United States later confirmed the sites and inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency toured the Natanz facility in February 2003.

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/front_4.html

Supreme Leader: Iran not to compromise over fundamental values

Tehran, Aug 19, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said here on Monday in a meeting with
the ambassadors of Iran abroad "The Islamic Republic of Iran will
never compromise over its fundamental values, that are the basis for
our national pride."
Emphasizing on the need to resorting to initiatives, relying on
expertise, high talents, speed, perseverance, and tactful planning in
acting as the representatives of Iran abroad, the leader said, "There
is no price for our national pride."
Referring to the rapid developments at global level, the leader
emphasized on the need to have a dynamic evaluation system at the
foreign ministry to survey the bilateral and international ties of
Iran.
The Supreme Leader added, "The ambassadors must quite dynamically,
play decisive roles in the countries where they are commissioned,
defining the stands and viewpoints of the Islamic Republic of Iran
logically and strongly."
Ayatollah Khamenei Said, "Some of the current international rules
are imposed due to the hegemony of certain powers, accepting which
equals abandoning our national identity and the Islamic values and
fundamentals."
The leader added, "There is no pride in doing so, and we cannot
compromise over our fundamentals, just in order to please a part of
the world, that is crystallized in the west, atop which is the
arrogant United States."
Counting the capabilities of the country in scientific, political,
economic, cultural and social fields, and particularly the "quite
strong popular support of the Iranian nation for their own political
system", the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, "These
are all miracles of the Islamic Revolution."
The leader further emphasized, "Relying on such unique
capabilities, and relying on God's grace, we can come out victorious
from all various challenges in the field of our foreign policy."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the people's broad presence at the
upcoming parliamentary elections, too, will be a great demonstration
of the popular support of the Iranian nation for their system, adding,
"God willing, the Iranian nation will have a truly dynamic, vivacious,
and broad presence at the elections polls."
Referring to the achievement in the field of nuclear technology
thanks to the endeavors of the pious Iranian youth, and the hue and
cry raised by the the west, and led by the US, the leader said, "The
country's nuclear technology is truly indigenous, and aimed merely
at peaceful purposes."
Ayatollah Khamenei further emphasized, "The Islamic Republic of
Iran, based on its religious and jurisprudence fundamental beliefs,
would never resort to the use the weapons of mass destruction."
Referring to the US and some European countries' insistence that
Iran should abandon its nuclear technology, the leader emphasized,
"Such stands and requests are unjust, and illogical, and the Islamic
Republic of Ira would never yield to them."
Regarding restoration of relations with the United States,
Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, "Under such conditions that the United
States is treating the whole world as if the nations were all indebted
to it, showing any sign of weakness, and any tendency to yield to the
US demands, would be the biggest strategic mistake."
Referring to the Arab countries stands regarding the Palestine
issue, the leader said, "During the past 35 years, the Arab countries
gained no interests regarding the Palestinian issue, and the United
States, took no step back regarding its full support for the Zionist
regime, and never took sides with the Arabs."

http://www.irna.ir/en/head/030819011432.ehe.shtml

Rafsanjani says Iran is too strong to be defeated

Tehran, Aug 18, IRNA -- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani said here Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is too
strong to be defeated.
Rafsanjani told a group of war veterans on the anniversary of
their return home that the Islamic Republic of Iran is now highly
stable and firm, and is only worried about the condition of Muslim
Iraqis.
He said the conditions of Saddam, Baath party, and Iraqi rulers
and the unfavorable state of US occupiers in Iraq set a good example
of divine justice.
"God punishes tyrants by tyrants; enemies of the Islamic Republic
(of Iran) were punished with each other but the Islamic Republic of
Iran is now firm and stable, being concerned about the condition of
Muslim Iraqi people," said Rafsanjani.
He lauded war veterans as main elements of the Islamic Revolution
and its inheritors and owners.

http://www.irna.ir/en/tnews/030819191308.etn04.shtml

US must "turn up the heat" on Syria, Iran: top Republican

Sun Aug 17, 3:57 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A senior US Republican congressman said that the White House should increase pressure on Syria and Iran to prevail in the war against terrorism.

