TEHRAN, Feb. 17--Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said here Sunday the Iranian nation is determined to emerge as a pragmatic model for other nations.
In a meeting with the people of East Azarbaijan province, the leader referred to the upcoming Majlis elections slated for March 17 as another opportunity for the people’s all-out presence on the political scene.
“Those who believe in Islam, the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and people’s capabilities should play an effective role in decision-making institutions,“ IRNA quoted him as saying.
The leader noted that a main difference between the 1979 revolution in Iran and other revolutions lies in the people’s faithfulness and their insistence on value systems.
Though 29 years have passed since the monarchy was toppled in Iran, more people took part in the nationwide rallies marking the anniversary of the revolution last week, he said.
Referring to the enemy’s persistent attempts to distract the attention of the people of Iran, particularly the youth, Ayatollah Khamenei said high voter turnout will add to the worries of hostile powers and their backers.
On the recent statements George Bush who said pressures should be increased on Iran to force it to suspend its nuclear program, the leader said “they (westerners) want to stop Iran from acquiring high-level technology and prevent our people from relying on their own potential and capabilities“.

Economy Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari (l) and Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari attend the inauguration ceremony of the Iran's Oil and Petrochemical Products Bourse in Tehran on February 17.

TEHRAN, Feb. 17--The first phase of Iran’s Oil and Petrochemical Products Bourse made debut on Sunday on the Persian Gulf island of Kish.
Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari speaking at the inauguration hoped the new bourse will help pave the way for more investment in Iran’s lucrative oil sector.
AS the fourth largest oil producer in the world, Iran is second biggest producer in OPEC and controls about 5 percent of the global oil supply. It produces more than 20 million tons of petrochemical a year and over four million barrels of crude per day.
Nozari said the oil bourse will contribute to marketing Iran’s oil and petrochemical products in international markets and help create a more competitive climate among buyers.
Also speaking the ceremony, Economy Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari said the oil bourse will help develop downstream oil and petrochemical industries.
He stressed the need to engage the private sector in oil transactions under Article 44 of the Constitution.
“With the launch of the first phase of the oil bourse, private sector role will be enhanced in the oil industry,“ he said.
Second phase of the oil stock market demands special considerations, he said, and noted that the necessary preparations were underway to that end.
He said neighboring countries can buy oil and petrochemicals from the Iranian bourse both in rials and/or foreign exchange after the second stage comes on stream.
The two ministers inaugurated the bourse through teleconference from Tehran. Nozari issued the permission for the first transaction that was authorized by Danesh-Jafari.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 17--A suicide bombing at an outdoor dog fighting competition killed 80 people and wounded scores more Sunday, an Afghan governor said, in what appeared to be the deadliest terror attack in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Officials said the attack apparently targeted a prominent militia commander who had stood up against the Taliban. He died in the attack, AP reported.
Several hundred people--including Afghan militia leaders--had gathered to watch the event on the western edge of the southern city of Kandahar.
Witnesses reported gunfire from bodyguards after the blast; it was not immediately clear how many of the casualties might have been caused by bullets.
Kandahar Gov. Asadullah Khalid said 80 people had been killed in the attack. Abdullah Fahim, a Health Ministry spokesman, said 70 were wounded.
Khalid blamed the attack on an “enemy of Afghanistan.’’
A Taliban spokesman said he did not immediately know if the militants were behind the blast.

Albanian children dressed with national dress dance in Tirana's main square, during the celebrations in support of the independence of Kosovo on February 17.

