''Jornal al zaji... jornal ajazi... jornal... ah tchau!''
quinta-feira, 16 de dezembro de 2010
sexta-feira, 10 de dezembro de 2010
Iran Denies Freeing Condemned Woman
TEHRAN — Iran denied reports on Friday that it had freed a woman sentenced to death by stoning after human rights campaigners stoked confusion by releasing unconfirmed reports to the press.
A report Friday on the Web site of Iran’s state-run English language news channel Press TV said reports that the woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, had been released were false and were part of a “vast publicity campaign by Western media.”
On Thursday night, foreign news reports, citing a group based in Germany that supports her, said Iran’s authorities had released Ms. Ashtiani, along with her son and her lawyer.
“We have got news from Iran that they are free,” Mina Ahadi, spokeswoman for the International Campaign Against Stoning, was quoted as saying.
The unconfirmed report prompted foreign governments to welcome the news, with both Maureen Harper, wife of the Canadian prime minister, and Foreign Minister Franco Frattini of Italy issuing statements.
The news report also ran images of Ms. Ashtiani standing in the doorway of her home in a village in Iran’s northwestern Azarbaijan region and speaking with her son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, in an informal setting, prompting further speculation that she had been released.
The photographs have subsequently been revealed to be stills from a new documentary program, due to be aired on Press TV, which will show Ms. Ashtiani guiding a camera crew around the home where she and an accomplice allegedly plotted to murder her husband in 2006. She was originally sentenced to death by stoning for adultery but that sentenced was suspended and authorities have reframed the charges against her as murder.
“Press TV has arranged with Iran’s judicial authorities to follow Ashtiani to her house to produce a visual recount of the crime at the murder scene,” Friday’s report on the channel’s Web site said.
Iran’s latest attempt to counter the international news media campaign against Ms. Ashtiani’s execution is its first to directly address foreign audiences on the issue. On two previous occasions, Iranian state broadcasting has shown confessions by Ms. Ashtiani as well as denunciations by her of human rights campaigners who have joined her cause.
“They are taking my side unnecessarily, I do not consider them legitimate at all,” Ms. Ashtiani said in comments shown on domestic television in November that her lawyers have said were made under pressure during detention.
Two German nationals who entered Iran intending to interview Ms. Ashtiani’s son remain in detention after being arrested by Iranian security officers in October. The two, said to be a reporter and a photographer working for Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper, have been charged with spying after confessing to having entered Iran without proper journalistic accreditation, Iranian judicial officials say.
Estados Unidos e Israel preparam "ultimato".
Washington DC.Hoje pela manhã o mundo terá um notícia bombástica. O vazamento de informaçōes sigilosas do site Wikileaks comprova: os Estados Unidos em coalisão com Israel planejam uma invasão surpresa no Irã no dia 11 de fevereiro de 2011, com o fim de uma vez por todas resolver a questão nuclear do Irã, acabando com as possibilidades de armas nucleares. O motivo da data seria uma clara alusão e resposta 10 anos mais tarde à comunidade Árabe, aos ataques terroristas de 11 setembro; e também seria uma data simbólica uma vez que a Revolução Iraniana ocorreu em 11 de fevereiro de 1979, e agora os EUA e Israel promoveriam uma "nova revolução" no país.
A questão nuclear iraniana tem sido alvo de muitas críticas dos país ocidentais, que não querem que o Irã desenvolva armamento nuclear, o que poderia fazer frente militar com as grandes potências; ameaçar a segurança do Oriente Médio (e de Israel, como um forte aliado Norte-Americano) e dificultar o fornecimento de petróleo e seus derivados para o mundo, o que poderia gerar uma nova crise econômica tal como a de 1979 com aumento dos preços ou escassez da matéria-prima base da indústria mundial.Segundo o relatório da Wikileaks, os Estados Unidos e Israel, através de seus enormes contingentes militares e monitoramento via satélite, fariam um forte ofensiva militar de controle sobre as usinas nucleares do Irã e também postos de abastecimento de combustíveis para as usinas e exército iraniano, impedindo assim que houvessem retaliações ou a retomada das atividades nucleares. Caso sejam encontradas armas nucleares, os dois países iriam apreendê-las e salvaguardá-las de modo a "garantir" a segurança do mundo.Para isso, os dois países irão munidos de altas tecnologias contra-armas químicas como roupas especiais de anti-contaminação, agentes reagentes biológicos, máscaras contra-gás e outros. O vazamento de informações também revela o plano geográfico de ocupação do Irã: Israel, posicionado à oeste do país, atacaria e controlaria as fronteiras oeste e sudoeste; os Estados Unidos se ocupariam de posicionar suas tropas ao sul do país pelo Golfo de Oman. Segundo documentos, há a negociação dos dois países para que a Rússia também participe da operação, controlando o norte do país, via Mar Cáspio.Esta ofensiva, poderia causar um caos no Oriente Médio, uma vez que a comunidade Árabe defende fortemente o Irã, e os conflitos e manobras militares necessariamente perpassam geograficamente outros países da região. Resta saber, se o plano realmente se concretizará, se contará com o apoio e envolvimento de mais países contra o desenvolvimento nuclear iraniano tais como França e Reino Unido e como reagirá a ONU e os países que apoiam o Irã, tais como: a Liga Árabe (de uma maneira geral), a China e a Coreia do Norte.
quinta-feira, 9 de dezembro de 2010
Irã teria libertado mulher condenada ao apedrejamento, diz ONG alemã
Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, filho e advogado estariam livres, diz comitê.
Ainda não há confirmação oficial por parte das autoridades iranianas.
A iraniana Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, que estava condenada a morrer apedrejada, teria sido libertada, informou nesta quinta-feira (9) o Comitê Internacional Antiapedrejamento, ONG alemã que acompanhava seu caso.
Seu filho e seu advogado também teriam sido soltos.
Ainda não havia confirmação oficial das autoridades iranianas sobre a libertação.
"Recebemos do Irã a informação de que estão livres", disse à France Presse Mina Ahadi, do comitê. "Esperamos ainda a confirmação. Aparentemente, nesta noite haverá um programa na TV, e aí saberemos 100%."
O chanceler da Itália, Franco Frattini, manifestou "satisfação" com a notícia, mas disse que ela ainda estava sendo verificada.
A TV estatal iraniana mostrou uma chamada de um programa especial sobre Sakineh, que será transmitido às 20h30 locais (14h de Brasília), sobre Sakineh, mas não adiantou o teor.
