The nations' fears about a U.S. resort to
arms make the top American envoy's task
harder
.
By Paul Richter
LA Times Staff Writer
April 26, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-rice26apr26,1,6343509.story?coll=la-headlines-world
ANKARA, Turkey — Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice huddled Tuesday with Greek
and Turkish officials, urging their
cooperation to halt Iran's uranium
enrichment program but struggling to
overcome their anxieties that Washington may
soon turn to military action.
U.S. officials acknowledge that there are
widespread fears in both countries that
Washington is weighing armed action against
Iran, and may soon ask to use their
territory or other help to launch the
attacks.
Rice, whose stop in Athens was met by
violent protests, declared at an appearance
with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis
that "the United States of America
understands and believes that Iran is not
Iraq…. While the president doesn't take any
options off the table, we are on a
diplomatic course here."
The U.S. and its West European allies
suspect Iran wants uranium-enrichment
expertise so that it will have the
capability to make a nuclear bomb, but
Tehran insists that the aim of its nuclear
program is purely civilian.
One U.S. official said American diplomats
faced an extra hurdle in their search for
support because the allies remained focused
on the ongoing conflict in Iraq that began
with the American-led invasion to topple
Saddam Hussein three years ago. As a result,
the diplomatic task is first "a matter of
giving them reassurance about what we're not
doing, and then getting them onside on what
we are doing," said the official, who spoke
on condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the subject.
Meanwhile, Iran's top nuclear negotiator,
Ali Larijani, warned that Tehran would halt
cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear
watchdog, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, if the U.N. Security Council imposed
sanctions to try to halt Iran's nuclear
program.
Rice said such statements "further Iran's
isolation from the international community"
and are "emblematic of the kind of Iranian
behavior that we've seen over the last
couple of years."
Iran has made similar threats on several
occasions, and European diplomats said
Larijani's recent comments were much the
same as past ones.
The director-general of the IAEA, Mohamed
ElBaradei, is set to report Friday on Iran's
compliance with requests that it halt
uranium-enrichment work and answer questions
from international nuclear inspectors. His
report is expected to say that Iran has made
little progress in satisfying the demands of
the international community.
Two weeks ago, Tehran not only flouted
requests that it halt its program but also
announced success in enriching uranium using
a cascade of 164 centrifuges, which is more
than the country had operated in the past.
There is still a slim chance Tehran might
offer new information before the Friday
report because a delegation from Iran's
civilian atomic energy agency was due to
arrive today in Vienna to meet with
ElBaradei. However, Tehran's diplomatic
strategy at the moment seems primarily to be
one of defiance and proving both to an
internal audience and to Muslim neighbors
that it is on the way to becoming a nuclear
power.
In New York on Tuesday, China's U.N.
ambassador told reporters that his nation,
which has veto power in the Security
Council, would reject a proposed resolution
by the U.S. to make the IAEA's demands for
Iran to stop uranium enrichment legally
binding under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.
"It has always been China's position that
this Iranian nuclear issue has to be solved
diplomatically," Ambassador Wang Guangya
said. "Therefore I think any resolution
based on Chapter 7 will not serve the
purpose in this regard."
U.S. Ambassador John R. Bolton told
reporters that the U.S. was not yet asking
for sanctions, preferring a gradual
approach. "From our perspective, we are
going to take it one step at a time," he
said.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, was quoted Tuesday as suggesting
that his country might pass on its nuclear
know-how to other nations. "The Islamic
Republic is ready to transfer this
experience and the technology and knowledge
of its scientists," the Associated Press
quoted Khamenei as saying.
Iran has also made such offers in the past
in an effort to burnish its image as a
scientific powerhouse. However, there are
indications from diplomats who monitor Iran
that its recent boasts of mastering uranium
enrichment may be somewhat exaggerated and
that it had trouble operating the centrifuge
machines. ElBaradei's report will probably
shed more light on the accuracy of the
recent Iranian claims, U.S. diplomats said.
Rice, for her part, condemned Khamenei's
reported comments, saying the possibility of
such transfers was one reason some countries
fear Tehran's suspected nuclear arms
ambitions.
The Bush administration strongly wants the
support of Greece and Turkey as it tries to
build international pressure on Iran. Greece
is currently a member of the Security
Council, and Turkey is a key trading partner
with Iran and a regional power with
important influence in Tehran.
But though the center-right government in
Athens has a good relationship with the
United States, many Greeks are angry about
the Iraq war. And the Turks have been
"treading softly" on the issue, said another
U.S. official, because they would prefer to
serve as arbiters in the dispute with Iran,
rather than provoke an important neighbor.
