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Call for Revising France Ties
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A general view of the Majlis
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TEHRAN, Dec. 19--A lawmaker called for revising Iran’s ties with France following the recent stand taken by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
In a written notification to Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Wednesday, Majlis First Vice Speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar read a written notification from an MP to government officials in the open Majlis session on Wednesday, IRNA reported.
Abbasali Akhtari, the MP from Tehran, stressed in his notification that since France has taken an anti-Iran stand, it is necessary to revise ties with that country.
The French president recently told Le Nouvel Observateur that there will be a risk of war with Iran if Israel believes Tehran is threatening its security.
“France is more worried about tensions between Iran and Israel than between Iran and the United States,“ he claimed.
Sarkozy said he was never in favor of war, adding that “the problem for us is not so much the risk that the Americans could launch a military attack“ but that the Israelis consider their security threatened.
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Another Iranian Freed in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq,
Dec. 19--Another Iranian citizen has been released from US detention, Iran’s Ambassador in Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi announced.
Qomi said Seyyed Heydar Alavi was handed over to Iranian officials following his release from a US-run prison, IRNA reported.
He said efforts would continue to free the remaining Iranian nationals kept illegally in US custody.
US troops in Iraq detained a number of Iranian citizens, including the members of Iran’s diplomatic mission in the northern city of Irbil on January 11.
The detention of Iranians in Iraq is one of the issues that continues to mar ties with the United States, which freed nine Iranian prisoners on Nov. 9 and said at the time that it is detaining 20 Iranians.
A US military spokeswoman said US forces were still holding “approximately 10“ Iranians after Tuesday’s release.
Five of the Iranians detained by US forces in Irbil created a row, because Tehran said they were diplomats while Washington claimed they aided militants. Two of them were among those freed on Nov. 9.
The two countries were expected to hold talks in Baghdad this week on Iraqi security, but the meeting was delayed following a scheduling conflict.
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No Stability
Without Iran
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Bashar Al-Assad
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DAMASCUS, Syria, Dec. 19--Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has said Damascus will not allow the US to marginalize his country over its alliance with Tehran.
“It is not possible to stabilize the Middle East without Iran’s cooperation,“ Bashar said in an interview published in the Austrian paper Die Presse on Wednesday.
The Syrian president noted that western countries devise strategies to undermine good relations between the two states, IRNA quoted.
“The US also makes efforts to isolate Syria over the country’s objection to the Iraq war,“ he added.
Commenting on Syria’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah, Bashar said peace and stability cannot be established in Palestine without Hamas, as it is a powerful movement like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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IRGC Holds Naval Exercises
BUSHEHR, Dec. 19--Iran’s Navy carried out the second and third stages of an exercise called ’Courage 86’ in the Iranian territorial waters in Persian Gulf.
Commander of the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Brigadier General Ali Razmjou said the second exercise included preemptive defense and psychological operations, air defense, mine planting operation, tracking down and attacking the vessels of hypothetical enemy at night and frogmen parachuting from copters into the sea, IRNA reported.
“The third stage included chemical defense, shooting targets at sea, intercepting vessels of hypothetical enemy and capturing hypothetical targets,“ he said.
Several hundred vessels, missile launchers, destroyers and mine planters have been involved in a series of IRGC naval exercises in an area between northern Bushehr province and Asalouyeh for four days starting Sunday.
“The exercises focused on non-conventional defense and the new mission to protect territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, the Iranian islands and coastal area,“ he said.
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Azeri FM Denies Tension
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 19--Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov denied allegations about tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan over the detention of an Azeri dissident group.
Mammadyarov made the remark in an interview with a private Azeri TV on Wednesday, adding that Azerbaijan had sent a report to Iran’s Ambassador in Baku Nasser Hamidi-Zare in this respect, IRNA quoted.
“The Azeri government called on the ambassador to convey the report to Tehran,“ he said, noting that such demands are not considered diplomatic tensions between the two neighboring countries.
Azerbaijan’s National Security Ministry claimed in a statement that a 15-man Azeri group had cooperated with Iran’s intelligence services, which was denied by Iran.
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Missing Ex-FBI Agent’s Wife in Tehran
TEHRAN, Dec. 19--The wife of an American ex-FBI agent whom the US claims disappeared in Iran arrived in Tehran to seek information about him. Christine Levinson seeks information about her husband who has allegedly gone missing after paying a visit to the Iran’s Kish Island, Presstv reported.
Accompanied by her 22-year-old son Daniel and her sister Susan, Christine Levinson landed at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Washington says Robert Levinson disappeared from Iran’s southern Kish Island in March 2007, while on a business trip to Iran.
Iran granted visas to the Levinson family, saying it has no problem with her trip to Iran.
The Levinson family is expected to visit Iranian officials, in coordination with the American Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.
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Russian Team Pursuing Defense Cooperation
TEHRAN, Dec. 19--A Russian military team arrived in Tehran to discuss defense cooperation with Iran, the Iranian Defense Ministry said.
Head of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriyev, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to take part in the fourth meeting of the Iran-Russia Defense Cooperation Commission, Presstv reported.