PRISTINA, Kosovo, Feb. 17--Kosovo on Sunday declared its independence from anxious Serbia in the final fallout from the conflict-strewn breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
Prime Minister Hashim Thaci called on the parliament of Kosovo on Sunday to adopt a declaration of independence from Serbia.
“We the leaders of our people, democratically elected, through this declaration proclaim Kosovo an independent and sovereign state,“ Thaci told the assembly, Reuters reported.
“This declaration reflects the will of the people.“
The move came as Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo.
The resolution was being put to a vote but its passage by the Albanian-dominated parliament was assured.
“Kosovo is turning a new page in its history. We are committed to a democratic state for all citizens, in cooperation with the international community,“ parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi told the assembly.
The United States and most European Union members are expected to recognize the new state. Serbia and Russia are fiercely opposed.
“Kosovo citizens today await an independent, sovereign and democratic country, a state for all with equal rights,“ Thaci told Reuters before summoning the assembly in the capital Pristina.
“It is time to take the decision to make Kosovo a member of the community of free nations.“
Serbs have vowed never to give up a territory in which their history goes back 1,000 years. But the West supports the demand of Kosovo’s 2 million ethnic Albanians for their own state, nine years after NATO went to war to save them from Serbian forces.
Kosovo will be the sixth state carved from the former Serbian-dominated Yugoslav federation since 1991, after Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 17--Pakistani security forces were on their highest state of alert Sunday, the day before critical parliamentary polls, after a suicide bomber killed 47 people at an opposition election rally.
The blast heightened the tension surrounding Monday’s vote, with violence and allegations of rigging blighting the run-up to an election that could drastically weaken the grip on power of President Pervez Musharraf, AFP reported.
Authorities clamped a curfew and called in troops to the northwestern tribal town of Parachinar, bordering Afghanistan, after Saturday’s suicide car bomb targeting supporters of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
“Since there is a curfew voting will not be possible. It is likely that the election in the Parachinar constituency may be postponed,“ senior local administration official Fida Mohammad Khan said.
He added that the death toll, the deadliest in Pakistan since Bhutto’s assassination at a political rally in December, had risen to 47 with 110 wounded.
The government says it has deployed 500,000 security personnel for the vote, including 81,000 troops, and it pledged Sunday that voting would be peaceful and fair.
“The elections will be free, fair, transparent and peaceful. We will not let anyone succeed in disrupting the election process,“ Information Minister Nisar Memon told reporters in Islamabad.
He warned of a crackdown on any protests after polling day.
But Bhutto’s widower, Asif Ali Zardari, said in an interview with Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper that he would have “no choice“ but to call supporters onto the streets if the polls were rigged.
In fresh violence on Sunday, four paramilitary soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, officials said.

Defining Moment

In October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup to depose Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Two years later, he assumed the presidency.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people, Angus-reid.com wrote.
Afghanistan--which shares a border with Pakistan--became the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan agreed to cut its ties with Afghanistan and the Taliban and the country became a US ally.
In return, the American government agreed to end economic sanctions instituted after Pakistan’s nuclear-weapon tests in 1998.
In October 2002, the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) elected 69 legislators to the 342-seat National Assembly.
Following a deal with the Muttahhida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan (MMA) party, the legislative branch passed a controversial constitutional amendment which legalized the 1999 coup and gave the president the authority to dissolve the legislative branch with the Supreme Court’s approval.
In May 2005, Musharraf banned exiled political leaders--which include former prime ministers Sharif and Benazir Bhutto--from taking part in the 2007 legislative election.
In December 2006, it was announced that Musharraf would seek a new five-year term as president.

Fighting Terror
In January 2007 Musharraf rejected claims that his country is not doing enough to assist in the war on terrorism, saying, “The fight against terrorism and extremism, whether it is Al-Qaeda or Taliban, can never succeed without Pakistan’s cooperation and Pakistan is the only country that has delivered the maximum on both. We are tackling them with 30,000 troops. If there is anybody who is not doing enough, it is others who are not doing enough.“
In March, he fired the country’s chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, accusing him of abuse of power. His move was seen by opponents as a way to prevent any animosity against him within the military. Some army colonels rejected the sacking of Chaudhry.
In February, Chaudhry called for an inquiry into a sensitive issue for the government. He ruled that the government should investigate the fate of hundreds of alleged Islamic militants who were detained or are missing.