Foreign Minister Bakoyannis said that Greece
"was and still is against the proliferation
of nuclear weapons."
But she emphasized that her country wanted a
"peaceful resolution" through a "diplomatic
effort which still has tools to use before
it becomes effective."
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul,
appearing beside Rice in Ankara, the Turkish
capital, said that Turkey too was "against
proliferation of nuclear weapons."
"We place a lot of importance on diplomatic
efforts," he said.
Rice, who is also trying to strengthen
Turkey's support for the new Iraqi
government, sweetened her reception in
Ankara by pledging strong support for
Turkey's effort against the outlawed
separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
She said the United States was providing
Turkish officials information that would
help them find members of the group, which
the U.S. government officially designates a
terrorist organization. She said the United
States would now work jointly with the Turks
and the new permanent Iraqi government to
stabilize northern Iraq and suppress the PKK.
"The United States was active in helping in
the past with the PKK and we will be active
in the future in helping with the PKK," Rice
said.
However, suggesting that there might be
limits to such aid, she added: "Of course,
we want anything that we do to contribute to
stability in Iraq, not to threaten that
stability."
The demonstrations that met Rice in Athens
may have been the most violent she has
encountered since becoming America's chief
envoy more than a year ago.
Several hundred protesters, some throwing
rocks and gasoline-filled bottles, faced off
against 5,000 Greek police who cordoned off
streets. Nine people were arrested, and a
number of storefronts were damaged.
Iran
Says It Will Hide Nuclear Program if West
Takes Harsh Measures
Written for
the web by
C. Johnson, Internet News Producer
http://www.news10.net/storyfull3.aspx?storyid=17231
TEHRAN,
Iran (AP) -- More tough words from Iran.
Its top nuclear negotiator said Iran will
hide its nuclear program if the U.N. and the
West impose "harsh measures." The nuclear
official said Iran won't bow to "the
language of force."
And in a meeting with Sudan's president
today, Iran's supreme leader said Tehran is
ready "to transfer the experience, knowledge
and technology" of its nuclear scientists.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said
such talk from Iranian leaders is "deepening
their isolation."
The problem is: Iran does pose a threat in
every way Iraq did not
The G8 leaders can exploit Tehran's fear of
international isolation to get a nuclear
deal, but only if they are united
Jonathan
Freedland
Wednesday April 26, 2006
The Guardian
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story/0,,1761422,00.html
Here's the thing that people often forget
about the boy who cried wolf: he did see a
wolf eventually. Could that be how things
are turning out in the Gulf? Did Britain and
the US point to a false threat in Iraq, only
to be left exposed when the real menace came
along, in Iran?
That the Iraqi peril was a phantom, all but
the pro-war diehards now concede. On the
current menace posed by Iran, there is no
such consensus. Some cannot help but feel
sceptical as they hear London and Washington
warn of Tehran's nuclear ambitions: yeah,
yeah, that's what you said last time.
Opinion may harden this week, though, as
Mohammed ElBaradei of the International
Atomic Energy Agency reports on Iran to the
UN security council. For the nostalgically
minded, it will be a Blix moment all over
again - with the words of the world's
nuclear watchdog weighed carefully.
It will be hard for him to say Iran's doing
nothing. Tehran officials, from the
president down, bellow their nuclear efforts
from the rooftops; on Monday an Iranian
official posed with a vial of uranium gas,
to confirm his boast that enrichment had
occurred. This is not happening quietly.
True, the Iranians claim that all this work
is merely in pursuit of civilian nuclear
power. But it's hard to believe that a
country drowning in oil is running short of
energy. I spoke this week to an expert in
the field, who estimates that Iran will have
the technology to make nuclear weapons
"before the year is out". Then it will be
able to begin the lengthy process of making
fissile material, putting it on schedule to
have a nuclear bomb by 2009.
Even if ElBaradei confirms that view, it
doesn't necessarily make Iran a threat. As
Tony Blair taught us so patiently three or
four years ago, threat can be described
mathematically - as the sum of capability
plus intention. Iran may be on its way to
having the capability, but what of its
intentions?
That, inevitably, is a more subjective
matter. But it is surely relevant that Iran
is led by a man who cannot let a week go by
without issuing an annihilationist threat to
one of his regional neighbours. Last year
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be
wiped off the map. Less than a fortnight ago
he warned that Israel was a "rotten tree"
that could be blown away in a single storm.
