Iran Says It Won’t Work with IAEA beyond Minimum

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Iran will inform the United Nations nuclear watchdog on progress in its 10 new uranium enrichment plants only six months ahead of injecting gas into the sites which it plans to build, the state news agency said on Friday.

Tehran said on Sunday it would build 10 more uranium enrichment sites like its Natanz IAEA-monitored underground one. The IAEA resolution, passed last Friday, censured Iran for “covertly” constructing a second enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom, demanding a construction halt.

A senior Iranian diplomat, involved in nuclear talks with the West, said Iran had no intention to cooperate with the agency beyond its safeguards, the official IRNA news agency reported. “According to the safeguards, after installation of equipments (centrifuges) and only 180 days ahead of injecting gas into centrifuges … we should inform the IAEA,” Abolfazl Zohrehvand told IRNA.

“And we will act within the framework of the safeguard,” said Zohrehvand, Iran’s former ambassador to Italy.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday Iran would purify its uranium stockpile to the level needed for Tehran medical reactor. Ahmadinejad ruled out further talks with six major powers on Iran’s peaceful work, which the West fears is a cover to build bombs. Iran denies the charge.

Earlier on Thursday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told journalists that “time is running out for Iran to avoid sanctions over its nuclear program”. He added that Tehran’s deadline is still the end of the year for responding to international demands. Iran’s Parliament said it would review relations with counties who had backed a condemnation of the Tehran government at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Cleric says creating rift among Muslims is ‘greatest sin

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yatollah Ahmad Jannati warned on Friday against efforts to sow discord among different sects of Islam, saying it constitutes the “greatest sin”.

“Today, the greatest sin is to create division among Muslim,” Ayatollah Jannati told worshippers in Tehran.

The Tehran Friday prayer leader also condemned violence against Yemeni Muslims, singling out Saudi Arabia for its massive attacks on the Houthi community inside the Yemeni territory.

“Those who are hosting Muslims in Mecca… are helping this country (Yemen) in killing innocent women and children,” the cleric lamented.

The Houthis belong to the minority Zaidi sect of Shiism, and complain of social, economic and religious marginalization by the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.

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Al Qaida will try to provoke India-Pakistan war: Gates

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WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned on Thursday that Al Qaida would try to provoke a war between India and Pakistan with the aim to destabilising Pakistan and gaining access to its nuclear arsenal.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed the US defence chief, saying that Al Qaida and like-minded terrorist groups were determined to seek nuclear weapons.

The two senior officials told a hearing on President Obama’s new Afghan policy at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that they had taken such threats very seriously.

Secretary Gates said that Al Qaida was also supporting Lashkar-i-Taiba, the group responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

‘Al Qaida is providing them with targeting information and helping them in their plotting in India — clearly with the idea of provoking a conflict between India and Pakistan that would destabilise Pakistan,’ he said.

‘And whether or not the terrorists are home-grown, when we trace their roots, they almost all end up back in this border area of Afghanistan and Pakistan, whether they’re from the United States or Somalia or the United Kingdom or elsewhere,’ he added.

Senator Richard Lugar, a ranking Republican on the panel, warned that ‘the future direction of governance in Pakistan will have consequences for non-proliferation efforts, global economic stability, our relationships with India and China.’

Describing Pakistan-India relationship as critical in the regional security context, Chairman US Joint Chiefs Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said stability on their border would be a great step forward in stabilising the region.

Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the US military chief said the US regional strategy included all countries of the region.

He said that while President Obama’s strategy focussed greatly on Afghanistan and Pakistan, it covered the entire South Asian region ‘and India is a big player in that region as well.’

The remarks are likely to irk India which does not want to be bracketed with Pakistan and Afghanistan but does want to play a role in resolving the Afghan dispute.

Admiral Mullen noted that the relationship between Pakistan and India would play a critical role in stabilising the region.

‘Leadership there must … step forward, to stabilise that border more than anything else. And I think that would be a great step forward in stabilising the region,’ he said.

He was responding to Congressman Donald Payne who wanted to know what was the US doing to make Pakistan feel comfortable on the Indian border so that it could focus more effectively on its western border with Afghanistan.

Appearing at the same hearing, Secretary Clinton replied affirmatively when asked if Washington talked to India about reducing Islamabad’s concerns on this issue.

‘Yes,’ she replied when Congressman Bill Delahunt questioned if the US had ‘consulted with the Indians in terms of their relationship with Pakistan in reducing the concern that the Pakistanis have relative to India.’

Anti-tank mine kills three in Pakistan’s Chinari

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PESHAWAR: A minibus carrying members of a wedding party struck an anti-tank mine in Pakistan’s tribal belt on Friday, killing three people and wounding 15 others, officials said.

The blast hit in Chinari town, about 50 kilometres northwest of Ghalanai, the main town in Mohmand tribal region, which borders Afghanistan and has been the focus of a recent anti-Taliban operation.

‘A vehicle carrying wedding guests hit an anti-tank mine, killing three people and wounding 15 others,’ top local administration official Amjad Ali Khan told AFP, saying the death toll may rise.

Rasool Khan, another senior administration official, confirmed the incident and said that security forces had recently conducted an operation against insurgents in the area, which he said had been successful.

Pakistan’s military is currently engaged in offensives against militants across much of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Fata has been plagued by instability and militancy for years, exacerbated in 2001 when a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime from Afghanistan, sending hundreds of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants into the lawless region.

About 30,000 troops backed by helicopter gunships and fighter jets poured into South Waziristan in October to try to dismantle Taliban strongholds. The military says they are making progress crushing the threat.

