Anti-Iran sanctions won't work: Powell

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A former US secretary of state has acknowledged that sanctions against Iran are a nonstarter, adding that Iranians will find a way around them.

According to Press TV, in an exclusive interview on ABC’s ‘This Week’ program, Colin Powell said he doesn’t think the newly-proposed UN sanctions regime against Iran will work.

He said: “The Iranians have been around for thousands of years trading and selling and getting around various constraints and whatnot.”

Powell added: And I’m sure that the Iranians have done their own planning and have their own counter-sanctions strategy.

He said he doesn’t believe the sanctions will push Tehran to give up its peaceful nuclear program

Terrorist of SSP Attack Mosque & Resident of Korangi

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JNN 01.06.10 Terrorist of Banned Organisation Sipah e Sahaba attackMasjid O Imam Bargah  Wali e Asar  in Korangi , A large Number of Terrorist equipped with Atuomatic Weapons came and attacked the Mosque in presence of the Police, and to prevent the damage to the Mosque Shia  Resident who were present in the vicinity tried to protect the Mosque, which resulted in 9 injured from the Shia Community , which are later shifted to the Hospital.

Among the Injured were Zakir Hussain , Nasir Hussain, Ghulam Ahmed, Sahib Aman, Ali Asghar , Arif who have bullet wounds , fired by the Wahabi  Terorrist of the banned Sipah e Sahaba.

Terrorists killed another Shia in D.I.Khan

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Nasabi terrorists on Sunday killed Mashoor Hussain in Dera Ismail Khan.

The notorious Nasabis terrorists belong from outlawed terrorists outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba and Taliban had abducted the Mashoor Hussain three days ago on Thursday from the Deta Ismail Khan city.

The body of Mashoor Hussain was found in a bag from Qureshi Round about D.I.Khan.

Thousands of innocents people were martyred by the terrorist organization in the country but the Government has failed to arrest the culprits involved in the killing of innocent Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Most people want 'US nukes dismantled'

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An opinion poll suggests that the international community should force the US to accept Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposal for dismantling its nukes.

Nearly 53 percent of respondents to the Press TV poll held that the international community should step up pressure on the Obama administration to dismantle its nukes.

Some 38 percent of the respondents said that this feat is impossible because the US would never agree to Ahmadinejad’s proposal. Only seven percent believed that the US has the right to possess nukes.

At the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the UN headquarters in New York, Iran’s president called for the dismantling of all atomic weapons, starting with those in the possession of the US and its allies.

The Iranian president said the United Sates, despite being a signatory to the NPT, is the “main suspect” responsible for the stockpiling, spread and the threatening of other nations with nuclear weapons.

Maliki discusses new gov't with Grand Ayatollah Sistani

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf Saturday to discuss the political process and the formation of a new government   Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf Saturday to discuss the political process and the formation of a new government.

“Sistani called for positive interaction between political parties to form a government including embrace all Iraqis and abide by the constitution,” al-Maliki told reporters after their meeting.

The results of the March 7 elections showed al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition coming in second place with 89 seats after the Iraqiya List, led by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, which got 91 seats in the 325-member parliament.

Ayatollah Sistani “does not interfere in the Federal Court’s decision on which is the biggest bloc, and as far as I know and understand al-Sistani he will not interfere in such issues,” al-Maliki added.

As the results have not been ratified by the Federal Court yet, and no bloc has patched together a large enough coalition to form a government on its own, Allawi insists he has the right to form a new government because his party won the highest number of seats.

However, al-Maliki said he has the right to form the government after his recent alliance with the Iraqi National list, that formed the largest faction in parliament with 159 deputies.

Yet, that number is still four seats short of a working majority, and both sides cannot agree on who will head the government.

Pakistan, Iran sign gas pipeline accord

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran signed on Friday an agreement for supply of gas from Iran through the $7.5 billion pipeline project to be completed by the end of 2014. The cost for the Pakistan section of the project is estimated at $1.65 billion.

The ‘sovereign guarantee’ agreement was signed by S.R. Kasaezadeh, Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company, and Irshad Kaleemi, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar and Secretary Kamran Lashari attended the signing ceremony.

Under the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA), Pakistan will import 750 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd) with a provision to increase it to one billion cubic feet a day (bcfd).

The volume of imported gas will be about 20 per cent of Pakistan’s current gas production and the agreement is for a period of 25 years, renewable for another five years. The gas will be provided to the power sector to generate about 5,000 megawatts of electricity.

As a part of the conditions precedent (CPs) to be completed by the parties to make the agreement effective, the government of Pakistan is providing a ‘performance guarantee’ on behalf of the InterState Gas Company.

Since all other CPs of the agreement have been completed, the project is ready to enter the implementation phase.

The petroleum minister said that construction of the pipeline would create jobs, provide vocational training and develop backward areas of Balochistan and Sindh.

“The IP project will be another testimony of the long historic and cordial relations between Pakistan and Iran,” Mr Qamar said.

Japanese Minister fired over US airbase

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JNN 29.05.10 The Japanese premier fires a minister for rejecting Tokyo’s recent compromise with Washington on a controversial US air base on Okinawa Island.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama dismissed consumer affairs minister Mizuho Fukushima, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Tokyo and Washington have issued a statement, saying that the Futenma air station in the southern island of Okinawa would be relocated to a new site on the same island.

Fukushima told a press conference that she “could not betray the people of Okinawa,” Press TV’s Michael Penn reported. The former minister added that she “could not accept the plan to create a new US airbase on the island which would increase the burden for Okinawan people.”

Fukushima said that politics demanded trust and that if she betrayed her campaign promises to the people, she would be breaking that trust.

Hatoyama had run for premier on a campaign to materialize a “more equal” relationship with Washington. He had also promised to move the base off the island which houses three-quarters of the thousands-strong Japan-based US military.

Locals there have for long protested the presence of the military personnel who are allegedly involved in crime, pollution, noise and accidents.

Fukushima had stood up to Hatoyama’s and other Cabinet ministers’ plea for her to endorse the agreement.

Her party, the Social Democratic Party of Japan, could, meanwhile, leave Hatoyama’s coalition, jeopardizing her chances in the Upper House election set to be held in July.

Berlin bars Muslim boy from prayers

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JNN 28.05.10 A German court has rejected a legal bid by a 16-year-old Muslim student to have the right to conduct prayers at his school, reports say.