This week's musings restated his desire to
see Israeli Jews resettled in Europe,
warning them: "This fake regime cannot
logically continue to live."
Even the most ardent opponents of Israel
recoil at some of this language, not least
because there are other grounds for
wondering about Ahmadinejad's grip on
reality. Last November he told a cleric he
believed God had entranced world leaders
when he addressed them at the UN general
assembly; he had felt a halo upon his head
as he spoke. Others note his devotion to the
Hidden Imam, revered by Shia Muslims as a
messianic figure, and regularly invoked by
the president as he urges his countrymen to
prepare for the imam's return.
Put it together and it forms an alarming
picture: a state galloping towards a nuclear
bomb, led by a messianist bent on destroying
a nearby nation. Undenied, too, are Iran's
links with terrorist organisations beyond
its borders. For every way in which Iraq did
not pose a threat, there is one in which
Iran does.
And it is not just Israel that is
endangered: a nuclear Iran would immediately
trigger a rapid Middle Eastern arms race.
Saudi Arabia would be quickest off the
blocks, with Egypt and Turkey not far
behind. Some of the smaller Gulf states
would demand protection too. It's true that
these nations have lived with a nuclear
Israel without racing to catch up, but most
observers believe that an Iranian bomb would
be intolerable in the eyes of its Arab
rivals. Determined to prevent Iran from
emerging as the Muslim superpower in the
region, they would stop at nothing to match
it.
If that kind of nuclear free-for-all ensued,
then countries that have historically held
back would suddenly reconsider their
options, among them even unlikely players
such as Japan, Brazil and Germany. The
relatively limited nuclear club that held
for most of the cold war and after it would
be dramatically expanded, the goal of
international disarmament receding to a
distant dream.
If all that persuades a reluctant world that
a nuclear Iran poses a danger, what can be
done about it? The chief obstacle is that
Iran has good reason to want to become a
nuclear power. For one thing, it can
justifiably claim to be encircled by hostile
forces, with US troops in both Afghanistan
and Iraq. Second, it has been alarmed since
1998 by next-door Pakistan's possession of a
nuclear bomb. Third, and most importantly,
recent events have confirmed the value of a
nuclear arsenal: after all, Iraq, which had
no WMD, was attacked by the US, while North
Korea, which has nukes, was left alone. The
message is clear: stay safe, go nuclear.
Those reasons alone would make Iran
resistant to pressure. But there are others.
With the oil price soaring, it has leverage:
it doesn't need to be bullied by anyone. It
can flex its muscles immediately, either by
attacking Israel via the groups it funds,
Hizbullah in Lebanon or Islamic Jihad in the
occupied territories, or by hitting US
troops through Shia forces in Iraq. Worse
still, confrontation does not frighten
Tehran: it shores up Ahmadinejad to have an
external threat to face down. It even fits
his religious notions of a great battle
preparing the way for the return of the
Hidden Imam.
None of this offers much hope for a way out.
But the challenge for those who do not want
another war, and are terrified by talk in
Washington of military, even nuclear,
options against Iran, is to start thinking
now about a solution. The window is just a
few months; by the end of the year Iran's
march towards the bomb could be unstoppable.
The first justification for hope is that
Iran does not want to become a pariah state:
that's why recent talk of keeping the
country out of the World Cup is not as barmy
as it might seem. It's the kind of sanction
that could work. There is also a Tehran
business class that would be threatened by
international isolation: I'm told that
Iran's oilmen are frustrated that they
cannot buy the exploration technology they
want. They need Iran to come in from the
cold.
The international community could exploit
these conditions, but only if it is united.
There can be no Iraq-style divisions on the
security council: China and Russia, as well
as France, will have to be on side. And
diplomats have to devise what one calls "a
ladder for the Iranians to come down". That
could mean a green light for civil nuclear
energy in Iran and security guarantees that
the country will be free from the threat of
US-led regime change.
This, surely, should be at the top of the
agenda when the G8 meets in St Petersburg
this July. Our leaders invented the wolf
last time. But they mustn't miss this one -
it's all too real.
Oil rises above $73 as Iran, China support
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C04%5C26%5Cstory_26-4-2006_pg5_18
LONDON:
Oil rose above $73 on Tuesday, halting a
slide from last week’s record high, on
renewed worries over Iran’s nuclear
programme and a jump in demand in China, the
world’s second-largest oil consumer.
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator said his
country would suspend ties with the UN’s
nuclear watchdog if it were to be targeted
by sanctions, as advocated by the United
States.
