I met tonight with US Senator Sam Brownback. The senator from Kansas is one of the biggest champions of the Iranian people in the US Senate. He was in southern California to meet with his republican Iranian supporters.
He held a press conference with the media, including Zia Atabay of NITV and Behrooz Suresrafil of Azadi TV. We had a chance to discuss recent events in Iran and US policy.
He opened with a statement on the progress of the Iran Democracy Act. He appeared convinced that the Act will get through congress. He said the Act declares that Iran is “not a democracy.”
To read the full text of the Act, go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.RES.82: He was asked about the reasons for the apparent conflicts between the president and the department of state. He argued that the administration’s policy on Iran is still in formation. He argued that the president is clear and unwavering in his support of the Iranian people, but that people need to understand that we have a “noisy democracy” where all opinions are discussed. He expressed hope that the Iranian people will have one in the future.
Behrooz asked him why the US supported Voice of America and Radio Farda supports the reformist movement in the Iranian regime. The senator said that he was unaware of this and asked that evidence of this be sent to his office.
I asked him about what the US was preparing to do about the jamming of the LA based Iranian broadcasts in Cuba. He said that the Senate is just about to take a further look into this issue. Zia Atabay then stated that his reporter in France had just confirmed that the Cuban government had determined the source of the jamming to be coming from inside the Iranian Embassy in Cuba.
In conclusion he gave an admonition to the Iranian community for them to put aside their differences and unify under the single banner of a referendum in Iran regarding the type of government they want for their future.
DoctorZin
Tehran Seeks Additions to Nuclear Protocol
August 19, 2003
The Financial Times
Roula Khalaf and Najmeh Bozorgmehr
Iran is seeking to win some concessions before signing the additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would allow for enhanced inspections of nuclear facilities as demanded by the international community.
Officials say any additions are aimed at easing opposition within Iran to the signing of the protocol, which is intended to address fears over Iran's nuclear capabilities. But foreign diplomats say the attempt to negotiate on the standard protocol is designed to buy time and split the international community.
Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy use but the US suspects the country could be close to having the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb.
Although Europe has joined the US in calling on Iran to sign the protocol, Tehran thinks the next report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, due early next month, will not be tough enough to increase the international pressure.
According to Hossein Afarideh, head of parliament's energy commission, Tehran wants to "add pages" to the protocol in which the IAEA would pledge to do its best to convince countries to transfer technology to Iran for peaceful use.
Although this would be an apparent softening of Iran's earlier stance that it would only sign the additional protocol if the west agreed to a transfer of technology, it is unlikely to find support at the IAEA.
According to another source in the Iranian regime, Tehran is also looking for an attachment to the additional protocol, setting terms of inspections and ensuring for example that inspectors would not enter religious shrines or top officials' houses.
"Iranians have bad memories of what happened in Iraq," said the source. "There's a feeling that the Americans would use the protocol to create a crisis, by demanding that the inspectors go to the leader's house."
In June the IAEA called on Iran to sign the additional protocol promptly and unconditionally. Its position has long been that the protocol, which allows for short notice inspections, is an agreement common to all countries and not subject to negotiations with individual states.
Diplomats say that although there could be some legal room for additions to the protocol, Iranian demands are unlikely to be heeded. "No one is in the mood to bargain with Iran," said a western diplomat.
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