But Washington and London are pressuring Pakistan to do more to capture Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and prevent militants crossing the border and targeting foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan.

All six accused in Murtaza Bhutto murder case acquitted

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KARACHI: All six accused in the Murtaza Bhutto murder case were acquitted on Friday, DawnNews reported.

The accused included Mazhar Memon, Asghar Ali, Asif Ali Jatoi, Mehmood Bhallai, Ghulam Mustafa Chandio and Akhter Ali Mirani.

Mir Murtaza Bhutto, brother of former premier Benazir Bhutto, was killed in an alleged police encounter.

In September 1996, according to police, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and his companions were stopped near his residence in Clifton, Karachi. He was gunned down along with his eight party workers.

In this regard, Clifton police had registered a case in which the shootout was declared a police encounter.

Pakistan opposes expanded US drone attacks

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan opposes expanded US drone attacks against militants on its tribal areas, as well as any strikes on Baluchistan, where Washington believes Afghan Taliban leaders are hiding, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

The White House has authorised the expansion of the CIA’s drone programme in Pakistan to complement President Barack Obama’s plans to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials.

It said that for the first time, US officials are talking with Islamabad about the possibility of hitting Baluchistan, where Pakistan is already facing a low-level insurgency from Baluch rebels seeking provincial autonomy.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said there were limits to Pakistani cooperation, and the drone attacks were counterproductive.

‘This has never been part of our discussions. There are clear red-lines as far as we’re concerned,’ he said when asked if there were any talks between Washington and Islamabad on expansion of drone attacks to Baluchistan.

‘We have clearly conveyed our red-lines to them.’

In outlining his Afghanistan strategy in a speech on Tuesday, Obama made a vague plea to Pakistan to fight the ‘cancer’ of extremism and said the United States would not tolerate Pakistan allowing its territory to be a safe haven for militants.

At least 10 killed in Rawalpindi blast

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RAWALPINDI: At least 10 people were killed in a blast that took place near Rawalpindi’s Qasim market on Friday, DawnNews quoted the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) as saying.

Gunmen opened fire on worshippers after the blast and security officials were engaged in an exchange of gunfire with the militants.

Police and ambulances were on their way to the blast’s site which has now been cordoned off by security personnel.

At least four suicide attackers were involved in the assault, police sources told DawnNews.

This is the second time that Qasim market has been attacked. The market is situated in a residential area which houses serving and retired military officials.

Putin says no evidence Iran seeking nuclear arms

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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that there is no evidence that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, according to RIA Novosti.

“We have no information on Iran’s work on nuclear weapons,” Putin said during an annual televised question-and-answer session with Russians.

Iran announced on Sunday that it plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities.

As a signatory to the NPT, Iran has right to enrich uranium to generate electricity.

The IAEA Board of Governors, under pressure by the West, adopted a resolution against Iran on Friday. The resolution criticized Iran for beginning construction of a new uranium enrichment facility at Fordo and demanded that it immediately halt its construction.

The resolution was endorsed by Russia, Germany, Britain, China, France and the United States, the six nations involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Iranian President Mahmound Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Russia “made a mistake” when it backed the resolution. He said Russia’s decision to endorse the document was based on an “incorrect analysis of the current international situation.”

Russia has consistently opposed sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program, but President Dmitry Medvedev has said the country could support sanctions if Iran fails to allay Western doubts over the peaceful nature of the program.

Lula: Iran entitled to nuclear enrichment like Brazil

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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva insisted on Thursday that like Brazil which is enriching uranium to meet its energy demands Iran also has the right to produce nuclear fuel to generate electricity.

“The same that Brazil accepted for itself we accept for Iran,” Lula said in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin soon after the chancellor talked about losing patience with Tehran over its nuclear program.

Lula also said that the West should show patience with Iran and keep negotiating with the country, the Brazzil Mag said in a report posted on its website.

“The best and the cheapest for all of us is to believe in negotiations and have lots of patience,” said Lula.

“I think that to deal with Iran as if it were an insignificant country, increasing every day the pressure over Iran, might not result in a good thing. As Iran is a country with very strong culture, 80 million inhabitants and very serious domestic problems, we need to increase the patience level in order to increase the conversation level with Iran.”

Lula then recalled that in a span of a few days he “had the luck” of meeting the presidents of Israel, the Palestinian authority and Iran: “I talked a lot with every one of them and I think there’s always a chance for us to find a way for people to agree that peace is much cheaper and much more effective than war.”

Lula also talked about the need to create a climate of trust among world leaders.

“I’ve already talked about this with my dear friend Angela Merkel today, I talked to President Obama in Pittsburgh, I talked to Sarkozy, I talked to Gordon Brown. It is necessary to establish a new kind of conversation to see if we reduce the widespread mistrust level that exists today. We need to create a condition of trust so that we can dream about the negotiation.”

He went on to say, “My position is very clear. My country has something in the constitution – it’s not a government’s decision, it’s something approved by the 1988 Brazilian Constitution in 1988 – that forbids the use of nuclear weapons. And we in Brazil have uranium enrichment to produce electric power. And that’s what we want for Iran. It is the same that Brazil has. The same that Brazil accepted for itself we accept for Iran and I think that only by talking we can reach an agreement to deal with the Middle East.”

The president stressed once again the need for dialogue and understanding.

“I don’t know if I am naïve, I don’t know if I am too optimistic, but I believe a lot, a lot, in peoples’ capacity to convince and dialogue. And we are trying to offer our contribution and I hope the best will happen.”