US June crude futures were trading 40 cents
higher at $73.73 a barrel, after sliding
nearly 2.5 percent on Monday from the $75.35
record high struck Friday. London Brent
crude was up 60 cents at $73.60.
“The market is reacting today as though oil
at less than $74 a barrel is a bargain,”
said Deborah White of SG CIB Commodities in
Paris. “We’ve had some aggressive statements
from Iran again, and seen some bullish
statements on Chinese demand.”
China’s apparent demand for oil rose 6
percent in March from a year earlier, moving
closer to market forecasts on support from a
roaring economy and stockpiling in
anticipation of fuel price increases.
The strongest increase since September means
the country used 6.44 million barrels per
day (bpd) in March, calculations based on
official data showed.
“Risks that have been supporting the market
remain unresolved and China’s strong demand
will have impact on the market
fundamentals,” said Hiroyuki Kitakata,
director of commodities business at Barclays
Capital in Tokyo.
US gasoline: Oil has hit record highs this
year because of concern Iran’s dispute with
the West could cut oil exports from the
World’s fourth-largest producer, supply
losses in Nigeria and a flow of investor
money into oil and other commodities.
Traders remain concerned over US gasoline
supply in summer when demand peaks for the
fuel. US government data on Wednesday will
likely show another drop in the nation’s
gasoline stocks, according to analysts in a
Reuters poll.
“US gasoline may be rattling people’s
cages,” SG’s White said. “We’re going to see
another steep draw. That, Nigeria and Iran
are the market’s three hot buttons right
now.”
Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali
Larijani, speaking at a conference on
nuclear issues in Tehran earlier on Tuesday,
also said Iran would throw a cloak of
secrecy over its nuclear programme if it was
attacked militarily.
He was speaking before the UN nuclear
watchdog, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, reports to the UN Security Council
on Friday on whether Iran has complied with
their demands that Tehran halt uranium
enrichment and answer IAEA queries on its
nuclear work.
Iranian oil minister Kazem Vaziri sought to
calm the market at the weekend by
reiterating that the oil weapon was off the
table in the nuclear row.
Tehran says its atomic programme is
peaceful, while the US accuses Iran of
seeking nuclear bombs.
Oil came under pressure earlier in the day
after the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries pledged to keep pumping
at near maximum rates, with a daily
production ceiling of 28 million barrels, at
talks in Doha on Monday.
OPEC ministers said that tensions over Iran,
Nigeria and other key oil-producing nations
have added as much as $15 to the price of
oil and that the cartel, the source of more
than a third of world supply, was powerless
to pull down high prices. Reuters
Former Minister reveals US espionage in Iran
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=42322&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
LONDON,
April 26 (IranMania) - Iran's former
Information Minister, Ali Younesi disclosed
for the first time some of the US espionage
activities aiming to make Iran's nuclear
case more critical, IRNA reported.
Speaking at
the international conference called `Iran's
Nuclear Energy Program: Policies and
Prospects', he said that in the past the US
and 'Zionist' spying agencies attempted to
undermine Iran's peaceful nuclear
activities.
"However, such
attempts were thwarted through the vigilance
of Iran's intelligence service," he added.
Younesi said
that on one occasion, the US intelligence
service sent its agents to Iran under the
pretext of selling enriched uranium, thus
enabling them to create an atmosphere
against Iran.
"The spies
were told to write reports to prove their
lies. In fact, it might be said that the US
intended to validate its own lies rather
than finding out the truth," he added.
Stressing that
'Iran's constructive cooperation and
transparency prevented the premature US
hostile actions against the country', he
noted that now no one in the world accepts
the false US claims on Iran's intention to
proliferate nuclear weapons.
"Even,
American administrators themselves have
revised their wording and say that Iran will
proliferate nuclear weapons in future." The
former minister said that the quagmire, in
which the US and Britain are entangled,
given the high price it has cost them, is
created due to incorrect information and
lack of attention to such facts.
"Aggravating
the crisis is not the way to solve Iran's
nuclear issue. They should rather accept the
truth and realize that production of nuclear
weapons is against the country's strategy.
"Given that
continuing the nuclear crisis is against
global peace and security, it should be
stemmed and brought back to its normal
course," he added.
Younesi
referred to cooperation and mutual
confidence as the most rational way to
tackle the issue.
"The option
currently underlined by the West, namely
suspension of the nuclear fuel cycle or
sanction is most irrational and a mistake
much worse than the US attack on Iraq.