The court in Berlin ruled on Thursday against Yunis’ bid to pray, stating that it would upset peace in the school, and abuse students’ rights to the entitlement of a calm and educational environment, Reuters reported.

The maintenance of an academic school environment takes precedence over the student’s right to religious observance, the appeals court said.

“The Islamic prayer ritual has a demonstrative character and serves as social control,” a Berlin Senate official said in favor of the ruling.

“This is a good day for the Berlin school,” school director Brigitte Burchardt said after the verdict.

She said the decision would reduce potential conflict that may arise in the school.

Last year the same pupil had initially been given the right to pray once a day in the same school. This year a higher Berlin court overturned that judgment.

With Germany holding more than four million Muslims, such a ruling imposes a heavy burden on the country’s Islamic prayer conducting community,

Terrorists target Lahore’s Ahmadi worshippers; 70 dead

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JNN 28.05.10 LAHORE: Gunmen attacked worshippers from the Ahmadi community in two worship places of Lahore on Friday, taking hostages and killing at least 70 people, officials said.

The gunmen opened fire shortly after Friday prayers and threw what could have been grenades at two Ahmadi worship places in residential neighbourhoods in Pakistan’s cultural capital.

Sajjad Bhutta, deputy commissioner of Lahore, said at least 70 people had been killed in the twin attacks on worship places in Garhi Shahu and Model Town. A total of 78 were injured.

The death toll at Garhi Shahu was higher, Bhutta said, because three attackers blew themselves up with suicide vests packed with explosives when police tried to enter the building.

Police are still searching the area as two attackers were still at large.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attacks, expressing “deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives”.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the incidents would generate greater resolve to combat extremism.

“It’s a reminder to the nation that Pakistan will achieve its destiny only after we get rid of the worst type of extremism and fundamentalism,” he told a news conference. “The entire nation will fight this evil.”

He said one attacker had been arrested. Police in Model Town confirmed one gunmen had been arrested and another killed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion quickly fell on the Pakistani Taliban.

“It’s too early to say who is behind these attacks,” said a Lahore-based security official. “But my guess is that like most other attacks, there would be some link to the Taliban or their associated militants.”

Punjab’s Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the arrested attacker was a teenage Pashtun. This, he said, indicated a link to the tribal area of Waziristan and strongly hinted at a Taliban link.

“The prayer leader was giving a sermon when we heard firing and blasts. Everybody stood up and then two gunmen barged into the place of worship and sprayed bullets,” Fateh Sharif, a 19-year-old student, told Reuters from Model Town.

“They had long beards. They were carrying rucksacks.” Bhutta said a suicide vest laden with explosives was recovered from the Model Town worship place, where some attackers escaped. One fired at a television van before the area was made safe.

“He was young, clean-shaven. He sprayed bullets at our van while fleeing the scene,” Rabia Mehmood, a reporter told Reuters.

ATTACKS LAUNCHED AFTER PRAYERS

Witnesses said the assaults were launched shortly after prayers.

“I saw some gunmen run towards the Ahmadis’ place of worship and then I heard blasts and gunfire,” Mohammad Nawaz, a resident, told Reuters.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it had warned of threats against the Ahmadi community centre in Lahore for more than a year and demanded “foolproof security and protection” from the government.

It expressed concern over “the increasing sectarian dimension” of militancy in Pakistan, which it called “a big security threat to the entire society”.

Friday’s shootings were the worst attacks in Pakistan since March 12 suicide attacks seconds apart killed 57 people in Lahore while targeting the Pakistani military.

Nine attacks have now killed more than 220 people in Lahore over the past year, a historical city, playground for the elite and home to many top brass in Pakistan military and intelligence establishment.

A Momin Martyred By Banned SSP Terrorist Firing

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JNN 28.05.10 A Momin Shehzad Hussain was Martyred by the UnProvocative firing of Banned SSP Terrorists , on returning  from there Rally ,which was held on Masjid Siddiq Akbar , On there way back to this locality , they first chanted Slogans infront of the houses of the Shia Residents of the Area ,to Provoke the Shia residents of the Habib Bank Quarters , Orangi Town Ship 11 1/2 , and then fired straight on the people standing in the area , which resulted in fatal injuries to other, and one of them could not scumb to the bullet wounds , shot by the terrorists which were among the participants of the rally .

This Brutal and Terrorist Act is highly condemned by all the Leaders and the People of Shia Community , who have asked the Government to immediately arrest these terrorist , and bring them to justice , as this all was done in the presence of the Police and Rangers , who were escorting the rally.

Jafaria Alliance Pakistan hierarchy in meeting with the Government functionaries two days earlier ,  had already alarmed the government of the nefarious design of these Organisations , who are trying to create Panic and chaos , in the Economic Hub of Pakistan , Karachi, by there acts of  Terrorism to promote the design of there masters , who want to disintegrate and destabilize Pakistan , by fanning Sectarianism in the country.

The Government should take a serious action on this Act of Terrorism , as just doing lip service , will help the terrorist to go ahead in there nefarious design , who’s link have already been confirmed with the enemies of Pakistan and Islam .

Mashal: Palestinians won't abandon their rights

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In response to the US plan of settling the Palestinian refugees in other countries permanently, senior Hamas official, Khaled Mashal, has noted that: “We would never abandon our rights.”

According to IRIB, the Head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Khaled Mashal, in the nationwide congress of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine held in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus on Wednesday said the people of Palestine would never abandon their rights especially the right to return to their homeland.

In the ceremony held in the presence a number of Palestinian combatant groups and several leading cultural and religious figures in Syria, Mashal added that the Palestinians would continue resistance.

The Hamas official said the Israeli regime cannot declare war against the region or even against Gaza because it knows well that we will turn Gaza into the graveyard of the Zionist forces.

World Bank gives 48-hour ultimatum to Pakistan

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JNN 27.05.10

KARACHI: Pakistan received a stern 48-hour deadline to take tough actions that include hiking of electricity tariffs by six per cent and implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from July 1. On failure to do so, Pakistan will not receive $300 million under the poverty reduction support credit, the World Bank (WB) said.

If Pakistan succeessfully implements the two conditions, the approval of $300 million will be made during the World Bank meeting which is to take place on June 29 in Washington.

According to sources, authorities were alarmed and clueless about how to fulfill the conditions till May 27.

Authorities in Islamabad are aware that even if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) allowed Pakistan not to impose VAT in its budget, World Bank would show stiff resistance in providing any aid, as VAT is its brainchild.