Manifestantes seguram placas em protesto em Paris, na França, em agosto, contra a condenação da iraniana Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani por apedrejamento no Irã (Foto: Reuters)
Sakineh, de 43 anos, foi condenada em 2006 a dez anos de prisão por participação no assassinato de seu marido com um de seus amantes, e condenada à morte por apedrejamento por vários adultérios, segundo as autoridades iranianas.
Sua condenação foi reduzida em 2007 a 10 anos de cadeia, após uma apelação, mas a sentença do apedrejamento foi confirmada por outro tribunal de apelação.
O caso veio a público em julho passado e provocou uma onda de protestos no Ocidente, com pedidos para que a sentença não fosse aplicada.
O Irã acusa o Ocidente de usar o caso como arma de propaganda, transformando um "caso simples" em um meio de pressionar o governo do presidente Mahmud Ahmadinejad, criticado por supostas irregularidades eleitorais e desrespeito aos direitos humanos.
Em julho, o presidente Lula, após inicialmente dizer que não intercederia por Sakineh, apelou a Ahmadinejad para que ela fosse recebida no Brasil.
Em 3 de novembro, a presidente eleita, Dilma Rousseff, disse que o apedrejamento seria "uma coisa bárbara".
Se confirmada, a libertação ocorre na véspera do Dia Internacional dos Direitos Humanos, celebrado pelas Nações Unidas.
Entrevista Com Observadora Internacional Norte-Coreana
Entrevista realizado com a Observadora Internacional da Coreia do Norte Kim Kyong-hui.
09/12/2010
1- Como a Coréia do Norte vê o desenvolvimento de tecnologia nuclear Iraniana?
Nós, da Coréia do Norte, defendemos o princípio de soberania dos Estados e como tal acreditamos que qualquer país pode optar por enriquecer urânio ou não, independentemente de seus fins.
2- Caso confirmada a existência de armas nucleares no Irã, como isso afetaria ou influenciaria as políticas internas e externas da Coréia do Norte?
A Coréia do Norte é regida por um governo Juche, com uma ideologia de auto suficiência e independência, não conecta suas ações com as de outros países. Nós partimos da premissa de que todas as nossas escolhas são definidas de acordo com nossos interesses nacionais podendo estes se assemelhar ou não com os de outros países.
3- Qual o interesse, se existe, ou importância do desenvolvimento nuclear Iraniano?
Cabe a nós apenas acreditar na afirmativa Iraniana de que seu programa possui fins pacíficos e até medicinais. Além disso, caso as especulações de armas nucleares se tornem verdade, essa condição levaria a um reequilíbrio geoestratégico em relação a atual posição hegemônica de Israel, possibilitando até a instauração de uma paz no Oriente Médio.
4- Na sua opinião, qual deve ser a postura das Nações Unidas e da comunidade internacional frente ao progresso e investimento em tecnologias e técnicas nucleares do Irã?
As Nações Unidas e a comunidade internacional devem prioritariamente respeitar a soberania do Estado Iraniano e agir com cautela em suas tentativas de negociação.
5- De acordo com a sua análise, o que acha que irá acontecer quanto a este debate e negociações?
Eu acredito que no momento não apareceram soluções quanto a esta questão, mas quem sabe no futuro.
6- Por que ajudar ou apoiar um programa (ou a política) tão controversa como a política nuclear Iraniana?
O caso Iraniano se assemelha com o da Coréia do Norte, porque nós possuímos um programa de desenvolvimento nuclear, não necessariamente com os mesmos objetivos, mas sofremos com sanções da comunidade internacional, além de sermos apontados como desestabilizadores da paz mundial. Com isso devemos estabelecer laços para nos fortalecer frente a tanta retaliação.
UN nuclear agency chief chides Iran
Amano says Iran stonewalling IAEA attempts to probe nuclear weapons allegations
The chief UN nuclear inspector, Yukiya Amano, warned Monday that he couldn't confirm all of Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful because Tehran is not fully co-operating with his inspectors.
Amano also chided Iran for barring some inspectors and for stonewalling his agency's attempts to probe allegations that Tehran is interested in developing atomic arms.
Amano spoke at the start of a 35-country board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran insists its nuclear activities are meant only to generate energy but is under UN sanctions for refusing to stop uranium enrichment, which can be used both to make fuel and fissile nuclear warhead material.
New Iran inspection chief named
Amano also named a new head for the department in charge of investigating Iran's nuclear activities.
Amano appointed Herman Naeckarts to the vacant post of deputy director general in charge of safeguards. That position was left vacant with the departure of Olli Heinonen, who had acquired a reputation of toughness in his investigation of Tehran's nuclear program.
Diplomats described Naeckarts to reporters as pulling no punches in criticizing Iran's spotty co-operation with IAEA probes into its nuclear activities.
Tehran denies being interested in developing nuclear arms but has refused to stop uranium enrichment despite four sets of UN Security Council sanctions.
Nuclear rights are non-negotiable: Ahmadinejad
 Tehran Times Political Desk ARAK - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once again emphasized that Iran will not negotiate with the major powers over its nuclear rights. “Our nuclear rights, including the continuation of uranium enrichment, the production of 20 percent enriched uranium, and the construction of nuclear power plants, are not negotiable,” Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday in a meeting with a number of university students in Arak, the capital of Markazi Province. It is clear that basic rights like nuclear rights are not negotiable because “this is analogous to our country’s independence, and no country negotiates on its independence with other countries,” he stated. “Apparently, they (the 5+1 group) have said that they want to cooperate,” he said, adding, “Cooperation in areas like a nuclear fuel swap and global economic, political, and security issues is possible.” Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany) wrapped up their two-day talks in Geneva on Tuesday. According to Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, who represented Iran at the talks, the 5+1 group agreed that the next round of talks, which will be held in Istanbul in late January, will focus on “common ground for cooperation.” The next round of negotiations will focus on finding “common ground for cooperation,” but Iran will not negotiate on its inalienable rights, including uranium enrichment, Jalili said after the end of the talks. Ahmadinejad stated that the best approach for cooperation would be to lift the international sanctions on Iran and emphasized that the imposition of sanctions cannot force Iran to give in to the major powers’ demands. “You should rescind the sanctions because that would be the best approach for cooperation,” he said. Pressuring the Iranian nation and adopting resolutions against Iran cannot compel the Iranian nation to surrender, he added. |
New Mode
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Wednesday Beijing fully supports Iran’s right to acquire nuclear technology for civilian use and is opposed to lopsided sanctions against Tehran.