"These
measures, which undermine the NPT, may make
Iran withdraw from the UN nuclear agency,"
he added.
Younesi said
that by aggravating Iran's nuclear crisis,
the US intends to conceal its failures in
Iraq.
French envoy summoned to Iran's Ministry
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=42274&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
LONDON,
April 25 (IranMania) - Following the death
of an Iranian citizen in a French prison,
French Ambassador to Tehran Bernard Pollite
was summoned to Foreign Ministry, according
to an IRNA report.
Morad Amoun,
who had been imprisoned for 14 months in a
French town, died suspiciously on April 12,
2006.
He was buried
in France without Iran's embassy or his
family being informed.
According to
the Foreign Ministry Media Department report
on Monday, the ministry's Consulate director
general presented Iran's protest to the
ambassador.
The Iranian
official said, "Unfortunately, none of the
procedures of arrest, trial, imprisonment,
death and burial of the Iranian citizen were
never declared to the Iran's Foreign
Ministry, which is a clear violation of
Vienna Convention on consular laws."
The French ambassador said he was not aware
of the case adding he will inform his
government about the protest and will try to
get the answer as soon as possible.
UK
taking Iran threat 'very seriously'
Wednesday, 26 Apr 2006 05:52
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/news/international-affairs/uk-taking-iran-threat-very-seriously-$409586.htm
UK
taking Iran threat 'very seriously'
Downing Street is taking the threat posed by
Iran "very seriously", the prime minister's
spokesman said last night.
The comments came as the United Nations
deadline calling on Tehran to cease uranium
enrichment or face sanctions looms.
It also followed Iranian president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's latest attack on Israel,
calling it a "fake regime", which should not
exist.
"I think everybody should read the Iranian
president's comments, because once again it
underlines that we have to take the
situation very seriously," Tony Blair's
spokesman said.
"These are not actually remarks made by
somebody without power, these are remarks
repeatedly made now by the Iranian
president.
"We all have to take very seriously the
issues which are now before the UN and
therefore take forward this issue with due
seriousness.
"It seems logical that we should consider a
Chapter 7 resolution under the security
council's mandate."
Iran has until Friday to comply with the UN
demand.
N-threat: 'Don't allow Iran to raise two
fingers'
|
Apr 26 2006 |
|
|
|
Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail |
|
|
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/newspolitics/tm_objectid=16993229&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=n-threat---don-t-allow-iran-to-raise-two-fingers--name_page.html
THE use of military force against Iran
should not be ruled out to prevent the
country "raising two fingers" to the world,
the former UK ambassador to the United
Nations said last night.
But Sir Jeremy Greenstock, said the
situation in Iran - which the West fears is
developing nuclear weapons - required the
"delicate steps" of diplomacy.
Iran
announced earlier this month that it had
enriched uranium for the first time.
It insists its programme is peaceful, but
the UN Security Council has told it to
suspend the work by Friday.
Although there is deep concern within the
international community, politicians are
wary of openly talking of military action.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has dismissed
reports in the US press of a plan to attack
Iran as "nuts".
Sir Jeremy, UK representative at the UN in
New York from 1998-2003, told the Western
Mail, "Iran is claiming to be following the
rules set by the UN system, while its body
language and some of the things that have
come out do not entirely compare with what
it's saying.
"The UN on its own probably cannot do this,
it does need the backing of big players. But
it can't, in my opinion, depend on power
alone - it has got to try and do this by
diplomacy.
"There are so many dangerous elements, so
many delicate steps that have to be taken."
Asked about possible military action in
Iran, he said, "I believe it should be taken
off the paper. We don't want Iran to raise
two fingers - then we are all in danger."
The Iranian regime was dependent on the
passive support of the people, Sir Jeremy
said, and if the people could be persuaded
that the nuclear programme would lead to
Iran being economically disadvantaged, that
could provide an answer to the crisis.
"There is room for some presentational
diplomacy, which we haven't done so far," he
said.
The UN - often criticised by President
Bush's regime in the United States - needed
the backing of the world's most powerful
nation, he said.
"We need an example set by the US, which we
haven't had in the last five years. It is
capable of setting an example; without it,
it's difficult to get a more coherent
leadership role for the UN."
Sir Jeremy was speaking during a visit to
Aberystwyth, where he gave a speech on
international affairs.
Yesterday Iran's top nuclear negotiator said
that Iran would withdraw from all
co-operation with the UN nuclear watchdog
agency if the UN Security Council imposed
sanctions against it.
