Gholamhossein Elham

TEHRAN, Dec. 22--Government Spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said on Saturday the government will not repeat the mistakes of previous governments in tackling inflation.
Speaking in his weekly press conference on Saturday, the spokesman made the remark while commenting on the government’s policies to contain high inflation, IRNA reported.
“Those who expect the government to follow old patterns to control inflation, which would lead to a 50-percent inflation rate, should keep in mind that people do not accept those patterns and rejected those policies in previous elections,“ he said.
Elham stressed that the government’s economic policy is to end the monopoly of certain groups on national resources and banking facilities. He did not specify the group.
He added that the government would welcome any “expert and fair ideas“ provided by others in all fields, including economy.

Fresh Iraq Talks
Elham also said Tehran is studying proposals for holding the fourth round of talks with the US on Iraqi security.
“We are studying the dates proposed by Americans (officials) for the talks,“ he said.
Referring to the recent visit to Iraq by an Iranian delegation, Elham said members of the delegation discussed dates proposed for the next round of talks.
“No date, however, has been fixed for the talks yet,“ he said, adding that talks are still underway with the Iraqi side in this regard.
The spokesman stressed that the next round of Iran-US talks should be “useful, progressive and effective in restoring security, strengthening the Iraqi government and paving the way for the withdrawal of occupiers“.

Detention of Diplomats
Elham noted that the Foreign Ministry is seriously following up the release of the remaining Iranian diplomats from US captivity in Baghdad.
He said the detention of Iranian diplomats by US forces was against international regulations and the Vienna Convention.
The spokesman urged the US to help release the remaining Iranian diplomats in Iraq, stressing that the move will also benefit Washington.
Five Iranian consulate officers were taken captive by US forces in the city of Irbil, northern Iraq, in January 2007.
Nine Iranian nationals, including two of the five diplomats, were released by the US forces on November 9.
However, another group of Iranians, including the three diplomats, three government employees and 20-25 Iranian citizens, are still being detained by the US in Iraq, reports added.

Missing Ex-FBI Agent
Elham also said Tehran had no information on a former American agent who allegedly went missing in Iran.
“The government had no information to prove that Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent, had gone missing while on a visit to the Persian Gulf island of Kish,“ he said.
Levinson’s wife, Christine, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, was expected to hold talks with Iranian officials in meetings set up in coordination with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after American interests in Iran.
Elham said the government will follow up the case.

TEHRAN, Dec. 22--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underscored the need for creating think-tanks in the US to introduce the facts and logic of pure Islam.
In a meeting with a group of American Muslims in Mina on Friday, the president noted that bullying powers are trying to sow discord among Muslim sects, IRNA reported.
He cited the example of Iraq where efforts are being made to create discord among Iraqi tribes and sects, stressing that the Iraqi people used to live in peace before the country’s occupation.
“The US does not want a powerful and committed Iraq and, in fact, does not want a united Islamic world,“ he said.
Referring to efforts made by the arrogant world powers to create differences and disputes in Bosnia and Lebanon, he said similar efforts are being made in Sudan and Iraq to divide the countries into several sections.
Terming the Zionist Israeli regime as the common enemy of all Muslims, Ahmadinejad said, “The account of Jews is different from that of the Zionists.“
Denouncing the support of the US and European states for the Zionist regime, the president said, “Today, the world of Islam shoulders heavy responsibility. Pure Islam can answer all the demands of human beings.“
The president wound up his five-day visit to Saudi Arabia and returned home on Saturday morning.
Ahmadinejad arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday to perform the annual Haj pilgrimage.

KHORRAMABAD, Lorestan, Dec. 22--Energy Minister Parviz Fattah said the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant will become operational in the next Iranian year (to start March 20).
Speaking to reporters, Fattah also said on Saturday that 500 megawatts of the plant’s capacity will join the national power grid by next summer, IRNA reported.
“The rest of the plant’s capacity will join the grid by the end of next year,“ he said.
The minister noted that the plant’s problems will be solved with the shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran.
Russia delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran for the Bushehr plant on December 17.
The power station is being built with the help of Russia’s Atomstroiexport company, which said in a statement on Dec. 17 that the first consignment included a total of 163 main and 17 reserve assemblies of U-235 enriched to 3.62 percent.
Referring to the cabinet’s ratifications on the energy sector of Lorestan province, Fatah said the Energy Ministry’s performance has been satisfactory, but the province deserves better services.
“The government, Majlis, the Energy Ministry and the governor general of the province should endeavor to implement the cabinet’s ratifications completely,“ he said.