“Next year marks the 40th anniversary of bilateral ties. Officials of the two countries should increase mutual exchange and set a new course of action for boosting cooperation,” he said in a meeting with Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Ali Fathollahi, in Beijing, IRIB reported.
“Iran is an important and powerful country in the region and China is keen on building cooperation with the Islamic state in key sectors,” the official was quoted as saying.
Yang recalled that “the world is rapidly moving toward a multi-polar situation, which would ultimately benefit the developing countries”.
Fathollahi said the 40th anniversary of establishment of bilateral ties offers suitable opportunity for improving two-way collaboration.
“Despite all the international developments, in the post-Islamic Revolution era, ties between Tehran and Beijing have improved significantly,” he noted.
He referred to Iran’s talks with G5+1 and expressed hope that the group would shun the policy of threats and sanctions and instead work for meaningful and constructive debate.
Talks between Iran and the G5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany) ended on Tuesday in Geneva.
It was decided that the next round of talks will be held in Istanbul in January.
quarta-feira, 8 de dezembro de 2010
Recomendação de excelente filme - "Persépolis"
Recomendo que todos os Representantes dos Países-membro do Júri ASSISTAM este filme antes do dia 10/12.
É brilhante!
Com simplicidade, se entende muito do lado humano da História do Irã.
É brilhante!
Com simplicidade, se entende muito do lado humano da História do Irã.
Obs: é um livro ainda mais espetacular, porém talvez vocês não teriam tempo de ler. Quem acha que é capaz, LEIA.
Iran claims nuke advance ahead of talks
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran claimed a milestone on the eve of talks in Geneva with six world powers, saying Sunday it has produced its first batch of locally mined uranium ore for enrichment, making it independent of foreign countries for a process the West fears is geared toward producing nuclear arms.
"Given that Iran's own supply of uranium is not enough for a peaceful nuclear energy program, this calls into further question Iran's intentions and raises additional concerns at a time when Iran needs to address the concerns of the international community," said Mike Hammer, spokesman of the US National Security Council.
A senior diplomat familiar with the issue from a member nation of the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iranian claims of domestic reserves were thought to be exaggerated. The diplomat, who is familiar with the issue, asked for anonymity because his information was confidential.
Whatever its long-term purpose, the immediate effect of the announcement was clear; a message to the six world powers ahead of their talks with Iran beginning Monday in Geneva that uranium enrichment was not up for discussion, with Tehran determined to expand the program instead of scrapping it as the UN Security Council demands.
Expectations were low ahead of the negotiations even before Sunday's announcement from Tehran, with Iran saying it is prepared to discuss nuclear issues only in the context of global disarmament and officials from some of the six powers saying they would be pleased if they yielded no more than agreement to meet at a later date to explore common themes.
Still the ultimate aim of the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany is to commit Tehran to give up enrichment because of its potential use in making nuclear arms.
The talks in Geneva - the first in over a year - are meant to lay the cornerstone for establishing trust. Tehran says it does not want atomic arms, but as it builds on its capacity to potentially make such weapons, neither Israel nor the US have ruled out military action if the Islamic Republic fails to heed UN Security Council demands to freeze enrichment and other nuclear programs.
Over two planned days, Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, will meet with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, with Ashton's office saying she will act "on behalf" of the US, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany. In fact, senior officials for those six powers will attend and do much of the talking with Tehran.
Ahead of the talks, Western officials urged Tehran to meet international concerns about its nuclear activities. Invoking possible military confrontation over Iran's nuclear defiance, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said Saturday that the Geneva talks need to make a serious start toward resolving the issue. "We want a negotiated solution, not a military one - but Iran needs to work with us to achieve that outcome," he said. "We will not look away or back down." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it was up to Iran to restore trust about its nuclear intentions, urging it to come to Geneva prepared to "firmly, conclusively reject the pursuit of nuclear weapons." German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said a nuclear-armed Iran "was unacceptable for us." Since Iran's clandestine enrichment program was discovered eight years ago Iran has resisted both rewards - offers of technical and economic cooperation - and four sets of increasingly harsh UN sanctions, meant to force it to freeze its enrichment program. Member states of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty have a right to enrich domestically and Iran, which is a signatory, insists it is doing so only to make fuel for an envisaged network of reactors and not to make fissile warhead material. But international concerns are strong because Tehran developed its enrichment program clandestinely and because it has deemed closed an IAEA probe meant to follow up on suspicions that it experimented with components of a nuclear weapons program - something Iran denies. Iran says claimed experiments are "fabrications" by the CIA that was provided to the agency. Israel has threatened to attack Iran, even though Israel is believed to have stockpiled more than 200 nuclear weapons and it is not a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Sunday's announcement by Iranian nuclear chief Ali Salehi further burdened the pre-talk atmosphere, adding to tensions left by the assassination last week of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist and the wounding of another. Salehi said Iran had for the first time delivered domestically mined raw uranium to a processing facility - allowing it to bypass UN sanctions prohibiting import of the material. Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the uranium ore concentrate, known as yellowcake, was produced at the Gachin uranium mine in southern Iran and delivered to the uranium conversion facility in the central city of Isfahan for reprocessing. Salehi said the delivery was evidence that the mysterious bombings targeting the two Iranian nuclear scientists would not slow the country's progress. "Today, we witnessed the shipment of the first domestically produced yellowcake ... from Gachin mine to the Isfahan nuclear facility," said Salehi, whose comments were broadcast live on state television. Iran acquired a considerable stock of yellowcake from South Africa in the 1970s under the former US-backed shah's original nuclear program, as well as unspecified quantities of yellowcake obtained from China long before the UN sanctions. Western nations said last year that Iran was running out of raw uranium as that imported stockpile diminished and asserted that Tehran did not have sufficient domestic ore to run the large-scale civilian program it said it was assembling. But Salehi, who is also the country's vice president, denied that local stocks were lacking and said the step meant Iran was now self-sufficient over the entire nuclear fuel cycle - from extracting uranium ore to enriching it and producing nuclear fuel. He added that the message to those meeting with Iran in Geneva on Monday and Tuesday was that they cannot stop Iran's nuclear work. "No matter how much effort they put into their sanctions ... our nuclear activities will proceed and they will witness greater achievements in the future," he told state-run Press TV. Salehi said the activity will be carried out under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, adding a bigger uranium mine at Saghand, in central Iran, will be inaugurated "in the not too distant future." The Gachin uranium mill near Bandar Abbas processes ore extracted from a nearby mine into yellowcake. The processing is part of the early stages before actual enrichment of uranium. Yellowcake is then taken to the Isfahan facility to be processed into uranium hexafluoride, which later can be turned into a gas used as feedstock for enriching uranium. Uranium enriched to low grades is used for fuel in nuclear reactors, but further enrichment makes it suitable for atomic bombs. Salehi did not provide details on how much yellowcake had been transferred to Isfahan, but said the shipments from now on would be carried out "continuously." State TV showed a large, covered truck apparently carrying the yellowcake. In October, Salehi said nuclear experts have discovered larger uranium reserves than previously thought at Gachin and were stepping up exploration of the ore. The Iranian government also has provided funds to its nuclear agency to begin ore extraction at Saghand, the mine with the largest uranium reserves in the country. Saghand has not yet become operational.