The World Bank has been assistng Pakistan in preparations to introduce the VAT law to Pakistan during the past one year. However, there has been hue and cry from the business communities across Pakistan against the imposition of VAT

Iran FTZ exports rise 36-fold

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JNN 27.05.10 Iranian Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari says exports from the country’s free trade zones (FTZ’s) have grown 36-fold over the past few years.
He said the role of free zones in the nation’s economy needs to be revisited.
“There are two different standpoints on free zones”, Ghazanfari was quoted by IRNA as telling reporters.
“In one point of view, free zones are regarded as a launch pad for exports; from the other vantage point, free zones are seen as playing a role in re-exporting goods.”
Based on the second viewpoint, some countries boost the inflow of investment funds by rendering proper commercial services, and re-export Iranian commodities to other nations around the world, a role that Iranian free zones are deprived of, the commerce minister added.

He underlined Iranian free zones should play a more active role in re-exporting goods

Pakistan lifts ban on YouTube

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JNN 27.05.10 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan unblocked popular video sharing website YouTube late Wednesday after banning it in the wake of public outrage over “blasphemous” content.

“YouTube has been unblocked, but the links to sacrilegious content would remain inaccessible inPakistan,” Khurram Mehran, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told AFP.

Earlier interior minister Rehman Malik said Pakistan was to lift a ban on Facebook and YouTube in the next few days.

The PTA banned access to Facebook and YouTube and other links, and restricted access to Wikipedia, last week over what it called “growing sacrilegious content”.

Malik said Wednesday pages containing blasphemous material would remain blocked but the ban on popular sites including Facebook and YouTube would be lifted in the next few days.

“We discussed this matter in the cabinet meeting today. I told my colleagues that blocking the websites was not the right thing,” Malik told AFP.

“I said that only particular pages that contain blasphemous material should be blocked, not the entire website,” said Malik, adding that in next few days both Facebook and YouTube would be unblocked.

A government statement later said the federal cabinet “strongly condemned” the sketches of Prophet Mohammed and ordered that such material should not be accessible in Pakistanover the Internet.

“The cabinet strongly condemned the blasphemous caricatures on a specific website and directed the Ministry of IT (Information Technology) to ensure that such blasphemous material is not allowed to appear on the Internet in Pakistan.”

When a Facebook user decided to organise an “Everyone Draw Mohammed Day” competition to promote “freedom of expression”, it sparked a major backlash among Islamic activists in the South Asian country of 170 million.

Islam strictly prohibits the depiction of any prophet as blasphemous and the row sparked comparison with protests across the Muslim world over the publication of satirical cartoons of Mohammed in European newspapers in 2006.

Several thousand Pakistanis took to the streets at the behest of religious groups to protest.

In the wake of the Prophet Mohammed controversy, Pakistan blocked hundreds of web pages to limit access to “blasphemous” material, banning access to US-based Facebook and YouTube — the two most popular websites in the country.

A court in the eastern city of Lahore ordered the block on Facebook until at least May 31, when it is scheduled to hear a petition from Islamic lawyers.

Although none of the protests has mobilised the masses, sporadic demonstrators have continued to vent anger in Karachi and other cities.

Pakistan also briefly banned YouTube in February 2008 in a similar protest against “blasphemous” cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed

Mosque at Ground Zero (9 11 World Trade Center site )gains 1st approval

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JNN 27.05.10 After a heated four-hour meeting, a New York community board has endorsed a plan to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center close to Ground Zero of the World Trade Center attack.

Community Board 1, which represents the area of lower Manhattan that includes Ground Zero, voted 29 to 1 on Tuesday to back the proposal, with 10 abstentions, the Associated Press reported.

Supporters, including Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, say the proposed center, called Cordoba House, would show tolerance for all religious groups and the space would encourage a moderate interpretation of Islam.

By supporting the multi-faith community and cultural center, the board “sent a clear message that our city is one that promotes diversity and tolerance,” Stringer said in a statement, AP reported.

However, some critics of the plan consider it to be an affront to the victims of the attack to build a Muslim religious space so close to Ground Zero and have said it would be a monument to the terror attacks.

“The pain never goes away,” C. Lee Hanson, 77, whose son Peter was killed in the attacks told The New York Times. “When I look over there and I see a mosque, it’s going to hurt. Build it someplace else.”

The vote, although only a recommendation, is seen as an important barometer of community sentiment since the organization wishing to build the mosque must also obtain approval from the Landmarks Preservation committee because the building it has bought and intends to modify was built in the 1850s and is under consideration to be classified as a “historic landmark.”

Amnesty International: Israel Violates Human Rights Each Day

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Secretary of Amnesty International’s branch in Germany, Monika Lueke, detailing the annual report on the state of human rights around the world lashed out on Wednesday at the Israeli regime’s ongoing human rights violations. Monika Lueke stressed: “There are daily human rights violations in Israel.”

According to IRNA, speaking at a press conference in Berlin Monika Lueke said the Zionist regime’s siege of Gaza is a clear example of violation of human rights.

She singled out at least 27 Palestinians, who lost their lives last year, because they could not receive timely medical treatment due to the blockade of Gaza.

Lueke pointed out that 1.5 million Gaza-based Palestinians have been cut off from vital food supplies and 8,000 North Gazans have no access to water.

Referring to the Zionists’ attacks on Gaza in 2008-2009 Gaza war, Lueke stressed that Israeli military attacks against UN institutions, schools and hospitals in the region constituted a clear violation of humanitarian laws of war.

Meanwhile, the Amnesty International official hailed the judge Richard Goldstone designated by the United Nations for his report highlighting Israeli war crimes during the war in Gaza.

The 600-page UN report, authored by South African Judge Richard Goldstone, said Israel had deliberately used disproportionate force against Palestinian civilians, and had employed weapons such as white phosphorous munitions that should not be used in residential areas.

The Zionist regime did not cooperate with Goldstone’s investigation, alleging it was ordered by a UN body with an anti-Israel bias.

Yemen releases 200 Shia Houthi fighters

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The Yemeni government has released about 300 detainees belonging to the Shia Houthi fighters in the north and separatists in the south of the country.
Official Saba news agency reported Tuesday that 200 Shia Houthi fighters detained in Sa’ada Province and 98 separatists arrested “for participation in unrest in certain provinces of the south” had been released.
The releases came as part of an amnesty initiative introduced by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday. The initiative is expected to apply to a total of 800 southerners and 2,000 fighters in the north, AFP reported.
The president, who has called on “all those released to be good citizens and to respect the constitution and law” had previously proposed the creation of a unity government which includes opposition parties.
The Shia Houthis accuse the government of corruption and discrimination against the Shia minorities in the north, while Yemen’s Socialist Party has also been struggling to re-establish south Yemen as an independent state.
The conflict between the Yemeni government and the Shia Houthis peaked last November when Saudi Arabia joined forces with Sana’a to launch a major crackdown on the Shia fighters.
However, Yemen has been experiencing relative peace since the government and the Shia Houthis signed a ceasefire in February.