Dmitriyev held talks with Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi who co-chairs the joint commission.
During the negotiations, both sides stressed the need to expand Iran-Russia defense cooperation.
They also reviewed agreements reached during earlier meetings of the commission
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Protest Over Canadian Resolution
NEW YORK, Dec. 19--Islamic Republic’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has protested the approval of a Canada-introduced resolution against Tehran.
Canada’s political resolution on the human rights situation in Iran, which was passed by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on December 18, was discussed and approved by the assembly on Tuesday, Presstv reported.
The resolution was introduced by Canada and backed by the United States and other western countries.
It was opposed by many countries which object to the General Assembly targeting certain countries over their human rights records, including Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe.
The 192-member world body adopted the resolution by a vote of 73-53 with 55 abstentions.
Iran had tried to stop the Canadian draft resolution at the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee from moving to a formal vote by introducing a motion of no action.
Some 80 countries voted in support of Iran’s motion of no-action this year, compared to 75 last year.
Earlier, Iran’s UN envoy Mohammad Khazaei condemned Canada for abusing the UN human rights mechanism.
Khazaei noted that Iran is convinced that such an ill-intended practice has nothing to do with the cause of human rights in any part of the world.
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Students Acquitted
TEHRAN, Dec. 19--Three students earlier charged with insulting Islam in scholastic publications of Amir Kabir University of Technology have been acquitted.
Mohammad Dadkhah, lawyer of the students, told Fars News Agency on Wednesday that the three students will be released on Saturday.
He said they had been accused of insulting the president, science minister, religious authorities, the infallible household of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the people of Qom.
Dadkhah, however, said the students were sentenced to four months in prison for spreading fabrications.
“The students served more than four months, so they’ll be released on Saturday,“ he said.
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Romanians Released
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Satellite image of Iran's Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.
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TEHRAN, Dec. 19--Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that the country’s nationals, who had illegally entered Iranian waters, have been released.
Twenty Romanian nationals working on the Iranian Oriental 1 oil rig were onboard the vessel Absolute and on their way to Dubai when they were detained by port officials of Kharg Island in southern Iran, said the ministry in an official report, Mehr News Agency reported.
The report noted that the vessel was not authorized to enter Kharg, adding that the released Romanians were already heading towards Dubai.
According to the report, the group was treated well during its stay on the island and the Iranian Foreign Ministry helped expedite their release.
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Accomplishment
IRAN: The first nuclear fuel consignment was delivered to Iran by Russia after more than a decade. Next year, atomic-generated electricity will be added to Iran’s power grid. This is a great accomplishment for the government of President Ahmadinejad. When he took office in September 2005, Ahmadinejad reformed the Foreign Ministry and defined new tasks for the country’s diplomatic apparatus. The president instructed Iranian diplomats that highlighting Iran’s characteristics and strengths at the regional and international levels should be part of their strategy. Russian politicians are referring to recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency as well as the US National Intelligence Estimate, which proved the non-diversion of Iran’s nuclear activities. Russians say no one should be worried about the consignment of nuclear fuel shipped to Iran since the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities have been confirmed by not only the UN nuclear watchdog but also the United States, which has constantly adopted hostile policies toward Tehran in the past three decades.
Power Hungry
JAAM-E JAM: Dimitry Medvedev, whose presidential candidacy is supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has proposed that Putin accept the premiership of his future government upon his election. Russia’s Constitution prevents Putin from returning to Kremlin for the third time. This is while Putin is extremely power hungry and wants to maintain his influence in Russian politics. What will happen if Medvedev becomes the president and Putin the premier? Many analysts believe if Medvedev becomes the next Russian president, Putin will enjoy a great deal of influence over all sectors. They expect Medvedev to only play a nominal role like the British queen.
Economic Woes
RESALAT: The president’s 110-minute live televised address on economic woes, particularly the inflation rate and high cost of goods and services, has attracted different reactions from the people as well as government critics. However, not all economic problems should be blamed on the government. There are two main reasons for the current inflationary trend: 1- Economic sanctions imposed by the US and the West, and 2- Mismanagement of economic ties with other countries. The government can overcome economic problems through reliance on God and self-confidence. The first step to revitalize economy is by revising the mechanism of allocating the budget to government sectors in the next Iranian year (to start March 20, 2008).
Inflation
DONYA-YE EQTESAD: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad finally briefed the nation transparently on his views regarding one of the most essential issues, which also plays the most important role in the country’s economy: inflation. The president said a major part of the chronic inflation, which officially stands at 15.8 percent, is linked to the trend of rising prices across the world. He also mentioned imports as a major reason and blamed the violations of financial and monetary entities for the galloping inflation. The president said part of the inflation is also due to inflationary expectations, noting that some opponents are creating problems for him and his administration, particularly in the housing sector. Ahmadinejad vowed that housing prices will be stabilized in the next three years. Another important reason cited by Ahmadinejad for the rising inflation is the growing liquidity rate. In general, the president’s televised interview can be assessed as positive for assuring the public that the government is making efforts to alleviate their economic woes.
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