terça-feira, 7 de dezembro de 2010
sábado, 4 de dezembro de 2010
US urged to tackle Iran
Several leaked documents show ho Gulf countries and Israel sought to influence US action on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Leaked cables suggest strong support for military action against Iran [EPA]
Among the documents in the cache of quarter-million files are striking passages detailing US observations from meetings with foreign leaders regarding Iran.
A series of diplomatic cables sent from US diplomats in the Middle East to the US state department in Washington reveal efforts by Gulf countries and Israel to influence US opinion.
The following are excerpted from cables that were published in The New York Times:
From US embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE -- May 16, 2006
Turning to Iran, MbZ voiced certainty that the EU-3 efforts with Iran would break down and that Iran would resume its nuclear activities ) if it had not already done so. Repeating concerns first voiced to us in February (reftel), MbZ appeared convinced that it was only a matter of time before Israel or the U.S. would strike Iranian nuclear facility targets. U.S. installations in the Gulf could be targeted by Iran in the aftermath of such an action, he warned. MbZ agreed with the USG,s tough line with Tehran and the Europeans. A nuclear-armed Iran would destabilize the Gulf region and possibly allow terrorist access to WMD.
[MbZ is Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed]
From US embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE -- April 29, 2006
In recent meetings with senior USG officials, Abu Dhabi's ruling family has expressed clear support for U.S. initiatives against Iran. The U.S. and UAE have a "common desire to succeed," AbZ told U/S Joseph, noting that the combination of Iran and terrorism is something that cannot be tolerated. "The threat from al-Qa'ida would be minor if Iran has nukes," AbZ said (ref N). MbZ told Townsend April 22 that the Iranians think that the U.S. will not do anything about their recent declaration that they have successfully enriched uranium. He added that he thought the Iranians were wrong. MbZ and UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid agreed with Secretary Rice February 23 about the need to counter Iran's growing influence in the region and its nuclear ambitions, although they specified that any sanctions should target the key Iranian leadership, not the Iranian people.
[AbZ is UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed]
From US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- April 4, 2008
The King, Foreign Minister, Prince Muqrin, and Prince Nayif all agreed that the Kingdom needs to cooperate with the US on resisting and rolling back Iranian influence and subversion in Iraq. The King was particularly adamant on this point, and it was echoed by the senior princes as well. Al-Jubeir recalled the King's frequent exhortations to the US to attack Iran and so put an end to its nuclear weapons program. "He told you to cut off the head of the snake," he recalled to the Charge', adding that working with the US to roll back Iranian influence in Iraq is a strategic priority for the King and his government.
[Adel al-Jubeir is Saudi ambassador to the US]
From US embassy in Manama, Bahrain -- November 4, 2009
King Hamad pointed to Iran as the source of much of the trouble in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He argued forcefully for taking action to terminate their nuclear program, by whatever means necessary."That program must be stopped," he said. "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it."
[King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is Bahrain's monarch]
From US embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel -- June 2, 2010
When asked if the USG and GOI have fundamental differences of opinion when assessing Iran's nuclear program, Barak said we share the same intelligence, but acknowledged differences in analysis. He suggested that the USG view is similar to presenting evidence in a criminal court case in which a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. As such, USG standards are tougher -- especially following the failure to find WMD in Iraq -- while end-products such as the 2007 NIE unintentionally take on a softer tone as a result. Barak said the fate of the region and the world rests on our ability to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons -- as such, the standards for determining guilt should be lower as the costs are higher.
[Ehud Barak is Israel's defence minister]
Experts: Military conflict between Iran and Israel is beneficial, but fraught with danger for Arab countries
Azerbaijan, Baku - Some Arab countries are interested in a military clash between Iran and Israel, but at the same time, are concerned about its consequences, which can take a devastating scale, experts say.
"A number of Arab countries listed in the publications of WikiLeaks not only support a military scenario, but provoke it, considering military conflict between Iran and Israel optimal for themselves, because it would weaken both of these historical rivals of the Arab world," the president of the Institute for Middle East Studies Yevgeny Satanovsky wrote to Trend in an e-mail.
Roughly 250,000 secret diplomatic telegrams and letters sent from U.S. diplomatic missions in various countries to the U.S. State Department were transferred via WikiLeaks to the New York Times, Guardian, Spiegel, and several other influential media outlets.
Of these, particularly the Arab world is deeply concerned about the situation in Iran. So, the King of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly called on U.S. to attack on Iran to stop its nuclear program. According to documents, in April 2008, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Washington at a meeting with Pentagon officials once again announced this request, stating: "You [Americans] should cut the head off the snake."
According to published documents, Iran is regarded in Egypt, UAE, Jordan as "evil" and "permanent" threat.
According to Satanovsky, "the scenario of war of the Shiite with Jews is ideal for conservative Sunni orthodoxy, sympathizing with al-Qaeda, although it can not build direct open communications with the Israelis about this and works through diplomatic channels, including through the United States."
But the Arab world was not, is not and will not be unified in fact or formally, with the exception of formal unity in supporting the "rights of the Palestinian people", the Russian expert said.
With regards to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reaction to WikiLeaks publications on Iran, then, according to Satanovsky, it is obvious that his words [Netanyahu] correspond exactly to reality, and publications discovered the "open secret".
Nuclear-armed Iran poses a grave threat to Israel, the Middle East peace and humanity, Netanyahu said Monday, adding that "now the Middle Eastern leaders are talking openly what has long been spoken in secret."
Israeli prime minister believes that in case of attack from Iran, Israel will be "the first but not the last target of attack".
One of the documents posted on WikiLeaks quoted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that the strike on Iranian nuclear facilities makes sense only until the end of 2010. After 2010, "any military solution could lead to unacceptable collateral damage", said Israeli minister.