The Yemeni government has released about 300 detainees belonging to the Shia Houthi fighters in the north and separatists in the south of the country. Official Saba news agency reported Tuesday that 200 Shia Houthi fighters detained in Sa’ada Province and 98 separatists arrested “for participation in unrest in certain provinces of the south” had been released. The releases came as part of an amnesty initiative introduced by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday. The initiative is expected to apply to a total of 800 southerners and 2,000 fighters in the north, AFP reported.The president, who has called on “all those released to be good citizens and to respect the constitution and law” had previously proposed the creation of a unity government which includes opposition parties. The Shia Houthis accuse the government of corruption and discrimination against the Shia minorities in the north, while Yemen’s Socialist Party has also been struggling to re-establish south Yemen as an independent state. The conflict between the Yemeni government and the Shia Houthis peaked last November when Saudi Arabia joined forces with Sana’a to launch a major crackdown on the Shia fighters. However, Yemen has been experiencing relative peace since the government and the Shia Houthis signed a ceasefire in February.

Pakistan; Shia community starts Long March towards Quetta on 4th July

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(JNN) News Agency , The leaders of Pakistani Shia Community on Sunday warned that they would start a Long-March towards Quetta from across the country and besiege the Governor and Chief Minister house on July 4th, if their demands would not fulfill.

Addressing the meeting and protest rally organized by Shohda-e-Balochistan Organizing Committee to condemn the genocide of Shia Muslims in Balochistan, Tehreek-e-Jaffaria Chief Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi, Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen Secretary General Maulana Raja Nasir Abbas, Allama Ameen Shaheedi, PML-Q leader Marvi Memoon, Maulana Afzal Haideri, Shia Conference Balochistan leader Ashraf Zaidi and others have condemned the genocide of Shia Muslims in Balochistan.

The leaders pointed out that law and order situation in Balochistan was out of control from the provincial government and demanded of the federal government to immediately sack the Balochistan Government over their failure to control the genocide of Shia Muslims in Balochistan Province.

Shia leaders demanded of the government to take stern action against perpetrators involved in the incidents of target killings of Shia Muslims in Balochistan especially in Quetta and Mastung.

They warned that Shia community would march towards Quetta and besiege the Governor and Chief minister house on 4th July, If the government will not taken the action against the terrorists and not fulfill the demands of Shia community till June 20th.

Allama syed Sajid Ali naqvi said that conspiracies had been hatched from the very beginning against the Shia community, while act of barbarism against shia community in Quetta and Mastung were highly condemnable.

He said that Shia c ommunity was played a significant role in development of Pakistan and had never become a part of any conspiracy hatched against the country.

He said that they had raised voice against the incidents of target killing on every platform but the incidents of target killing were still on the rise and government was silent over  the genocide of Shia Muslims in Pakistan.

He warned that we could stop the other way of protest, if the target killings of Shia people would not stopped.

Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that those who violated the constitution of the country should be brought to justice and added that the rulers had badly failed to ensure the safety and security of the people.

“Agent s of Israel, India and Uniuted States were started the conspiracies to harm Pakistan, but we will foil their evil designs against the country,he added.

Criticising the Balochistan Government, Raja Nasir Abbas said that Balochstian Government was miserably failed to provide security to the people particularly Shia community and added that if action was not taken against the terrorists  and their patrons involved in the target killings of Shia community till June 20, then the people belonging to Shia community from across the country would initiate  long march towards Quetta and besiege the Governor and chief Minister house on 4th July.

The participants of the both meetings also adopt many resolutions seeking termination of Balochistan Government forthwith and immediate arrest of perpetrators and action against banned outfits.

Sayyed Nasrallah: Israeli bomb us, we bomb them, Israeli kill us, we kill them

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*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We believe we’ll achieve victory in next war and we’d change the face of the region
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We don’t want war but we’re not scared of it
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: It is not likely Israel would wage a war against Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We are the ones who dictated the timing, scenario, and conditions for the enemy’s defeat and escape from Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home front was safe but this has ended in the wake of the 2006 war
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: In Any Next War, Only Israelis Fleeing From Occupied Palestine May Be Safe.                                                                                                     *** Sayyed Nasrallah: We believe we’ll achieve victory in next war and we’d change the face of the region
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We don’t want war but we’re not scared of it
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: It is not likely Israel would wage a war against Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: We are the ones who dictated the timing, scenario, and conditions for the enemy’s defeat and escape from Lebanon
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home front was safe but this has ended in the wake of the 2006 war
*** Sayyed Nasrallah: In Any Next War, Only Israelis Fleeing From Occupied Palestine May Be Safe (JNN) News Agency , Hezbollah marked the tenth anniversary of the Resistance and Liberation Day Tuesday at the Sayyed Al-Shouhada compound in Beirut’s southern suburb. Official, religious, military, and popular figures attended the ceremony in which Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah delivered a speech for the occasion and tackled recent developments in Lebanon and the region.

The Hezbollah chief set a new formula that will be adopted in any new war with Israel saying that Hezbollah will attack Israel-bound ships if the Zionist entity imposed a sea blockade on Lebanon. “When the world will witness how these ships will be destroyed in Palestine’s regional water nobody will dare to go there just as they will block (others) from coming to our coasts,” his eminence told thousands of supporters.

Sayyed Nasrallah’s comments came amid a five-day drill in Israel- dubbed “Turning Point 4”- which was launched on Sunday to test the home front  preparedness against possible missile strikes in any future war.

At the beginning of his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah paid tribute to the martyrs “who sacrificed their lives to realize this victory, namely Sayyed Abbas Mousawi, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, and Hajj Imad Moghniyeh.”  His eminence also thanked south Lebanon residents “who took part in municipal elections despite of the simultaneous Israeli maneuvers.” Iwould like to thank all the Lebanese who fulfilled the three-of-four phases of the elections and I ask Almighty Allah that the fourth round due Sunday in the north would smoothly,” his eminence said.