The statements by Ali Larijani came a day
after Iran's president predicted the
Security Council would not impose sanctions
on Tehran and warned he was thinking about
dropping out of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said,
"I think everybody should read the Iranian
President's comments, because once again it
underlines that we have to take the
situation very seriously."
Israel,
which Iran has called a "fake regime", also
announced yesterday it was sending a spy
satellite to gather information on Iran's
nuclear programme.
Iran
Could Respond to U.S. Offensive by Attacking
Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline — Tehran Official
25.04.2006
MosNews
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/04/25/iranazerb.shtml
A senior Tehran official accused the United
States of using the territory of Iran’s
neighbor, Azerbaijan, against the Islamic
republic, the Regnum news agency reported.
“Reconnaissance units are operating in
Azerbaijan, and their activity is directed
against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the
Secretary of Iranian Supreme National
Security Council Ali Larijani told the
Egyptian Al Ahram newspaper.
Larijani claimed that U.S. special services
were using the territories of Azerbaijan and
Turkmenistan against Iran. According to him,
if a military operation is launched, Iran
may respond with an attack on the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and oil
facilities in Azerbaijan.
Chief spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign
Ministry, Tair Tagizade, played down the
threat. Azerbaijan and Iran maintain
peaceful neighborly relations: “Such
statements are aimed at breaching bilateral
relations between the countries and
aggravate tensions.”
Larijani’s statement came shortly after
Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Muhammad
Najjar visited Azerbaijan. Najjar told
reporters: “My visit to Azerbaijan is aimed
at expanding cooperation on the basis of
treaties already signed. Tehran can assist
Azerbaijan in developing its defense
industry. We can exchange experience in this
field. I am going to raise this issue in my
talks with the Azerbaijani Minister of
Defense.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is
scheduled to make a three-day visit to the
United States beginning Wednesday. Aliyev’s
visit is a major coup for Azerbaijani
diplomacy, as it emphasizes the nation’s
geostrategic importance in Washington, since
it shares a common border with Iran, UPI
reported. Aliyev’s talks will undoubtedly
include high-level discussions on Iran,
especially since the last day of Aliyev’s
visit coincides with the International
Atomic Energy Agency head Mohammad ElBaradei
presenting his report on Iran’s nuclear
activities to the United Nations Security
Council.
Unemployment rate tops 12.1% in winter:
official
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=42276&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
LONDON,
April 25 (IranMania) - Head of Iran
Statistic Center (ISC) said that the
unemployment rate topped 12,1% in winter,
said IRNA.
Hamid Reza
Navabpour told IRNA that the unemployment
rate in winter, due to stoppage of
agriculture-related activities, is higher
compared with other seasons.
The ISC had
put the unemployment rate at 10.8 % and 10.9
% for last fall and summer, respectively.
The center has
opted for a more precise measurements of
unemployment rate implementing a new plan
and has released seasonably-adjusted
unemployment figures beginning last year,
the official underlined.
The plan is
designed to estimate seasonable and annual
indexes of labor forces and its changes
based on the needs of planners as well as
corporating techniques with the aim of
measuring figures with international
standards of unemployment rates, he added.
He also said
the project was designed based on the latest
suggestions by the International Labor
Organization (ILO).
He said real
statistics is the basis of prudent planning,
and conversely incorrect statistic could be
the cause of bad planning.
The 20-year
perspective envisages 7% unemployment rate,
which would be possible by achieving four
%average growth in employment annually, and
8.6% economic growth on the average annually
in the period.
It is believed
that the unemployment rate would reach 8.4%
in the 20-year plan in light of 4.3% annual
growth in employment on the average and 8%
economic growth on average in the period,
added Navabpour.
White House Report, April 25: Iraq, Iran,
Personnel
Bush says formation of new Iraqi government
is "an important milestone"
WHITE HOUSE
WELCOMES FORMATION OF IRAQI UNITY GOVERNMENT
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=April&x=20060425155216ESnamfuaK0.6427118&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
President Bush
said the formation of Iraq’s unity
government is “an important milestone for a
free Iraq,” and marks “the beginning of a
new chapter” in U.S.-Iraqi relations.
Speaking in
Washington April 25 in remarks focused on
U.S. energy policy, Bush said he spoke with
British Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier in
the day about the Iraqi agreement, which he
described as “a major development that has
taken place in the war on terror.”
“[T]his new
leadership reflects the diversity of Iraq,
and it reflects the will of the Iraqi people
who defied the terrorists and killers and
went to the polls last December. This new
government is an important milestone for a
free Iraq,” Bush said.