A military attack on Iran, mentioned in the recent controversial publications of WikiLeaks, would entail catastrophic consequences for all countries, including countries of the region, American expert Vladimir Sokor told Trend.
"One has only to think about oil prices, the blockade of the Persian Gulf, an influx of refugees from Iran and continuous hostility of Iran against those whom it would consider responsible for such an attack," said Sokor, fellow of Jamestown Foundation (Washington).
According to him, Saudi Arabia is not an important player in the international arena, and similar statements from her show about the immaturity of the Government.
According to him, Saudi Arabia is not an important player in the international arena, and similar statements by it show the immaturity of the country's government.
"There is much speculation about a possible attack on Iran, though the biggest opponent to attack is the Pentagon, he said. - The U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of U.S. Armed Forces, Admiral Mike Mullen are ardent opponents of the military solution to the Iranian problem" .
Sokor is not sure that Israel is serious when it threatens to attack Iran. He thinks the purpose of such threats is mainly to scare the American and Western European governments and to force them to introduce economic sanctions against Iran in order to avoid the attack.
"This becomes a diplomatic tactics of Israel, which it is also using in Washington and Washington, in turn, is using in Europe," Sokor said. "The logical chain of thinking is: Israel threatens to attack, Washington states that we must pass sanctions and then Washington goes to West Europeans saying: if you don't want Israel to attack Iran then support us to introduce sanctions in the UN Security Council (UNSC)."
Until now, Israeli threats to attack Iran looked mostly like a political gesture designed to support economic sanctions against Iran in the UNSC, he said.
"Such threats are not really credible. But they are harmful because they can legitimize the idea of attack on Iran and make this question a topic of custom discussion," Sokor added.
Sokor believes but the most negative consequences of such threats - an obstacle to political dialogue between Israel and Iran.
"Relations between Israel and Iran, of course, cannot be changed as long as they threaten each other. Iran and Israel were allies during the Shah's rule in Iran. So, there is no historical reason why Israel and Iran should be permanent enemies," Sokor noted.
Iran has no diplomatic relations with Israel and refuses to recognize it as a state. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks regularly about the prompt breakup of Israel.
Iranian expert who lives in London Alirza Nourizadeh agrees that Arab states of the Persian Gulf consider Iran's nuclear program a source of grave danger for the region, as they believe that Iran may use the resulting nuclear weapons against them.
"If Iran develops nuclear weapons, to avoid attacks on it by the U.S. and Israel would be impossible, despite that the U.S. and Israel do not want to use military force against Iran, Nourizadeh, head of the Iranian-Arab Research Center, told Trend in a telephone conversation from London.
According to him, the Gulf States fear the outbreak of war in their countries in case of an attack on Iran.
However, an Iranian expert on Middle East and the Iranian-Arab relations Hassan Hanizade believes that Netanyahu's statements were untrue because, in spite of the differences between Iran and Arab countries on political issues, there is no ground for hostile attitude of the Arab countries towards Iran.
"The position of Arab towards Iran is different from the point of view of the peoples of these countries, Hanizade told Trend by telephone from Tehran. - In the fight with Israel, Iran was the model for the Arab world. In case of any attack on Iran, it will cause the reaction of Arab and Muslim nations that will pose a problem for the leaders of these countries. "
About the concerns of the Gulf countries over Iran's nuclear program, Hanizade noted that at present such Arab countries as Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, plan to produce nuclear energy for use for civilian purposes, so they can not blame other nations in their peaceful nuclear activities.
How WikiLeaks altered the way we see the world in just a week
A torrent of information was released, leading to howls of protest from leaders and WikiLeaks being hounded offline
Shortly before 6.30pm on Sunday night, the first cracks appeared in the dam. The largest ever leak of US government classified documents streamed out online, revealing never publicly seen details about Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and Russia.
Throughout the week the stream became a torrent of information about how US diplomats and foreign governments see the world. According to these classified cables, Saudi Arabia wanted Washington to bomb Iran, the UK harbours "deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons", and Russia is considered a "virtual mafia state" with its president, Vladimir Putin, accused of amassing "illicit proceeds" from his time in office.
But perhaps most embarrassing for Hillary Clinton who, as US secretary of state, is ultimately responsible for the content of most of the cables released so far, was a cable that revealed Washington is running a spying campaign targeted at the secretary general, Ban Ki-moon and the rest of the UN leadership, as well as the permanent security council representatives from China, Russia, France and the UK.
Clinton has spent much of the week trying to justify the operation – which was looking for top UN officials' passwords and credit card numbers , even DNA samples – to the press and in person to the UN secretary general.
As startling as the exposés were – the Saudi king urging America "to cut off the head of the snake", to launch a military attack on Iran's nuclear programme – it was as much the sense of a curtain lifting to reveal the world leaders not as wizards but as all too human, and that the private positions of those in power were often diametrically opposed to what they said in public, that made the cables so gripping – and perhaps so dangerous.
Clinton's immediate reaction was to strongly condemn the leak and say that "every country, including the US, must be able to have honest, private dialogue with other countries … When someone breaches that trust, we are the worse off for it."
Former presidential candidate, the Republican Mike Huckabee called for the execution of Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old US army intelligence analyst who is in custody at a military base in Virginia, facing trial for downloading the files while on duty in Iraq.
Fellow Republican Sarah Palin called Julian Assange, the fugitive founder of the WikiLeaks website, "an anti-American operative with blood on his hands" because she said previous leaks had included the identities of "more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban".
Yesterday Assange described Manning as "an unparalleled hero".
Several leaders who fared badly from the revelations were unconvinced the leaks were genuine. It was revealed that Russia was using mafia members to carry out operations like arms trafficking and that bribery functions as a parallel tax system for the personal enrichment of the police, officials and the KGB's successor, the FSB. Even before the revelations, Vladimir Putin said: "Some experts believe that somebody is deceiving WikiLeaks, that its reputation is being undermined in order for it to be used for political purposes. Such an opinion is being expressed here."
A day later, it emerged that US diplomats had reported suspicions that the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, could be "profiting personally and handsomely" from secret deals with Putin.
President Ahmadinejad of Iran also denied that the Gulf Arab states are antagonistic towards his regime and said: "We don't think this information was leaked. We think it was organised to be released on a regular basis and they are pursuing political goals."
Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan was so rattled that he even threatened to sue over allegations of corruption.
Rampant corruption in Afghanistan was revealed, including an incident last year when the then vice-president, Ahmad Zia Massoud, was stopped and questioned in Dubai when he flew into the emirate with $52m in cash.