Bhutto Returns
In early August, Bhutto, who has lived in exile for a decade, did not confirm or deny rumors that her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarians might seek a power-sharing deal with Musharraf ahead of the election. Bhutto said she will return to Pakistan before the ballot, and added that her recent conversations with the current president “are geared towards the restoration of democracy.“
On Aug. 16, Musharraf said the presidential election would take place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, in accordance with the country’s constitution. Assistant US state secretary Richard Boucher said in Islamabad: “I see that everyone including the president is committed to the elections.“ An electoral college, comprising national and provincial legislatures, chooses the head of state.
On Sept. 26, the PPP announced it would nominate senior member Makhdoom Amin Fahim for the presidency if Musharraf was disqualified from the contest.
On Oct. 8, Musharraf apparently won the indirect presidential election. On Oct. 18, Bhutto returned to Pakistan. As her caravan traveled through Karachi, two massive suicide bombings killed more than 140 people, and injured 450 more. Bhutto--who was not hurt--accused political foes of planning to kill her, and said she did not regret returning to Pakistan, adding, “The people who came (to receive me) knew that there would be a risk. They put their lives on the line. And I put my life on the line. And we did it because we believe in a cause. We want to save Pakistan. And we think saving Pakistan comes by saving democracy.“

Election Pledge
On Nov. 11, Musharraf vowed to hold the election by Jan. 9, 2008, but added: “Certainly, the emergency is required to ensure peace in Pakistan, to ensure an environment conducive for elections.“ Bhutto discussed the latest development, saying, “It is a positive step, but it will not help to resolve all problems. The long march will continue.“
On Nov. 18, Musharraf resigned as army chief.
On Nov. 21, Pakistan’s Election Commission announced that the legislative elections would be held on Jan. 8, 2008.
On Nov. 29, Musharraf was sworn in for a new term as president and said the state of emergency would be lifted on Dec. 16.
On Dec. 27, Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated after an election rally in Rawalpindi.
On Jan. 2, 2008, the election was postponed until Feb. 18. Chief election commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq declared: “(Bhutto’s) demise affected every walk of life; similarly, January 8 elections were also affected.“ Farooq said that more time was required to re-do burned ballot papers and repair ransacked election offices.
On Jan. 15, Bhutto’s widower, Asif Ali Zardari, said he and other party leaders provided evidence to a group of British detectives who are investigating Bhutto’s death. Zardari also called for the United Nations (UN) to launch a probe into the assassination, saying, “The government rejected our appeal for a UN probe, so the People’s Party will directly approach the UN.“
The Pakistani government blamed Al-Qaeda and a man called Baitullah Mehsud for Buttho’s assassination, on the basis of an intercepted conversation where two men discuss her death.

MOSCOW, Feb. 17 -- Russia has accused the US of using a plan to shoot down a broken spy satellite as a cover for testing an anti-satellite weapon.
The US said last week that it would use a missile to destroy the satellite, to stop it from crash landing, BBC reported.
Officials say the satellite contains hazardous fuel which could kill humans.
But Russia’s defense ministry said the US planned to test its “anti-missile defense system’s capability to destroy other countries’ satellites“.
The US says the satellite lost power and communications shortly after it was launched in December 2006 and is now uncontrollable.
It says the satellite is carrying more than 1,000lb (454kg) of hydrazine fuel in a tank which would survive re-entry, and the substance could be released as a toxic gas if the satellite crash landed.
The Pentagon said on Saturday that the window for the operation would begin on Wednesday, when the space shuttle Atlantis ended its current mission.
But Russia’s defense ministry said the US had not given enough information on the reasons for the decision.
“Speculations about the danger of the satellite hide preparations for the classical testing of an anti-satellite weapon,“ a statement reported by Itar-Tass news agency said.
“Such testing essentially means the creation of a new type of strategic weapons,“ it added.
“The decision to destroy the American satellite does not look harmless as they try to claim, especially at a time when the US has been evading negotiations on the limitation of an arms race in outer space,“ the statement continued.