THEY SAW WITH THEY OWN EYES WHAT THEY USED TO RIDICULE
The Hezbollah chief divided his discourse into three parts: “The conflict with the enemy, the future, and position and formula which I am committed to and which will be added to the many formulae of confrontation with the enemy.”
Sayyed Nsrallah recalled that the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon was part of a broader US-Israeli scheme. “In 2000, this scheme was thwarted. However they always have other schemes and they will go on plotting until they fall.”
He said that one of the plots was to build Israeli settlements in south Lebanon, “but thanks to the martyrs and particularly the self sacrifice martyrs, this never materialized. We all remember how the first year of the occupation was rife with Jihadi operations against the occupation in several regions and by more than one party and movement.”

The S.G. also reminded how some sides in Lebanon and the Arab world used to ridicule Hezbollah as of 1982 when its leaders spoke about the victory to come. “When Sayyed Moussawi said in 1991 that Israel has fallen and that it will move out of Lebanon humiliated, some used to mock at him. But the year 2000 came and the resounding victory came along, and now I ask all the Lebanese and the entire world: Who would have thought that Israel would withdraw from Lebanon humiliated? What was mocked by many has happened for real and all of you saw it.”

Sayyed Nasrallah said that some Arabs had been colluding against Lebanon before the 2000 pullout. “May 26 is another day and another different shape of the region. The Zionists realized this and Arab leaders as well. Israel revealed that some Arab official sides contacted Israeli counterparts to urge the Zionist entity not to withdraw with conditions. This is not strange because we know that in 2006, some Arabs contacted Israel and urged them not to stop the war so that Hezbollah and Lebanon would not come out victorious.”
ARMY-PEOPLE-RESISTANCE FORMULA YIELDED VICTORY
The Secretary General stressed that the formula that yielded victory was “the army, the people, and the resistance.” He said that Israel’s home front that used to be safe in most of the post wars, was no longer safe. “This era has ended,” his eminence stressed. “Today the Israelis, through their maneuvers, are trying to pacify their home front by trying to convince the people that they are strong and ready for any new war. Other argue and criticize the drills saying: Let’s see what the maneuvers will result in when rocket shower all of occupied Palestine.”

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the Scud Missile transfer, “which I don’t deny or confirm,” was raised so the US Congress pays Israel $250 million for their ‘Iron Dome’ which is yet to be proven feasible. Others believe that the Israelis are afraid to wage war and they are concerned about its outcome. This is why the Israeli rhetoric reflects a tendency to calm things down in the north.”
“Israel used to wage wars knowing that its home front was safe. This has ended in the wake of the 2006 war. We have our home front and they have theirs. They bomb us, we bomb them. They kill us, we kill them. This is their strategic weakness today,” his eminence said.
EVEN CLINTON WARNED ISRAEL ABOUT ITS FUTURE
As for “the future”, Sayyed Nasrallah’s second point, the Hezbollah chief cited US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at the AIPAC conference to address the Israelis on the one hand, and some Lebanese journalists who are still questioning the feasibility of the resistance facing Israel.

“Clinton said: In the face of these unforgiving dynamics of demography, ideology, and technology, it becomes impossible to entrust our hopes for Israel’s future in today’s status quo. These challenges cannot be ignored or wished away. Only by choosing a new path can Israel make the progress it deserves to ensure that their children are able to see a future of peace, and only by having a partner willing to participate with them will the Palestinians be able to see the same future. We cannot be blind to the political implications of continued conflict. There is today truly a struggle, maybe for the first time, between those in the region who accept peace and coexistence with Israel and those who reject it and seek only continued violence. The status quo strengthens the rejectionists who claim peace is impossible, and it weakens those who would accept coexistence. That does not serve Israel’s interests or our own. Those willing to negotiate need to be able to show results for their efforts,” Sayyed Nasrallah read.

His eminence continued to quote Clinton as she spoke about technology. “She finally says: we must recognize that the ever-evolving technology of war is making it harder to guarantee Israel’s security. For six decades, Israelis have guarded their borders vigilantly. But advances in rocket technology mean that Israeli families are now at risk far from those borders.” Sayyed Nasrallah elaborated by saying that manufacturing and acquiring missiles was not a complex process as it used to be. “It is not even costly; however it requires a political decision. Their patriots and their Iron Dome will not be effective against our missiles. The technological development today makes every town and every settlement within the Zionist entity under threat; this is what the Israelis cannot tolerate. Clinton was trying to puch the Israelis into striking a deal or a settlement. I believe that their arrogance and racism will push them into the abyss. Therefore, to those who claim they are intellectuals I tell them: that was Clinton, the US Secretary of State speaking. Those were the Americans telling the Israelis that if you don’t help us to make a settlement, a Jewish state will never exist in the future and you will never find anyone to strike a deal with you. We believe in the future that Clinton was preaching about.”
ISRAEL-BOUND SHIPS WILL BE ATTACKED IF LEBANESE PORTS WE BESIEGED IN ANY FUTURE WAR
Sayyed Nasrallah assessed the current situation based on the May, 2000 withdrawal.
“We are committed to the following position: After trusting in Allah, we have to be convinced that we are protecting our country with the will of our people and our national determination. The Lebanese government is making all necessary contacts to push away any danger Lebanon might be under. This is good and we agree with this, however, we should not bargain on this. The real bargain is on our national capability to defend and confront in the battlefield.”

The Hezbollah Secretary General concluded his discourse with the new equation that the resistance will be committed to. “We will tell the Israelis to be afraid of us. If the war, which we do not want, yet we are not scared of broke out, it will change the face of this region – and Clinton agrees with me. We previously said that the Israeli home front has become exposed and vulnerable and we know everything about it, therefore we know where to strike. In 2006, and even before this date, there were times when the Israelis besiege our shores. Israeli vessels used to deploy in Lebanese waters and besiege our shore; so today we add the sea to the terrain. I am not announcing that we possess a new weapon, but in 2006 we destroyed the Saar 5 vessel. What I am saying is that if you besiege our shore and our ports in any coming war, all of your military and commercial ships heading to Palestine will be under the fire of the Islamic Resistance across the Mediterranean. We are talking about the Mediterranean but we have not mentioned the Red Sea yet. We are determined to enter this new domain God willing. No one will dare sail to any port in occupied Palestine. However, if a ship with Israelis on board was leaving occupied Palestine, we might let it pass. They military power used to scare others, but not today because our hearts are as solid as a rock. Let us flip the picture around. Let us make Israel afraid and then seek for someone to reassure it. For those who are still calling for disarming the resistance I tell them that this rhetoric is behind our backs because it is useless. We shall confront the next war, we shall win and we shall change the face of this region,” Sayyed Nasrallah concluded.