In the UK, there were calls for Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, to resign after it emerged he had been briefing the US ambassador to London, Louis Susman, about the "lack of experience" of David Cameron and George Osborne, and that they "had a tendency to think about issues only in terms of politics and how they might affect Tory electorability [sic]".
At least one major revelation gave some hopes for a more peaceful future, not least the suggestion that China is ready to accept Korean unification and is distancing itself from North Korea, which it describes as behaving like a "spoiled child".
Dispatches on North Korea showed that South Korea's vice-foreign minister was told by two senior Chinese officials that they believed Korea should be reunified under Seoul's control and that this view was gaining ground in Beijing.
Throughout the week, the US authorities increased the pressure on WikiLeaks. On Tuesday they announced an investigation into whether it had breached espionage laws, and on Wednesday they successfully pressured Amazon to stop hosting the site.
Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate's committee on homeland security, called on "any other company or organisation that is hosting WikiLeaks to immediately terminate its relationship with them".
Yesterday, the WikiLeaks website went offline for the third time this week
Shortly before 6.30pm on Sunday night, the first cracks appeared in the dam. The largest ever leak of US government classified documents streamed out online, revealing never publicly seen details about Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and Russia.
Throughout the week the stream became a torrent of information about how US diplomats and foreign governments see the world. According to these classified cables, Saudi Arabia wanted Washington to bomb Iran, the UK harbours "deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons", and Russia is considered a "virtual mafia state" with its president, Vladimir Putin, accused of amassing "illicit proceeds" from his time in office.
But perhaps most embarrassing for Hillary Clinton who, as US secretary of state, is ultimately responsible for the content of most of the cables released so far, was a cable that revealed Washington is running a spying campaign targeted at the secretary general, Ban Ki-moon and the rest of the UN leadership, as well as the permanent security council representatives from China, Russia, France and the UK.
Clinton has spent much of the week trying to justify the operation – which was looking for top UN officials' passwords and credit card numbers , even DNA samples – to the press and in person to the UN secretary general.
As startling as the exposés were – the Saudi king urging America "to cut off the head of the snake", to launch a military attack on Iran's nuclear programme – it was as much the sense of a curtain lifting to reveal the world leaders not as wizards but as all too human, and that the private positions of those in power were often diametrically opposed to what they said in public, that made the cables so gripping – and perhaps so dangerous.
Clinton's immediate reaction was to strongly condemn the leak and say that "every country, including the US, must be able to have honest, private dialogue with other countries … When someone breaches that trust, we are the worse off for it."
Former presidential candidate, the Republican Mike Huckabee called for the execution of Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old US army intelligence analyst who is in custody at a military base in Virginia, facing trial for downloading the files while on duty in Iraq.
Fellow Republican Sarah Palin called Julian Assange, the fugitive founder of the WikiLeaks website, "an anti-American operative with blood on his hands" because she said previous leaks had included the identities of "more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban".
Yesterday Assange described Manning as "an unparalleled hero".
Several leaders who fared badly from the revelations were unconvinced the leaks were genuine. It was revealed that Russia was using mafia members to carry out operations like arms trafficking and that bribery functions as a parallel tax system for the personal enrichment of the police, officials and the KGB's successor, the FSB. Even before the revelations, Vladimir Putin said: "Some experts believe that somebody is deceiving WikiLeaks, that its reputation is being undermined in order for it to be used for political purposes. Such an opinion is being expressed here."
A day later, it emerged that US diplomats had reported suspicions that the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, could be "profiting personally and handsomely" from secret deals with Putin.
President Ahmadinejad of Iran also denied that the Gulf Arab states are antagonistic towards his regime and said: "We don't think this information was leaked. We think it was organised to be released on a regular basis and they are pursuing political goals."
Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan was so rattled that he even threatened to sue over allegations of corruption.
Rampant corruption in Afghanistan was revealed, including an incident last year when the then vice-president, Ahmad Zia Massoud, was stopped and questioned in Dubai when he flew into the emirate with $52m in cash.
In the UK, there were calls for Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, to resign after it emerged he had been briefing the US ambassador to London, Louis Susman, about the "lack of experience" of David Cameron and George Osborne, and that they "had a tendency to think about issues only in terms of politics and how they might affect Tory electorability [sic]".
At least one major revelation gave some hopes for a more peaceful future, not least the suggestion that China is ready to accept Korean unification and is distancing itself from North Korea, which it describes as behaving like a "spoiled child".
Dispatches on North Korea showed that South Korea's vice-foreign minister was told by two senior Chinese officials that they believed Korea should be reunified under Seoul's control and that this view was gaining ground in Beijing.
Throughout the week, the US authorities increased the pressure on WikiLeaks. On Tuesday they announced an investigation into whether it had breached espionage laws, and on Wednesday they successfully pressured Amazon to stop hosting the site.
Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate's committee on homeland security, called on "any other company or organisation that is hosting WikiLeaks to immediately terminate its relationship with them".
Yesterday, the WikiLeaks website went offline for the third time this week.
Iran Rules Out Halting Nuclear Enrichment
MANAMA, Bahrain—Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday dampened the possibility for a breakthrough in next week's scheduled international talks over Tehran's nuclear program, blaming Washington for pursuing a confrontational policy towards his country instead of genuine diplomacy.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, left, and his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt sat next to each other during the opening session of the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain's capital on Friday.
.Mr. Mottaki—speaking at a regional security conference here a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington remained committed to negotiations with Tehran—said that his government wouldn't back down from its policy of enriching nuclear fuel on its own territory.
That sets up a diplomatic showdown in Geneva for the talks, set to start Monday, which U.S. officials see as another step in President Barack Obama's policy of diplomatic outreach to the Islamic Republic. The U.S. and others believe that Iran is attempting to build a nuclear weapon, while Iran says it wants nuclear power for civilian purposes.
In recent days, U.S. officials have expressed confidence that a strengthened international economics-sanctions regime, put into place earlier this year, has helped to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.
Mr. Mottaki countered that view, saying that sanctions haven't resulted in material hardship for his nation, nor have they isolated Tehran from the international community. He said his government is participating in next week's talks because of its long-standing commitment to international cooperation on its nuclear program.
"Sanctions have had no affect on us," he said.
The Iranian official expressed distrust for America and the U.S.-led efforts to slow down Iran's nuclear ambitions. He said that his government isn't impressed with America's outreach toward Tehran and called Mr. Obama's stated policy of constructive engagement with Iran a farce.
