Ali Larijani

CAIRO, Egypt,
Dec. 31--Former Iranian top nuclear negotiator said the Islamic Republic is ready to cooperate with Egypt on nuclear issues, if Cairo was interested.
Ali Larijani, who is the leader’s representative in the Supreme National Security Council, also told a press conference in Cairo that Iran would share its nuclear knowledge with Egypt only with the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Alalam.ir reported.
He said Iran was ready to sooperate with Egypt and other Arab states to achieve regional security and stability in the Arab world, especially in Iraq and Lebanon.
“Egypt and Iran play an important role in fostering peace and security in the Middle East because the two countries are strong and enjoy a special status in the Muslim world,“ he said.
He added that it was up to Iran to join forces with the Arab world to stand up to the dangers and challenges faced by all Muslims.
The Iranian official also discussed the controversy surrounding Iran’s nuclear project, stating that the US has no pretext to continue to push the issue at the UN Security Council.
“America and the West must accept the fact that Iran has acquired nuclear technology. They must take a reasonable position on the matter,“ he said.
Larijani arrived in Egypt on Tuesday to hold talks with Egyptian officials.
Diplomatic ties between Tehran and Cairo were severed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, but in recent months the two countries’ senior officials signaled a thaw in relations.

Ali Khorram

An Iraqi delegation is coming to Tehran to discuss the relocation of marine borders between Iran and Iraq under the 1975 Algiers Accord also known as the “friendship and good neighborhood“ agreement.
Although in the past, other Iraqi delegations had come to Tehran to revise some aspects of the 1975 accord, the upcoming visit is of added significance. Recent comments by Iraqi president and claims by Iraq’s deputy foreign minister created a controversy about the accord.
Another new aspect about the visit is the Iraqi delegation’s role in strengthening diplomatic ties between Iran and war-stricken Iraq. , an analyst of strategic issues, said the 1975 Algiers Accord is the basis of other agreements between the two neighbors.
Commenting on a possible change in terms of the internationally-recognized agreement, Khorram said, “Iraq will not benefit from any change in this accord. Any change in the agreement will lead to a change in the demarcation of sea and land borders as well as oil resources there.“
Khorram said the Iraqi government cannot take a unilateral decision about the Kurdistan area “because the two sides have already reached agreement in the 1975 accord in this regard“.
He noted that Iran has the right to withdraw its evacuated lands from Iraq should the Iraqi government demand any change in the accord.
“During the eight-year Iraq-imposed war, Iran could retake its lands from Iraq. But it didn’t do so out of respect for the 1975 Algiers Accord,“ he said.
Khorram stressed that any change in the accord should be ratified by both sides otherwise it will be illegal.

Heads of election headquarters convened in Tehran on Monday.

TEHRAN, Dec. 31--Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said on Monday ballots will be counted electronically in the parliamentary elections slated for March 14.
Addressing the heads of election headquarters, he said the Guardians Council has agreed over the computerized counting of votes, IRNA reported.
Pour-Mohammadi said the elections will be held electronically in some constituencies such as Tehran.
He said the Interior Ministry is trying to make election procedures transparent.
“The upcoming elections slated for March 14 are sensitive; so are the results of the elections,“ he said.
The interior minister said the government, parliament, the Guardians Council and the Experts Assembly are major entities which should be assured about the soundness and fairness of the elections.
Pour-Mohammadi said at least 200,000 people have been employed to provide security during the elections adding that more security measures will be taken if needed.
Stressing that having fair elections is a public right, he said, “We should safeguard the rights of our citizens. Any offense in the elections implies disrespect to people’s rights.“
Asked about any new appointment in the Interior Ministry, he said, “Under the current sensitive juncture, any change in the ministry’s elections department will create tensions.“
Commenting on early electioneering by some candidates, he said Elections Law violators will be prosecuted.
He, however, said many such acts are not regarded as an offense.
“Holding a meeting or participating in other meetings by a person who wants to become a candidate is not an electoral offense,“ he said, explaining that election offenses include starting an official election campaign and publishing electoral tracts and notices.
Pour-Mohammadi further said groups without a legal identity will not be permitted to conduct election campaigns.

Bodies of martyrs returned to Iran from Iraq in Tehran in this file photo.

BAGHDAD, Iraq,
Dec. 31--Iraq is ready to start search operations on its soil to find Iranians missing in action during the 1980-88 Iraq-imposed war, said an Iranian official.
Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told IRIB in Baghdad on Monday that Iran and Iraq also reached an agreement to form a commission in this regard.
“Iranian and Iraqi officials will attend a joint meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross,“ he said.
The war between Iran and Iraq claimed nearly one million lives on the two sides.
The envoy also said the remains of some 38 Iranian martyrs unearthed recently in southeastern Iraq will be handed over to Iran in the near future.
Qomi noted that the issue tops the Foreign Ministry’s agenda.

TEHRAN, Dec. 31--An official said the Social Security Plan should not be overshadowed by political disputes.
Addressing a meeting of Judiciary-Police Interaction Committee on Monday, Ebrahim Raeesi, judiciary’s first deputy chief, added that promotion of security depends on combating corruption, hooligans and bandits, IRNA reported.
“Police efforts in combating social corruption and moral insecurity should be supported,“ he said, adding that cooperation and coordination of judicial and intelligence officials will boost the security coefficient.
The official noted that the judiciary is compiling a plan for preventing crimes, which should also be considered by all decision-making centers.
“People will be pleased by the implementation and continuation of the Social Security Plan,“ he said.
Police Chief Brigadier General Esmaeel Ahmadi-Moqaddam, commander of Tehran police Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan, acting police commander Brigadier General Hossein Zolfaqari, deputy police chief for legal and parliamentary affairs Mehdi Mohammadifar, and police commander for drug control Brigadier Hamid Reza Hosseinabadi are
among members of the committee.

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 31--Iran’s Ambassador in Muscat Morteza Rahimi said Oman has always played a constructive role in consolidating relations between Iran and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC).
Rahimi told IRNA on Sunday that Iranian authorities and the PGCC member-states are politically determined to expand cooperation and help boost regional relations.
He noted that Saturday’s visit by Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi to Tehran indicated the friendly and brotherly ties between the two nations.
Pointing to regular consultations between Iranian and Omani political officials, he described President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Muscat as a turning point in bilateral ties.
Rahimi further said the Iranian president’s participation in the PGCC Summit in Doha has helped increase cooperation among the Persian Gulf littoral states.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran gives priority to expansion of Iranian-Arab ties,“ he said.
Rahimi underscored the importance of materializing the president’s motto that the Persian Gulf should turn into a region of “peace and friendship“.

TEHRAN, Dec. 31--An earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale hit the suburbs of Shahdad in Kerman province, southeastern Iran, early Monday. The Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 08:34 hours local time (0504 GMT), IRNA reported.
The quake was epicentered in an area located at 57.50 degrees longitude and 30.61 degrees latitude, the report added.
No casualty or damage to property has been reported yet.
Iran is often hit by quakes of varying magnitudes, as it sits on some of the world’s most active seismic fault-lines.

TEHRAN, Dec. 31--First Vice President Parviz Davoudi congratulated his Christian counterparts on the birth anniversary of Prophet Jesus (PBUH) on the eve of the new Christian year.
In separate letters to his counterparts, Davoudi expressed hope the New Year would be a year of peace and justice and the world would benefit from the teachings of Prophet Jesus (PBUH), IRNA reported.
He expressed hope all followers of divine religions will experience peace and tranquility in the New Year.
Davoudi wished that the new Christian year would be a year of prosperity for all governments and nations.