Iranian Nuclear Policies Based On "Collective Decisions" -- Boston Globe Endorses Khatami
Tue, 02/17/2009 - 19:00 | by uaniadmin<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->Iranian press reported that "A high-ranking member of Iran's National Security Council says the country's nuclear policies are made based on collective decisions. Hassan Rowhani, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution's representative in the council, made an effort on Tuesday to clear up ambiguities about the process of policy making in the country on the nuclear issue. When asked about the real nuclear policy-makers in the country, Rowhani said the government has only fulfilled its essential part in Iran's internationally-debated nuclear enrichment case. As the president is the most public face of the Islamic Republic, the international community has been under the impression that the Iranian president holds ultimate authority on all issues of foreign policy." (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=85939§ionid=351020104)
The Boston Globe published an editorial saying that Mohammad Khatami "gives Iran its best chance of reconciling with neighbors and the world community and rescuing a collapsing economy from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's gross mismanagement. Khatami also represents the best hope of human rights defenders in Iran, democratic activists, and Iranian women." (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/02/18/irans_hope_for_change/)
The Christian Science Monitor reported that "Senior conservatives in Iran are raising the bar for US-Iran engagement, reinforcing positions that leave little room for compromise as the Obama administration searches for ways to talk to the Islamic Republic. After 30 years of high-octane animosity, such voices appear to rule out change. But analysts say they may reflect a maximalist opening bid, as Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei - the man who will make the final decision on any US ties - weighs the advice." (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0218/p04s01-wome.html)
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "As President Obama's foreign policy team tries to make lemonade out of the diplomatic lemons it has inherited around the world, one region could represent low-hanging fruit: the Khyber Pass linking Pakistan with Afghanistan. The historic bottleneck, through which about 75 percent of U.S. supplies bound for Afghanistan travel, has become a hotbed of Taliban activity. Recent violence - a critical bridge has been destroyed and truck convoys have been bombed - could hamper Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan, but it also might provide an opportunity. A new land route has just opened linking Afghanistan to the southern seaports of its next-door neighbor, Iran - and that could be the opening the new administration needs to forge a diplomatic relationship with a regional power the United States has, with rare exception, viewed as the Middle East bogeyman." (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/17/MNGF15RGMK.DTL)
AP reported that "Iran has built an unmanned surveillance aircraft with a range of more than 600 miles - enough to reach Israel - a top defense official said in remarks published Wednesday." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hm4SePqaLEYQa-5DvSAMUVH-JnTQD96E18NG0)
Azar Nafisi, Hooman Majd and Vali Nasr joined Charlie Rose to discuss Iran. (To watch the interview, please click here: http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10086)
Reuters reported that "Iran will finalize a $5 billion deal with France's Total by March 20 to develop Phase Two of South Pars gas field, the head of the National Iranian Oil Company, Seyfollah Jashnsaz, was quoted as saying by state television." (http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLI25485020090218)
Iranian press reported that "While the president is the most public face of the Islamic Republic, under Iran's constitution the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has the final say in all matters of state. A top Iranian cleric says the future of possible talks between Iran and the U.S. lies in the hands of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.... A member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, said on Monday that Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has the final say in defining the Islamic Republic's foreign policy toward the White House." (http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=189518)
AFP reported that "Iran has failed to provide any clarification on the possible military dimension of its nuclear programme, the UN atomic watchdog's chief Mohamed ElBaradei said here Tuesday, while stressing that it was not clear Tehran wants to build a nuclear weapon. 'Iran right now is not providing any access, any clarification with regards to the whole area of the possible military dimension,' said ElBaradei who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'They are not following what the Security Council asked us to do, that is 'please clarify this issue',' he said at a conference in Paris." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAC87iaZO1VNuUOXBCLY3Yeo-rmQ)
The Washington Post reported that "Seven leaders of the Bahai faith who have been detained for more than eight months in Iran have been officially accused of espionage, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary said Tuesday.... On Friday, in response to initial reports that the seven leaders would be charged with spying, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood issued a statement condemning the leveling of 'baseless charges' against the Bahai leaders. 'The accusations reported in Iranian and international media are part of the ongoing persecution of Bahai in Iran,' Wood said." (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021703011.html?hpid=sec-world)
AP reported that "Iran has begun privatizing its second-largest bank, offering 5 percent of its shares to private investors. It's the first time Iran has sold off part of a state-owned bank. Iran's economy has taken a severe hit from falling oil prices and rising unemployment and inflation." (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/18/business/ML-Iran-Bank-Privatization.php)
Reuters reported that "Gulf Arab states are beginning to worry that any U.S. rapprochement with Iran could ultimately lead to their worst nightmare -- a nuclear-armed, non-Arab, Shi'ite Muslim superpower in their neighborhood. The U.S.-allied Sunni Gulf Arab states had little enthusiasm for former president George W. Bush's hardline stance on Iran, fearing it could spill into a war that would engulf the region." (http://uk.reuters.com/article/burningIssues/idUKTRE51G4CX20090217)
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