"We are of the analysis that what [the Americans] say and what their policies are (show) they are suffering from a paradox," he said, citing as evidence a lack of practical change on U.S. policies on Middle East peace efforts, compared to those of former President George W. Bush.
Mr. Mottaki also struck a defiant tone about Iran's relations with its neighbors in the Middle East, many of whom have said in public and private discussions—several of which were leaked in cables released recently by WikiLeaks—that they fear the Shiite country's growing political influence in the region.
Speaking at a session of the conference attended by Arab foreign ministers and other high-ranking officials, Mr. Mottaki said that the Muslim world had nothing to fear from Iran's nuclear potential, and said that his government viewed the scientific achievement of nuclear power as a benefit for the entire Muslim world.
"The reality is that Iran has more or less the same potential of other countries to become very powerful, but we will not use that potential to hurt our neighbors…especially because our neighbors are Muslims. Our power is your power, and your power is ours," he told the gathering.
In the past few years, the oil-producing nations of the Persian Gulf have spent billions of dollars upgrading their own military capabilities with an eye on what many rulers see as a critical threat from Tehran.
Bahrain's foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid al-Khalifa, speaking at a session with Mr. Mottaki and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davitoglu, repeated a proposal made by international diplomats and Arab nations to create an international nuclear fuel bank, through which Iran could power its budding nuclear industry under strict controls.
Mr. Mottaki said that Iran would welcome the creation of such a fuel bank, but would not give up what he said was Iran's sovereign right to enrich its own uranium. "We are [in] agreement in creation of a fuel bank, and since we are a fuel producer and we have the technology for that, then presumably a branch of the bank will be built in Iran," Mr. Mottaki said.
quinta-feira, 2 de dezembro de 2010
Iran steps up security for nuclear scientists
Iran says 'evil methods' of its enemies 'unpredictable' as 'pro-US' IAEA chief turns heat on Tehran.
TEHRAN - Iran will step up security for its nuclear scientists after a prominent physicist was assassinated and another wounded in bomb attacks, its atomic chief said in a report on Thursday.
"Based on a recent decision, it has been arranged that the security detail (of nuclear scientists) will be multiplied and other protection techniques will also be applied," Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.
Assailants attached bombs to the cars of two senior scientists in Iran's nuclear programme on Monday, killing one of them, Majid Shahriari, and wounding the other, Fereydoon Abbasi Davani. Three other people were wounded.
"Dr. Shahriari was not alone as he was with his security detail," Salehi said. "But the evil methods that enemies employ are unpredictable."
Tehran has blamed the attacks on the United States and Israel, which accuse Iran seeking to make nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian programme. Tehran denies the charge.
"Since last year, we put under protection... hundreds of our scientists and experts working in the nuclear field," Salehi said.
In January, another Iranian nuclear scientist, Masoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed in a bomb attack which Tehran blamed on "mercenaries" in the pay of Israel and the United States.
The UN atomic watchdog turned up the heat on Syria and Iran, which are both under investigation for alleged illicit nuclear activity.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano told a meeting of the body's board of governors that Iran was continuing to stonewall a separate investigation there.
Amano complained that Tehran "has not provided the necessary cooperation to permit the agency to confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities."
Iran was defying UN Security Council resolutions and pressing ahead with its sensitive uranium enrichment activities, Amano said.
It was also refusing to answer questions about possible military dimensions to its atomic work.
The IAEA has been investigating Iran's nuclear programme for eight years now to try and establish whether it is entirely peaceful as Tehran claims or whether it masks a covert drive to build a bomb as western powers believe.
Iran is under four sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to suspend enrichment of uranium, which can be used to make nuclear fuel or, in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atom bomb.
The IAEA's traditional year-end board meeting is being held just three days before much higher-level talks in Geneva where Iran is to sit down with the so-called P5+1 grouping of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany for the first time in over a year.
"I would like to welcome the forthcoming meeting scheduled for next week in Geneva," Amano said.
Amano suggested before he took office last year he was "solidly in the US court" on key issues including Iran, according US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
US Officials: Significant Progress Made On Iran Strategy
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Obama administration officials told a U.S. House hearing Wednesday that the U.S. sanctions strategy against Iran has made significant progress in isolating Tehran, but warned that vigilance is necessary to counter sanctions evasion.
Just days ahead of new negotiations with Iran intended to halt the country's alleged nuclear weapons program, a raft of lawmakers said they are concerned that violations of the new sanctions regime--particularly by Chinese companies--may be seriously undermining international efforts.
"The net result of all of the measures that we've applied in recent months is substantial," said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Burns and U.S. Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey pointed to a raft of sanction successes and told the panel that Washington would continue to ratchet up sanctions pressure.
Out of seven companies that the State Department had been particularly focused on probing whether there are violations of existing sanctions laws, five promised to exit. Burns said several firms were under official investigation by the State Department and, while he didn't say if the oil service company Schlumberger was one of them, he told lawmakers that it's ongoing activities in Iran are of particular concern.
Burns said ahead of next week's scheduled multilateral talks with Iran that the "door is still open" for serious negotiations. There's "still time for diplomacy," he said, but when asked if a military attack is still under consideration by the administration he said that no options have been taken off the table.
But lawmakers pressed the administration officials on multiple reports that several countries, especially China, were helping Tehran to evade sanctions and taking advantage of opportunities created by Western companies severing ties with Iran.
Ranking member of the committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (R., Fla.), said she's concerned that the administration may repeat a history of waiving prosecuting companies in violation of sanction laws.
"The U.S. has known for years about Chinese energy investments in Iran, but only this past September did the administration initiate investigations of sanctionable activity yet still refuse to publicly disclose whether Chinese companies are among the targets," Ros-Lehtinen said.
Committee Chairman Howard Berman, (D., Calif.), expressed similar worries: "I'm concerned that we will not be able to sustain a robust sanctions regime if we don't impose sanctions in an even-handed manner," particularly highlighting Chinese companies.
"What kind of message do we send if we fail to sanction companies that are transparently engaged in sanctionable activities?" Berman asked Burns and Levey.
Burns said President Barack Obama and his lieutenants are continuing to press China on its Iran ties at the highest level, including in Obama's last meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
The State Department official--the administration's lead negotiator on the Iran issue--said companies such as Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA), Total (TOT), ENI (ENI), StatoilHydro (STO), INPEX, Reliance (532743.BY), and Toyota (TM) had committed to exiting Iran, many finalizing operations within weeks.