A Russian short-range anti-aircraft missile system TOR-M1 is seen in this file photo.

TEHRAN, Dec. 22--A senior Russian military official said Tehran and Moscow will continue their bilateral military and technical cooperation.
Head of the Russian Federal Service for military and technical cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev, said air defense and radar systems are the main priorities of the two countries.
The Russian official made the remark following the fourth meeting of the Iran-Russia Defense Cooperation Commission in Tehran on Thursday, which was attended by Dmitriev at the head of a high-ranking delegation, IRNA cited the Russian daily Vremya Novosti as reporting.
Dmitriev described a $700 million deal between Iran and Russia, under which Moscow provided Tehran with the Tor M1 air defense system, as the largest arms contract between the two states.
He said Iranian forces will be trained to work with the system, which Russian technicians are installing.
The Russian official noted that Iran’s Tor M1 systems pose no threat to any other country.
In an interview with Itar-Tass on Thursday, Dmitriev said Moscow does not intend to quit the Iranian arms market.
“We are interested in exporting military hardware to foreign clients, including Iran, just as any other arms manufacturing country,“ Dmitriev said.
“Iran is an integral part of the vast market of armaments, very crucial for Russia, and not only Russia. A struggle for Iran, both covert and overt, is underway, and we experience great competition. This is a very lucrative market and all countries are aware of that. We are in no mood to quit, because getting back would be far harder,“ he said.

TEHRAN, Dec. 22--Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will visit Bahrain next week, said Iran’s Ambassador in Manama Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Talking to IRNA on Friday, he said that during the visit, a session of Iran-Bahrain commission on bilateral cooperation will be held on Dec. 25-26.
As to the recent visit to Qatar of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he said the two sides have called for holding the first session of the joint commission during the visit.
President Ahmadinejad attended the Summit of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in Doha, Qatar, on December 3, 2007, and addressed its opening session.
President Ahmadinejad also met with a number of dignitaries, including the Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al-Thani, UAE Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on the sidelines of the summit.

TEHRAN, Dec. 22--Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said on Saturday people will be required to present their national ID cards for voting.
Speaking in a conference on the use of IDs, Pour-Mohammadi also said those who have not yet received their ID cards will be required to present their birth certificate and their national ID number, ISNA reported.
“Of the 43.7 million eligible voters, around 42 million have received national ID cards. We hope to provide all voters with these cards by the time of elections,“ he said, adding that up to 97 percent of Iranians in most provinces across the country have received their national ID cards.
Iranians will go to the polls on March 14, 2008, to elect new lawmakers for the parliament. It’s the first time voters have been asked to present their national ID cards.
Pour-Mohammadi noted that as of the next Iranian year (March 20, 2008), administrative services will be rendered only upon the presentation of national ID cards.
He, however, noted that the Interior Ministry is planning smart national ID cards.
“Once everyone receives the national ID cards, many statistical applications will become easier,“ he said.
The minister said the country has achieved good accomplishments in promoting the electronic government and services.
He called on the parliament and other related organizations to cooperate with the government in going electronic.
Pour-Mohammadi expressed hope that all government services will go electronic within the next four years.

TEHRAN, Dec. 22--As of Saturday, the Iranian government is implementing a strict smoking ban in all public places.
Based on the new law, smoking is prohibited in all public organizations, hotels, restaurants, teahouses and coffee shops, news agencies reported.
Police will confront all restaurant owners nationwide first with a warning, followed by a temporary closure and, in case of repetition, permanent closure of their enterprise.
Offering and smoking the traditional Persian water-pipe, which is a common feature of Iranian tea houses, have also been included in the ban.
A smoking ban for all car drivers nationwide is underway since last March and offenders can face fines up to $14.
Also, selling tobacco products to anyone under 18 would result in confiscation of the vendor’s tobacco products and a cash fine of up to $65. Repeated violations would lead to cash fines amounting to $1,400.