He added that
it marks “the beginning of a new chapter in
our relationship with the Iraqi people.”
The president
said he spoke with Iraq’s president, speaker
of parliament and prime minister designate
during the weekend of April 22 and offered
his congratulations.
“I told them
that they have important responsibilities to
their people, to rebuild infrastructure and
to improve their economy and enhance
security. I was pleased with the response I
got,” he said.
The
transcript of the president’s remarks
can be found at the White House Web site.
McCLELLAN SAYS
SECURITY COUNCIL SHOULD CONSIDER ACTION
AGAINST IRAN
The White
House says it expects the International
Atomic Energy Agency will submit a report to
the U.N. Security Council later in the week
showing that Iran “remains in noncompliance
with its obligations,” and said it time for
the Security Council to consider what action
to take.
Press
secretary McClellan said Iranian regime is
“continuing to move in the opposite
direction” of its international obligations
and has said that it is continuing to move
forward on uranium enrichment-related
activities.
“[Y]ou're
seeing by their statements that they only
want to escalate the situation, that they
are continuing to move forward on defying
the international community, and that
somewhat ends any premise that their program
is for peaceful purposes,” he said.
“It's time for
the Security Council to look at what action
needs to be taken for this regime's
continued defiance,” the press secretary
said.
He noted that
the international community “is united in
our desire to prevent the regime from
developing a nuclear weapon,” and called for
continued pressure on the Iranian government
to “come clean and comply with its
obligations.”
For additional
information, see
Arms
Control and Non-Proliferation.
BUSH TO
NOMINATE U.N. FOOD REPRESENTATIVE,
AMBASSADORS TO HUNGARY AND TAJIKISTAN
President Bush
intends to nominate ambassadors to Hungary
and Tajikistan, and a representative to the
U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture,
according to an April 25 White House press
release.
The president
will nominate April Foley as the next U.S.
ambassador to Hungary. Foley, who has a
private-sector background, was most recently
a first vice president and a member of the
board of directors of the U.S. Export-Import
Bank. She was previously the director of
strategy for Reader's Digest Association
Incorporated.
Bush plans to
nominate career Senior Foreign Service
member Tracey Jacobson as ambassador to
Tajikistan. Jacobson is currently the U.S.
ambassador to Turkmenistan, and was
previously the deputy chief of mission in
Riga, Latvia. She also has served as a
deputy executive secretary at the National
Security Council.
Current U.S.
Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez is the
president’s choice for the next U.S.
representative to the United Nations
Agencies for Food and Agriculture. Vasquez
was previously a division vice president for
public affairs at Southern California Edison
Company, and has also served in state and
local positions in California.
Iran courts Azerbaijan
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060425-114153-1324r
BAKU,
Azerbaijan, April 25 (UPI) -- Iran believes
the United States courting Azerbaijan to use
its territory in a possible attack on Iran
if nuclear negotiations fail.
Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar
Suleimani told the Makor Rishon newspaper,
"The U.S. plans to win over Azerbaijan to
its side and use its territory as a base.
However, I am sure that these attempts by
Washington will be no success."
Regnum news agency reported on April 24 that
Suleimani noted that the Bush administration
faces significant diplomatic opposition from
Britain, Russia and China in planning a
military strike against the Iran. Suleimani
also observed that the United States bogged
down in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In
commenting on British media reports that
British and American forces carried out a
joint military war-gaming exercises
simulating an attack on Iran, Suleimani
labeled the exercise merely "another stage
of the psychological war against the
country."
Suleimani expressed optimism that
Azerbaijani would honor its 2002
non-aggression and cooperation treaty with
Iran, adding, "In any case, Iran is prepared
to a war, however, we hope for a diplomatic
settlement of the problem."
Rumsfeld say Iraq, Afghan missions key to
containing Iran
Mon Apr 24
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060424/pl_afp/usiraqiranmilitarym
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said
that the United States must persevere in
Iraq and Afghanistan to contain "the extreme
impulses that we see emanating from Iran."
Rumsfeld linked the costly and unpopular US
efforts to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan to
US concerns about Iran's nuclear program and
its regional might, in an interview with the
Pentagon's in-house television channel.
He said those who believe that US efforts in
Iraq and Afghanistan are too costly or are
taking too long need to understand that
"success in Afghanistan and success in Iraq
is critical to containing the extreme
impulses that we see emanating from Iran."
His comments came amid a sharpening
diplomatic confrontation over Iran's nuclear
program, which Washington insists is aimed
at developing atomic weapons.