Lebanon warns US of more violence

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Lebanon warned the US over the dragging Middle East peace process amid growing skepticism about Washington’s supposed mediation between the oppressed Palestinians and the illegal Zionist entity.

According to AP, on his first White House visit as Lebanese Premier, Sa’d Hariri told US president Barack Obama on Monday that the “clock is ticking … against all those who believe in a just peace.”

Hariri warned Obama of a “pervasive frustration and skepticism” in the Muslim world regarding the issue and that failure in securing a peace agreement will “nurture more extremism and give birth to new forms of violence.”

He said “This poses great dangers to everyone in the Middle East and to the world at large.”

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the Obama regime has failed to make any progress in the Middle East peace process.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad boycott West Bank elections

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Major Palestinian factions who are in charge of the elected government in the Gaza Strip have decided to boycott local elections in the West Bank due in July, calling them unwarranted and saying the polls will only deepen divisions among Palestinians.

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri told Press TV on Monday.

“The vote will worsen the internal Palestinian divide and we are totally against it because it is unconstitutional.”

He said “The results of the municipal elections will lack credibility and integrity and it will be fraudulent as Fatah will do all it can to secure its victory.”

Ahmed al-Mudallal, a senior Islamic Jihad member, also underscored his resistance movement’s opposition to the unconstitutional elections in the West Bank.

China Welcomes Tehran Declaration

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Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu once more announced that Beijing welcomes Tehran Declaration on fuel swap.

According to IRNA, amid US-led attempts to gain support for new UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Iran, China said diplomacy is the best way to resolve Tehran’s nuclear issue.

Jiang Yu expressed hope that IAEA and the involved sides will reach an appropriate resolve regarding Iran’s nuclear issue through dialogue.

This comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that the five permanent members of the UNSC -the US, Britain, France, Russia and China -plus Germany had reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of Russia and China to impose sanctions against Iran.

Floods kill 115 in southern China

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BEIJING: A torrent of floods caused by heavy storms have killed 115 people in southern China, with 21 people still missing as weather reports show rains beginning to subside.

Emergency rescue teams have been dispatched across southern China to help the 685,000 people evacuated as a result of the flooding, which has caused £1.53 billion in damages, a statement on the Ministry of Civil Affairs website said.

But one official said the worst may be over.

“The rain was pretty severe earlier, but now the weather is improving,” said the official surnamed Chen who answered the phone at the Hunan Water Bureau information office. Like many Chinese officials he would give only his surname.

China’s rainy season, which began this month, follows the worst drought in a century for southern China’s Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi regions.

The drought affected 61 million people, leaving millions without drinking water and 12 million acres barren since last year.

The floods hit 13 provinces, including Guangdong, Sichuan and Zhejiang, and damaged more than 80,000 homes and affected more than 10 million people, said a statement posted on the State Flood Control and Disaster Relief Headquarters website.

China’s huge land mass means severe storms can cause floods in one region, while other parts of the country can experience drought.

Crisis of the American Occupation of Iraq Monday, May 24, 2010

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Holding important meeting between State of Law Coalition led by premier Nouri Al-Maleki and the National Alliance led by the Supreme Islamic Assembly as well as a meeting in the presence of Iraqi president Jalal Talebani and all parties except Al-Iraqiya list have had reflections in Iraqi and regional media.

Iraqi parliament speaker Ayad As-Sameraee heading a delegation had a trip to Kuwait last week.

Several car bombs in Iraq killed and injured more than 150 Iraqis.

The admissions by some detained members of Al-Qaeda terrorist group on Saudi’s meddling in Iraqi domestic affairs once again disclosed Riyadh hostility toward Baghdad government.

Baghdad governorship in a statement rejected news on building a security wall around the capital.

And the agreement on oil exports of Kurdistan area was approved by the Iraqi cabinet.

An important meeting last week was held between the leaders of Sate of Law Coalition and the National Alliance. The meeting was aimed at reaching a common viewpoint about choosing the candidate of Iraqi premiership post. Speeding up the job of sub-committees which have been formed by the two coalitions for choosing the candidate of premiership post was another motivation for holding such a significant meeting between the leaders of these two important coalitions.

Since a couple of weeks ago the two coalitions have announced their unity but they have not yet reached an agreement of Iraqi premiership post. According to Iraqi Constitution, the country’s biggest faction is responsible for introducing a candidate for premiership. The National Alliance has so far introduced several candidates. State of Law Coalition has introduced Maleki as Iraqi prime minister. At present, the members of leaders of State of Law and National Alliance are trying to reach an agreement on introducing a single candidate.

Concurrent with the meeting between the leaders of State of Law Coalition and the National Alliance, another meeting was also held in Baghdad in which all political groups’ leaders excluding Al-Iraqiya list lead by Ayad Allawi had attended. Iraqi president Jalal Talebani hosted the meeting which was aimed at reviewing the current Iraqi situation especially speeding up the trend of forming the new government. Jalal Talebani in the meeting said that he would support all Iraqi political groups and parties and enjoys a strong relation with all political currents. Since Ayad Allawai was in a trip, he could not take part in the Baghdad meeting. But Tariq Al-Hashemi, one of the leaders of Al-Iraqiya Coalition was present. He welcomed the meeting and stressed that direct talks would remove the obstacles toward shaping a new government in Iraq.

The admissions of the detained members of Al-Qaeda terrorist group once again proved that Saudi Arabia is meddling in Iraqi domestic affairs and has a role in Iraqi violence. The detained Al-Qaeda terrorists have admitted that the former Saudi ambassador to the US, and secretary of Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council, Prince Bandar bin Soltan had been linked to the Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, documents about interference of Saudi Arabia in Iraq’s domestic affairs had also been gained in the past.

It goes without saying that Saudi Arabia is discontent with the current situation in Iraq. Prior to legislative election in Iraq, Saudi Arabia in a move coordinated with the US, and through spending huge sums, tried its utmost to set the stage for presence of the ousted Ba’athists and secular groups at the highest Iraqi governmental posts. But, the post-election developments and coalition of the Iraqi National Alliance and the State of Law Alliance foiled all Saudi plots. Currently, a number of Saudi circles are intent on fanning the flames of violence in Iraq, and to equip terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, in Iraq in a bid to distort and sabotage the current atmosphere in this country and to postpone the formation of the Iraqi government, and to take advantage of this situation in favour of their illegitimate demands.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Shiite coalitions are determined to hold talks with all political groups, even Al-Iraqiya list led by Ayad Allawi. Reinforcement of national unity and further establishment of stability and security in Iraq are currently the priorities of the Shiite, Kurd, and Sunni currents in Iraq.