We've got to continue the pressure on Syria and Iran," Tom DeLay, leader of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, told Fox News television.

"We need to turn up the heat on both those countries to join us -- either join us against these terrorists or suffer the consequences," he said.

"We have to fight this on every front that we can find to get these terrorists," said DeLay, who recently returned from the Middle East.

"The United States ought to be ... fighting the war against terrorism, whether we find it in the Middle East or in Southeast Asia or in Israel," the Texas lawmaker said.

"We ought to go after these terrorists, as we have been doing, and eliminate them and the states that support them. And.............

MORE OF THE STORY AT :
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030817/pl_afp/us_iraq_politics_030817195703

The Shah and Us -- and Regime Change

By George F. Will
Tuesday, August 19, 2003; Page A19

Tehran, Iran, Aug. 19 -- Iranians loyal to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, including Tehran civilians, soldiers and rural tribesmen, swept Premier Mohammed Mossadegh out of power today in a revolution and apparently had seized at least temporary control of the country.

This anniversary reminds us that America is not new to the business of regime change. Fifty years ago U.S. and British intelligence services -- the principal U.S. operative was Kermit Roosevelt, Teddy's grandson -- had a remarkably easy time overthrowing Iran's government.

It took just two months and $200,000, mobs being cheap to rent back then. It was so easy that, according to the late CIA director Richard Helms in his just-published memoir, "A Look Over My Shoulder," Roosevelt felt the need to sound a warning that Secretary of State John Foster Dulles did not want to hear.

Roosevelt said the coup succeeded because the CIA had accurately concluded that the Iranians, including most of the military, "wanted exactly" the result we were seeking. "If we," said Roosevelt, referring to the CIA, "are ever going to try something like this again, we must be absolutely sure that [the] people and army want what we want. If not, you had better give the job to the Marines!"

The shah's "at least temporary control of the country" lasted just a bit more than half of these 50 years. The fact that his control crumbled in 1979 under the assault of Islamic fundamentalists responsive to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini does not mean the coup was misguided or unavailing.

History teaches that everything is temporary. Besides, the coup's purpose was to confound Soviet designs, not settle Iran's future in perpetuity. The fact that the coup in some sense set in train events that led to today's highly unsatisfactory situation in Iran does not mean that the coup was not successful, any more than Soviet control of Eastern Europe for almost a half-century after 1945 meant that the Second World War was not worth winning. Rather, the point to be pondered on this anniversary is that U.S. involvement in regime change deeply implicates the United States in the future of the affected country.

Much ink has been spilled in arguing about when the U.S. commitment in South Vietnam became large and irreversible. It is at least arguable that the day can be pinpointed: Nov. 2, 1963. That was when the United States was involved in regime change -- in the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem.

Again, the reason for remembering such U.S. undertakings at this moment is not to reopen arguments about their wisdom but to underscore the point that the United States has been practicing the craft of regime change for a long time. And that such changes inevitably are the beginnings of long and sometimes melancholy entanglements.

We are in the process of acquiring yet another in Liberia. That one arises from historical ties, supplemented by President Bush's post-9/11 conclusion that "weak states, like Afghanistan, can pose as great a danger to our national interests as strong states."

The Economist of London, which was founded in 1843, when British imperialism was flourishing, is neither squeamish about the fact of empire nor tainted by anti-Americanism. But as an anxious friend, the Economist notes:

In less than two years the United States has occupied two Muslim countries with a combined population of more than 50 million. Afghanistan "remains a failed or nonexistent state" where "the government's writ does not extend much beyond Kabul" and "local warlords, deep into the heroin trade, wield the real power." In Iraq, where a U.S. general says the current condition is "war, however you describe it," there are 161,000 occupying troops, of which 148,000 are American. The largest contingent of the other 13,000 are British and the other 18 participating nations have sent on average a few hundred.

