Iranian Alert -- August 26, 2003 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

Iran Admits Foreign Help on Nuclear Facility
U.N. Agency's Data Point To Pakistan as the Source

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 27, 2003; Page A17 An Excerpt...

Iran has admitted for the first time that it received substantial foreign help in building a secret nuclear facility south of Tehran that is now beginning to enrich uranium, turning it into a key ingredient in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, according to U.N. documents and diplomatic sources.

While Iran has not yet identified the source of the foreign help, evidence collected in Iran by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency implicates Pakistani companies as suppliers of critical technology and parts, officials familiar with a U.N. investigation of Iran's program said yesterday. Pakistan is believed by many proliferation experts to have passed important nuclear secrets to both Iran and North Korea. Pakistan has denied providing such assistance.

The latest disclosure about Iran came as the U.N. group, the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported that Iran had only partially complied with demands to open its nuclear program to scrutiny. The IAEA, in a confidential report, said Iran had not fully accounted for activities that have spurred fears that it was secretly developing nuclear weapons.

"Iran has demonstrated an increased degree of cooperation," said the report, portions of which were provided to The Washington Post. "However . . . there remain a number of important outstanding issues, particularly with regard to Iran's enrichment program, that require urgent resolution."

The report also noted that Iran had apparently attempted to sanitize one of its nuclear facilities, known as the Kalaye Electric Co., before granting IAEA inspectors access to the site this summer. "Considerable modifications were observed," the IAEA said of the Kalaye site, which had been identified by an Iranian opposition group as a pilot enrichment facility. IAEA officials were barred from the site during earlier visits....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50470-2003Aug26.html

Iran Admits Foreign Help on Nuclear Facility
U.N. Agency's Data Point To Pakistan as the Source

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 27, 2003; Page A17 An Excerpt...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/970472/posts?page=42#42

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Iran Ready to Sign Additional Protocol of IAEA Agreement

Japan Today ^ | Wednesday August 27, 2003 00:22 JST | staff report
Posted on 08/26/2003 5:34 PM PDT by prarie earth

VIENNA-Iran is ready to sign an additional protocol of its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Committee, Iran's representative to the IAEA was quoted by Iran's official media as saying Tuesday.

The Islamic Republic News Agency said Ali Akbar Salehi also told IAEA Director General Mohammed El Baradei in a meeting Monday that Iran is ready to discuss all remaining issues after a session of the IAEA Board of Governors slated for Sept. 8-12 .....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/970983/posts

The footsteps grow louder by the moment....

Can you not hear it fools? It is freedom, it is comming and there is not a damn thing you can do to stop it....

I will enjoy having your so long repressed culture join us.

To paraphrase a movie "WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

Iran beckons Indian firms

Our Regional Bureau in Ahmedabad
Published : August 27, 2003

Iran wants to make use of the Indian textile industry’s expertise in the machinery used in the textile business, Islamic Republic of Iran Consul General Mehdi Honardoost said on Tuesday.

Pharmaceutical, textile, food processing, information technology and infrastructure industries offer a huge potential for Indian companies to form joint ventures in Iran, he said at an interactive session with industrialists of Gujarat, here.

India and Iran enjoy excellent political, cultural and bilateral relations and there is a vast scope for increasing trade between the two countries, he said.

The total bilateral trade between the two countries has witnessed a decline over the past five years, though exports from India to Iran have registered a rise.

In 2001-02, the volume of total bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $536.86 million compared with $804.67 million in 1997-98.

While India’s exports to Iran grew from $171.6 million in 1997-98 to $253.03 million in 2001-02, imports from Iran fell from $633.01 million in 1997-98 to $283.82 million in 2001-02.

Honardoost said with the setting up of free trade zones in Iran over the past three years and with the India-Iran-CIS trade corridor taking shape rapidly, the climate for investing in Iran has become very conducive.

“Drugs, petrochemicals, textiles, garments, information technology and chemicals are some areas where joint ventures could be fruitful for both the partners,” he said. Honardoost said lack of proper information for Indian entrepreneurs is perhaps the biggest hurdle for those availing business opportunities in Iran.

“There is a whole new world of opportunity emerging with the new trade corridor being set up between India, Iran and CIS. And with the setting up of free trade zones, the foreign direct investment is increasing 70 per cent every year,” he said.

The consul general said Iran is the second biggest producer of oil and gas in the region and a number of western companies are showing interest in this field.

The session was organised by the CII, which has been acting as a facilitator for trade between the two countries by organising delegations and meetings.

“There is a tremendous scope for industrialists from Gujarat to explore joint ventures with Iranian companies,” CII western region deputy chairman Gaurav Nanavaty said.

At the session, several businessmen from Gujarat showed keen interest in exploring business opportunities in Iran.

S K Sharma, who runs a medium-scale pharmaceutical unit in Gujarat, sought to know the possibilities of setting up joint ventures with Iranian pharmaceutical units.

Nayan Parikh of Ahmedabad-based Nayan Parikh Consultants sought to know what opportunities were open for consultancy firms in Iran.

On a question about the infrastructure development in Iran, Honardoost said while most of the ports in Iran are in the south, the markets are in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

A Larsen and Toubro official wanted to know if financing was available for Asian companies, as western companies held an edge in this regard. He was informed that financing will not be a problem for any company.

http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=23&story=21642

INTELLIGENCE MINISTRY DENIES ITS STAFF KILLED ZAHRA KAZEMI

(IPS) Iran's Information (Intelligence) Ministry on Tuesday strongly denied a report by the Judiciary that two of its interrogators had killed Ms. Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian-Iranian photojournalist murdered last July while in the custody of Iranian authorities.

http://www.iran-press-service.com/articles_2003/Aug-2003/journalist_dies_26803.htm

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Chinese FM terms Iran ties positive

Beijing, Aug 26 - Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing here on Tuesday, terming Tehran-Beijing ties as positive, expressed China's satisfaction with further expansion of mutual relations and lauded Iran's efforts to the effect.

Before meeting with his Iranian counterpart, he said that his negotiation with Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, will be focused on bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Stressing that Kharrazi's visit to China will contribute to further introducing the two states to each other and strengthening relations, he said that ties between Iran and China have been noteworthy over the past 30 years, specially after the victory of Islamic revolution.

Zhaoxing said that the frequent exchange of visits between senior officials from both countries in recent years have been very effective in raising the level of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

"China gives high significance to its traditional and friendly ties with Iran and is willing to continue its extensive bilateral cooperation in the long run," he added.

Turning to the wide range of joint cooperation between Iran and China, he called for continuous exchange of visits between the senior Iranian and Chinese officials as well as foreign ministry authorities.

Terming the potentials of both states for economic and trade collaboration quite high, he stressed that China hopes for further expansion of joint cooperation in the field of oil, gas, power generation, communications and transportation.

"The favorable economic and social profits of Tehran metroproject are evident and more joint projects in various fields are due to get underway in the future," he added.

He pointed out that Iran and China, as two developing countries, have almost common outlooks on numerous regional and international issues and usually support each other in international affairs.

The Chinese minister also underlined the significance of closer contacts between the two countries in regional and international affairs.

http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=186734&n=17

How foreboding.

Bump! China better watch out!