Last week, violence continued in some Iraqi cities. As a result of several car bombs in Baghdad, Falluja and Ba’quba, more than 150 Iraqis were killed or injured. The number of terrorist operations in different parts of Iraq has increased in recent days. This shows that one of the motivations of terrorists in Iraq is to influence Iraqi political atmosphere. At the same time, what is obvious is the US forces’ passivity, if not complicity in the chaos, as the main occupiers of Iraq. Although, at present the control of Iraqi security has been transferred to Iraqi security forces, according to Baghdad-Washington pact, the US is still present in the country. The US forces have not so far cooperated with Iraqi forces regarding security issues. Even the current documents show that the US circles are behind violence in Iraq. The United States has always been seeking to create a suitable situation for its long-term presence in the country. The violence can be a good pretext for the US forces to stay longer in Iraq. The US officials have declared many times that their withdrawal from Iraq depends on the country’s security conditions.

Letter from CDHRAP to Amnesty International on Discrimination Against Shias

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Regarding the human rights conditions in Saudi Arabia , the committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula (CDHRAP) respectfully urges you to raise concerns about religious freedom and related human rights.                                                                                                                                   JNN( News Agency), The chair of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula Mr. Mohammad Abul Azeem al-Hussain sent a letter to the Amnesty International urging it to raise pressing concerns about religious freedom in Saudi Arabia and to press the Saudi Arabian authorities to release the religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia .

The complete text of the letter follows:

Dear Amnesty International ,

Regarding the human rights conditions in Saudi Arabia , the committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula (CDHRAP) respectfully urges you to raise concerns about religious freedom and related human rights.

The Saudi government continued to commit abuses against members of the Shi’a minority.

Despite Saudi government claims undertaking some limited reform measures , the Saudi government marginalizes and systematically discriminates against the Shia community in the country through implementation the policy of discrimination , and persists in banning all forms of public religious expression other than that of the government’s own interpretation of one school of Sunni Islam and even interferes with private religious practice.

The members of the Shi’a Muslim community suffer systematic political, social, cultural as well as religious discrimination.

In this letter , I would like to draw your attention to three specific cases.

1- Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas, 30 years , a Shi’a human rights defender in Awwamiyah of al-Qatif , was still held in solitary confinement for seven months the intelligence service in Al-Dammam .

Al-Mahbahith al-‘Amma (General Investigations) of al-Qatif summoned Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas on November 7, 2009, and held him in solitary confinement under the charge of criticizing the ill-treatment of Saudi government against Shiites through his website “Tahara” .

Some members of al-Mahbahith al-‘Amma raided Al-Jassas’s house  and confiscated his personal possessions .

Al-Jassas has had no access to legal assistance following his arrest , and has not been kept informed of charges against him .

2-  The citizen (Reza Abdul Aziz al-Ghasham ) 23 years , from the town of al-Mobarraz in al-Ahsa , was detained on 8 June 2008 when some members of al-Mahbahith al-‘Amma raided his bookshop , arrested him under the charge of trading Shi’a religious books.

Saudi authorities called his wife and subjected her to a long investigation. His father Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Ghasham (a prominent Shiite religious scholar , Imam al-Montazar mosque in al-mobarraz town of al-Ahsa ) visited him for one time , and saw the signs of torture on his son’s body.

His family was not informed of the reasons of his arrest , also was denied family visit.

3- The Government continued to detain nine of Shi’a citizens ( Hani Abdul Rahim al-Saygh , al-Qatif / Sihat ; Abdullah Ahmad al-Jarrash , al-Qatif  / al-Qala’a ; Hussain Moghayis , al-Qatif / al-Bahari ; Abdul Karim Hussein al-Nemer  ,  al-Dammam , al-Ahsa ; Sayyid Mostafa alQassab , al-Qatif  / Mayyas ; Sayyid Fadhel al-Alawi , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Mustafa Ja`far al-Mo`llim , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Ali al-Marhoon , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Salih Mahdi Ramadhan ,  al-Qatif /al-Jaroudiyah ) in al-Ha’ir prison over thirteen years . They have been arrested as suspects in the aftermath of the 1996 bombing of the U.S. military installation at al-Khobar bombing without charges or trial.

The Saudi authorities actions against the mentioned detainees infringe on internationally guaranteed rights of freedom of expression and religion . Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion .

These actions breach also the Saudi Law of Criminal Procedure which its third Article stipulates that:

No penal punishment shall be imposed on any person except in connection with a forbidden and punishable act, whether under Shari’ah principles or under the statutory laws, and after he has been convicted pursuant to a final judgment rendered after a trial conducted in accordance with Shari’ah principles.

Also the Law of Interrogation Authority and Public Prosecution in Article 3 which says : Monitoring and inspection of prisons, detention centers and any places where criminal sentences are executed, as well as hearing complaints of prisoners and detainees, insuring the legality of their imprisonment or detention and the legality of their remaining in prison or the detention centers after the expiry of the period, taking necessary steps to release those imprisoned or detained without a legitimate cause and applying the law against those responsible for such action .

We urge you to press the Saudi Arabian authorities to release the remaining religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia on humanitarian grounds .

Pakistani Shia Ulema Under Attack; Pakistani Shia Ulema: Main target of Quetta bomb explosion was Shia scholar Allama Najfi

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* 7 children, 3 women among those injured
* Shia Ulema Council says main target was Shia scholar Allama Najfi             (JNN)News Agency , Quetta, Pakistan: Two people were killed and 15 others, including women and children were injured in a bomb blast at the Quetta Airport Road.

In a statement issued soon after the blast, the Shia Ulema Council said  that the main target was renowned Shia scholar Allama Najfi who remained unhurt.

Official sources said unidentified men had planted an explosive device in a rickshaw, which was parked on the main intersection of the Airport Road. Two people including the rickshaw driver and a passenger died on the spot and 15 others, including three women and seven children who were on their way to a wedding in a passenger van were injured.

Police officer Mohammad Riaz said that it was possible that the passenger in the rickshaw, who died in the blast, was carrying the bomb, which exploded prematurely.