It might be time to pause in pushing the American project that was implicit in Woodrow Wilson's assertion that America's flag is "the flag not only of America but of humanity." Wilson was echoing Lincoln's belief that our nation is "dedicated to a proposition" that is "an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times." But the belief that the American model of civic life could be a blessing to everyone is as old as Benjamin Franklin's proclamation that America's "cause is esteemed the cause of all mankind."

Franklin did not say, but probably was wise enough to think: "Eventually. Maybe."

georgewill@washpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11937-2003Aug18.html

Iran Says U.S. Should Expand Its Crackdown on MKO (MEK) in Iraq

TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamidreza Asefi said on Monday that the closure of Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO) offices in the U.S. is a positive sign but Washington should expand its crackdown on this terrorist group to other places including Iraq.

“The U.S. has acted on the basis of its responsibilities and naturally they should do this and what the U.S. has done is a positive step but it should be expanded to every where including Iraq,” Asefi told a regular press briefing.

When asked whether the closure of MKO offices in the U.S. could serve as a stepping stone for establishing ties between Tehran and Washington Asefi said every thing depends on the U.S. policy toward Iran.

If a positive change happens in the U.S. officials’ behavior toward Iran then the conditions would naturally change in Iran, Foreign Ministry official told reporters.

The United States on Friday shut down the offices of the political wing of the Mujahedeen Kalq Organization, closing a loophole that had allowed the group to operate despite being designated a terrorist organization.

State, Treasury and Justice departments closed the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), placing notices on its doors declaring that it was now banned, officials said.

U.S. federal agents acted after Secretary of State Colin Powell clarified earlier terrorist designations of the NCRI's parent, the Mujahadeen Khalq Organization, they said.

The order also freezes the group's U.S. assets and bars U.S. citizens from making contributions to it, the officials said as quoted by AFP.

The U.S. move against the MKO follows a similar crackdown on the group in France, where police raided their headquarters in a Paris suburb in June, arresting scores of people.

Foreign Ministry spokesman also said Iran believes that the security of the Caspian Sea can only be guaranteed by the cooperation of the littoral states without the presence of foreigners.

“We believe that the security of Caspian states can be protected only through more regional cooperation and the presence of foreign troops would only complicate the situation,” Asefi said.

Asefi said Iran has asked explanation from Baku about a joint military maneuver between Azerbaijan and U.S. in the Caspian Sea.

MP Hamid-Reza Hajbabaei said on Saturday that the U.S. has entered the territorial waters of the five littoral states in its joint military maneuver with Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea.

He added that as long as there is no legal regime to divide the sea, the United States is violating the littoral states’ borders.

Hajbabaei, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told the Mehr News Agency that Azerbaijan is opposed to an equal division of the Caspian Sea, saying that Azerbaijan is using Washington’s presence in the area to force Russia and Iran to accept the views of Azeri officials on the establishment of the Caspian legal regime.

On the relations between Iran and Iraq Foreign Ministry spokesman said during a recent visit of Iranian delegation to Baghdad different subjects were discussed between the sides in which the Iraqi officials expressed their willingness to expand relations with Iran.

During this visit it was agreed that an Iraqi delegation to visit Iran but no date has yet been set for the travel, he told reporters.

During the visit of Iranian delegation to Iraq the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in areas of border security, the return of Iraqi refugees, the visit of Iranian pilgrims to holy sites in Iraq, trade ties and etc.

The visit of Iranian delegation to Baghdad received an international attention and many international analysts interpreted it as a preliminary step by Tehran to recognize the Iraqi Governing Council.

The Iranian delegation held talks with some members of the Iraqi Governing Council and the two sides become aware of each other’s views.

Iran welcomed the overthrow of the previous Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein but it has called for the speedy withdrawal of occupying forces from Iraq and the establishment of democratic government by the Iraqi people.

Saddam Hussein launched a massive military invasion against Iran in 1980 which lasted until 1988 which brought about many human and material damages for both countries.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=8/19/03&Cat=2&Num=018

Comment: Tehran Times is a conservative paper in Iran.

19:23 2003-08-18

Japan quits Iran's oil project?

Japan intends to quit a development project for the Azadegan, Iran's largest oilfield, say non-confirmed reports, which Hamid Reza Asefi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, has dismissed.