Washington is in a delicate diplomatic position. China, a member of the United Nations Security Council, is critical of the administration's efforts to contain Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitions, aside from addressing a long list of other geopolitical, economic and trade issues. Hu is planning a trip to Washington in January.
To illustrate the progress of the sanctions, Treasury's Levey and Burns pointed to an 85% drop in refined petroleum imports in Iran, down to 19,000 barrels a day in October, a loss of $50 billion to $60 billion in energy investments and increased difficulties for Iranian companies to conduct business in dollars and euros.
Given that Iran relies heavily on refined petroleum product imports and the impact of financial sanctions, Tehran was facing a political bind internally, needing to cut the gasoline subsidy, but fearing the political opposition from such an action.
No reasons to suspect Iran of seeking nuke wpns - Putin
MOSCOW, December 2 (Itar-Tass) - We have “no grounds to suspect Iran of seeking to possess nuclear weapons,” Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in an interview with CNN’s Larry King.
“Our position is open, and Iran knows it. We will continue to cooperate with all participants in this process until the complete solution to this problem,” the prime minister said answering a question about whether Russia shares the concerns of other countries that Iran is moving towards becoming a nuclear power.
According to Putin, “Iran has been implementing its nuclear programme for twenty years now and of late, in recent years, Iran has in one way or another indicated its readiness to engage in dialogue with the international community and with the IAEA. Yes, we are aware that questions remain concerning the early stages of the programme and we share the IAEA’s desire for exhaustive answers.”
“You will, of course, know that we are concerned about any indication of proliferation, about any possibility, even if it is a theoretical possibility for the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This applies to absolutely all states, including Iran. At the same time we have no grounds for suspecting Iran of seeking to possess nuclear weapons. But we are cooperating with all our partners, including the United States, within the framework of the United Nations,” said the Russian prime minister.
“As you know, so far we have managed to agree on the decisions taken. Our position is open and Iran is aware of it. We will continue to cooperate with all participants in this process until the problem is entirely resolved. I very much hope that this resolution will transpire. I think this is in the interests not only of Iran’s neighbour, Israel, which has great fears about nuclear programmes, and the other parties involved in this process but also those of Iran and the Iranian people,” Putin said.
The RF prime minister also noted, “I see nothing reprehensible, nothing that infringes upon Iran’s national interests, in it opening up all its programmes and responding adequately to the legitimate interest that the international specialist agency, the IAEA, has taken in its work. I see nothing to fear here, but at the same time I am still of the opinion that Iran has the right to pursue nuclear programmes under the supervision of international organisations.”
In the interview broadcast on Wednesday evening, Vladimir Putin also spoke of the threat of an arms race, as well as his thoughts about the recent disclosure of US diplomatic cables by the whistle-blowing site Wikileaks. The conversation quickly turned to Wikileaks, the whistle-blowing website that is in the process of releasing thousands of US diplomatic cables from American embassies around the world. The incident has turned into a major embarrassment for Washington, which is now in damage-control mode with nations around the world. Asked by talk show host Larry King about one of the released cables that compares Prime Minister Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev to the “Batman and Robin” crime-fighting duo, Putin said the caricature was “aimed to slander one of us.” He then went on to express his surprise at the “unethical” treatment he has received. “The truth of the matter is, this is about our interaction, which is an important factor of the domestic policies in this country,” Putin added. “But to be honest with you, we didn't suspect that this would be done with such arrogance, with such a push and, you know, being so unethically done.” Playing down the significance of the leaks, Putin told King: “Leaks such as this one have happened before, which is why I don't see any catastrophe in this [situation].
When asked about the condition of democracy in Russia, Putin reminded King hat Russia also has deep concerns about particular US political traditions.
quarta-feira, 1 de dezembro de 2010
UN sanctions against Iran
Iran has been subjected to four rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions in relation to its nuclear programme.
In spite of this, it has continued its uranium enrichment operations and there is growing pressure for sanctions to be tightened further.
The following are the UN resolutions relating to Iran's nuclear programme.
DEMAND TO END ENRICHMENT - RESOLUTION 1696
In March 2006, the issue was discussed at the UN Security Council, which called for a report by the IAEA to establish Iran's compliance with the terms of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
The treaty allows for the use of nuclear technology for peaceful energy purposes, as long as countries can demonstrate that their programmes are not being used for the development of nuclear weapons.
In July 2006, the Security Council said it was "seriously concerned" that the IAEA was unable to provide assurances about Iran's undeclared nuclear material. It demanded that Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development", giving it one month to do so. Failing that, it would face the possibility of economic and diplomatic sanctions.
Iran asserted that its nuclear programme was for civilian use permitted by the NPT. On this basis it said it rejected the validity of the Security Council's calls. It claimed that while subscribers to the NPT were being punished, those who had not signed up to the agreement were being rewarded by generous nuclear cooperation agreements.
RESOLUTION 1696
The deadline for Iranian compliance with the Security Council's demands passed without being heeded. In December 2006, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1737.
This called on states to block Iran's import and export of "sensitive nuclear material and equipment" and to freeze the financial assets of those involved in Iran's nuclear activities.
The Council decided that all countries should prevent the supply or sale of equipment and technology that would aid Iran's nuclear programme in any way.
RESOLUTION 1737
SECOND AND THIRD ROUNDS OF SANCTIONS - RESOLUTIONS 1747 AND 1803
Arms
With Iran's nuclear programme ongoing, in March 2007 the Security Council voted to toughen sanctions. It banned all of Iran's arms exports. It also froze the assets and restricted the travel of people it deemed involved in the nuclear programme.
RESOLUTION 1747
Financial and trade
Further restrictions imposed in March 2008 encouraged scrutiny of the dealings of Iranian banks.
It also called upon countries to inspect cargo planes and ships entering or leaving Iran if there were "reasonable grounds" to believe they were goods prohibited by previous resolutions.
RESOLUTION 1803
FOURTH ROUND OF SANCTIONS - RESOLUTION 1929
In June 2010, the Council approved fresh sanctions against Tehran.
The measures prohibit Iran from buying heavy weapons such as attack helicopters and missiles.
They also toughen rules on financial transactions with Iranian banks and increase the number of Iranian individuals and companies that are targeted with asset freezes and travel bans.
There is also a new framework of cargo inspections to detect and stop Iran's acquisition of illicit materials.
The sanctions were passed after being watered down during negotiations with Russia and China. There are no crippling economic sanctions and there is no oil embargo.
RESOLUTION 1929
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