The bodies of the two men who were killed in the blast, as well as the injured were taken to government Sandman Hospital Quetta. Hospital sources said that three of the injured children were in a critical condition. Police and Frontier Corps rushed to the site soon after the incident and cordoned off the area.

Obama Gov't. in Serious Mishap on BP Laxity

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As the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to assume alarming proportions, US officials are trading barbs and criticizing each other for lack of efficiency to tackle the issues that has led to an environmental catastrophe.

Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal blamed energy giant BP and the federal government for failing to act fast and swift enough to protect the state’s coastlines from a massive undersea oil leak. He said that the US Coast Guard and BP were slow to make decisions and delayed supplying necessary clean-up equipment even as oil washes onto the state’s fragile marshland. Jindal, whose words were echoed by a number of local officials, said he was frustrated by the slow pace, stressing that the delays were unacceptable. Oil from a blown-out BP well in the Gulf of Mexico has been gushing into the sea for over a month. Already, oil had tarred 65 miles of the Louisiana’s coast.

In fact the involved companies have shown nothing but laxity to impede the progress of oil into the marshlands; a phenomenon that puts maritime life in the jeopardy of annihilation. Experts on coastal issues including environmentalist and academics have serious doubts about the plans to contain the detrimental effects of the oil leak. The US government has warned in case that BP does not abide by its commitment it will cancel contract with this company. Oil giant BP has faced mounting pressure to control a massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico after the US government threatened to take over the response to the month-old disaster. US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, said that if the government finds that BP is not doing what it is supposed to do, it will be pushed out of the way. Salazar underlined that BP is legally responsible for dealing with a ruptured pipe that has been gushing oil into the gulf from the wreckage of an offshore rig. He lashed out at BP for missing deadline after deadline as its latest attempt to cap the environmentally devastating leak was hit with further delays. The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers, and sank two days later. Ever since, hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil, if not millions, have been spewing each day into the sea. The government of Barack Obama is now under the pressure of the public that calls for putting an immediate end to this environmental catastrophe. Republicans, despite affinity with the oil circle, attacked Obama for not being able to handle the issue. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who was governor of the oil-rich state of Alaska, accused Obama of being lax in his response to the disaster and suggested this was because he was too close to the lucrative offshore oil drilling industry.

Ahmadinejad: World in Need of Justice-based System

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Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a meeting with new Serbian Ambassador to Tehran Alexander Tacik stressed on Sunday that the world is in need of a justice-based and humanitarian system.

According to IRNA, he said that the world is entering a new era, and that all systems, thoughts and notions of the last 60 years have practically come to the end of the road due to their wrong view about man and the world and due to their unjust manner.

Underlining Tehran and Belgrade’s significant role in the establishment of a new world order, President Ahmadinejad said Iran and Serbia can have constructive and useful cooperation with each other in establishing new world orders on the basis of justice and humanity.

Dr Ahmadinejad further pointed out the Iran and Serbia’s memberships in such international bodies and circles as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) provides a proper ground for the consolidation of cooperation and coordination between the two countries in the international arena.

On the bilateral ties, the Iranian president said there is no impediment to the further expansion of Iran-Serbia ties, and called for bolstering cooperation between the two countries in different bilateral and international levels.

Tacik, who submitted a copy of his credentials to President Ahmadinejad, underlined Iran’s central role in regional and international developments, and said “Serbia is willing to promote its ties with Iran in all fields.”

Tehran Declaration an Opportunity for Interaction and Dialogue

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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Turkish Prime Minister Rajab Tayyeb Erdoghan, in a telephone conversation last night discussed the latest developments on the Tehran Declaration for nuclear fuel swap inked last week by Iran, Turkey and Brazil. According to IRIB, Dr Ahmadinejad hailed the Declaration as a new era in political and international equations that has created an excellent opportunity for moving toward interaction and dialogue for all parties involved. He stressed that in international interactions all countries should be able to use peaceful nuclear energy and nobody should have any atomic weapon. The Turkish prime minister, for his part, presented a report on his consultations and measures he had taken on the Tehran Declaration, stressing that Turkey will do its best to make it a good opportunity for the international community. The Islamic Republic of Iran has always sought a new atmosphere based on constructive cooperation and justice-based interactions in world equations through consultation and cooperation with friendly countries including Brazil and Turkey. The Tehran Declaration is a matter of importance due to the fact that it has created an opportunity for international cooperation within the framework of the rights of world nations. However, the US and its western accomplices have taken a hostile attitude toward the Tehran Declaration, in fact a stance diametrically opposed to the will and expectations of the world community. In other words, it is a shock in diplomacy as indicated by Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani. The United States, the world’s most dangerously nuclear-armed power, is again trying to manipulate the UN Security Council to issue another set of illegal sanctions against Iran claiming that Tehran Declaration was not enough work to remove what it claims as ambiguities regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities. US hypocrisy once more proved that Washington is trying to create an atmosphere of deception and fault-finding instead of respecting the will of the international community. In view of this, political observers believe that the Tehran Declaration has prepared a suitable ground for fuel swap that will provide necessary fuel for the Tehran University Medical Research Reactor in addition to opening a new chapter for interaction and consultations at the macro-politics level. Thus, Iran’s Majlis speaker has refuted any selective approach toward the Tehran Declaration and stressed support for the declaration only if all its articles were observed. He also made it clear that if opposite is the case, the Iranian parliament will reconsider the country’s goodwill stance regarding Iran-IAEA cooperation.

Saturday, 22 May 2010 15:16 IAEA Chief Supports Tehran Statement

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief, Yukiya Amano, has supported Tehran Statement regarding nuclear fuel swap.

According to Press TV, in a meeting with the Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Baconschi, the IAEA chief reassured that the joint statement of Iran, Brazil and Turkey will significantly help solve Iran’s nuclear issue.

Amano, in this meeting, emphasized that he is expecting to receive a letter about the practical details of Iran’s nuclear fuel exchange within the next week.

Iran announced on Friday that it intends to inform IAEA on the precise details of Tehran Statement.

Last Monday, Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed a statement in Tehran, based on which Iran agreed with nuclear fuel exchange in Turkey’s soil, with due consideration of a few conditions.

Based on this statement, Iran delivers almost 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for receipt of 120 kilograms of nuclear fuel needed by Tehran research reactor.

Tehran Statement has been highly welcomed by many countries, including Russia, China, and a number of figures such as UN chief.