As far as he knows, the Japanese government stays true to available understandings, and talks on Japan's contribution to the project are going on, Mr. Asefi said to the media.

Certain media outlets assume, however, that Japan is giving up the project under US pressure. Suggestively, Nezhad Hoseiniyan, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, has recently complained of related bilateral negotiations procrastinated. If they proceed at their present pace, Iran's current obligations may become invalidated, he warned.

Iran may seek overseas partners elsewhere. Russian-based petroleum companies are among its options.

The Azadegan oilfield, recently prospected in the country's southwest, is estimated at 26 billion barrels, and its development costs US$2.8 billion.

http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2003/08/18/49373.html

Interior Ministry to Blame for Disturbances in Semirom: MP

TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) – MP Keraamatollah Emadi said here Monday that the plan to incorporate Vardasht district into the municipality of Shahreza is illegal, adding that the Interior Ministry and the Isfahan Governor General's Office are to blame for the turmoil in Semirom. He also stated that President Khatami should deal with the guilty parties.

Emadi told the Mehr News Agency that the Interior Ministry and Isfahan Governor General's Office ignored the fact that the city council and people of Vardasht were against the plan, angering the people.

Emadi, who represents Semirom in the Majlis, said that the people of Semirom protested against the plan in the city center, but some opportunists took advantage of the situation and ran amok.

“The opportunists set fire to the Semirom Governor's Office and a number of cars, and broke the glass of windows of houses, shops and offices, causing disorder in the city,” Emadi said.

Police arrived on the scene to restore order after the chaos which left a number of people dead and injured.

Emadi said that the plan had been cancelled.

He added that the Judiciary should identify those who are trying to cause turmoil and should follow up the issue as soon as possible.

He stated that a year ago, some people in the governor general's office attempted to make one of the districts of Shahreza a town and to achieve their plan legally, they tried to join another district to it.

Emadi pointed to his meeting with the state director for country divisions and the deputy minister for legal and parliamentary affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, saying that he asked them to implement the plan only after taking an opinion poll in order to prevent any further turmoil, insecurity, and protests.

He noted that most of the people of Semirom and Vardasht are against the plan, adding that officials took advantage of his trip to India to state that the plan had been implemented.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that imprudent actions and politicization should be avoided in order to increase security in the country.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/News.asp?Da=8/19/03&Cat=2&Num=0

19:21 2003-08-18

Washington meets Teheran halfway

In Teheran's opinion, Washington's closure of offices of the Iranian National Resistance Council, making part of Mojaheddin-e Halq-e Iran /Iranian People's Mujaheddin Organisation/, is a positive step.

This organisation is known as terrorist, and the United States should have taken steps to neutralise the structure, said Hamid Reza Asefi, official spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

"To strengthen and improve such positive moves, the Americans have to seriously and toughly oppose such organisations, based on Iranian territory", added the Iranian diplomat.

At the end of last week, US State Secretary Colin Powell introduced sanctions against the Iranian National Resistance Council, which is in opposition in Iran today and is part of the Iranian People's Mujaheddin Organisation. Now the United States views as terrorist all offices of the Iranian National Resistance Council in American territory and abroad.

http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2003/08/18/49372.html

Enriched uranium in Iran?
By RIA
Aug 19, 2003, 00:21

On Monday, Hamid Reza Asefi, official spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, turned down the reports by certain diplomatic sources on the discovery of enriched uranium in Iran. "It is not up to diplomats to make such allegations. It is the prerogative of the International Atomic Energy Agency", Mr. Asefi told the journalists. "Wait till IAEA specialists voice their opinion in Geneva in September, where a report on the Iranian nuclear programs is to be heard", he added. Mr. Asefi also stressed that Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency was fully transparent and the recent visits to Iran by two IAEA delegations were a confirmation of the frankness and truth of the dialogue. Earlier, some media reported with reference to diplomatic sources that enriched uranium, which can be used in the production of nuclear weapons, had been found in Iran.

© Iranian.ws

http://www.iranian.ws/news/publish/article_289.shtml

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