Iran's President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad earlier refused calls for a halt
to its uranium enrichment program and warned
Iran could withdraw from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The United States, meanwhile, said the UN
Security Council would consider a draft
resolution that would oblige Iran to comply
or face possible military action.
Rumsfeld did not allude to military options
in the interview, instead portraying US
efforts in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan
as a bulwark against Iranian extremism.
"The last thing Iran wants is to have
successful regimes, representative systems,
free people in Afghanistan and Iraq," he
said. "It is harmful to their view of the
world, to their extreme view of the world."
"So most people who suggest that the cost is
too great or it's taking too long, and we
should not stay the course, it seems to me
you have to think what it would mean to Iran
and how it would advance their cause, and
their cause is a cause that is dangerous to
the world."
Rumsfeld hailed the end of a four month
political impasse over who should be Iraq's
next prime minister as "a thrilling
accomplishment."
At the same time, he said it was reasonable
to expect that insurgents would try to
sabotage the seating of a new government
under Shiite leader Jawad al-Maliki, who has
30 days to form a cabinet.
"The new ministries named, and then approved
by the parliament, will have to begin that
difficult task of governing," he said. "It's
a difficult assignment and it won't be easy
for them."
If Iraq's interior and defense ministers are
competent and govern from the center,
Rumsfeld said, Iraqi forces will continue to
take over responsibility for security.
"As we are able to pass over more
responsibility, one would think we would be
able to continue reducing down our forces,"
he said.
Iran
'Could Share Nuclear Skills'
April 25, 2006
BBC News
BBCi
link to original article
Iran's
Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has
said his country is ready to share its
nuclear technology with other nations.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the offer during a
meeting with visiting Sudanese President
Omar al-Bashir.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
condemned the comments.
Earlier, Iran's top nuclear negotiator
threatened to suspend co-operation with the
UN's nuclear watchdog if Teheran faced
sanctions over its nuclear work.
The UN Security Council has set a deadline
of 28 April for Iran to freeze its programme
of uranium enrichment, which has been the
focus of concerns that Iran could acquire
nuclear weapons.
The US is trying to rally support from the
Security Council for tougher action against
Iran, including sanctions - a move currently
being resisted by Russia and China.
Sudanese
ambitions
In his meeting with Mr Bashir, Ayatollah
Khamenei said Iranian scientists' nuclear
capability was "one example of the numerous
scientific movements in the country".
"The Islamic Republic is ready to transfer
this experience and the technology and
knowledge of its scientists," the leader was
quoted as saying.
In return, the Sudanese president praised
Iran's enrichment of uranium as a great
victory for the Islamic world.
Mr Bashir said last month his country was
considering creating a civilian nuclear
programme.
Ms Rice said she feared an "escape... of
knowledge and expertise on these dangerous
technologies".
Last year, Iran's President Mahmoud
Ahmedinejad spoke of sharing nuclear
technology with other countries.
But the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran
says that this time the offer comes from the
very top, and seems to imply the technology
could be shared with Sudan.
'Emblematic behaviour'
As well as threatening to end Iranian
co-operation with the UN, negotiator Ali
Larijani said Iran would "hide" its nuclear
programme if it was attacked.
"They [Western countries] have to understand
they cannot resolve this issue through
force," Mr Larijani told a conference on
Iran's controversial nuclear energy
programme in Tehran.
Responding while on an official visit to
Greece, Ms Rice said Iran's threats were
"emblematic of the kind of Iranian behaviour
seen over the past couple of years".
Ms Rice said the Security Council must now
issue something more concrete than last
month's "presidential statement", which gave
Iran 30 days to comply with International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) directives.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is for
civilian energy purposes only. The US and
several other nations say they do not
believe this.
Ahmadinejad Elaborates on His Plan for the
Jews
April 26, 2006
The Middle East Media Research Institute
MEMRI
link to original article
The following
are excerpts from a speech by Iranian
President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that aired
on Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on April 24,
2006.
TO VIEW
THIS CLIP, VISIT:
http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1116.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad: "The greatest
problem from which humanity suffers today,
the main problem facing the countries of the
Middle East, is the continuation of the
processes that took place during World War
II."
"Let's assume certain things did happen [in
World War II]. Why should the people of the
Middle East, for over 60 years, be paying
for it under this pretext?"
"The same people who claim to have saved
humanity, and to have prevented further
massacre in World War II, and who avenged
the victims of that war - why have they
killed over 100,000 innocent people in 60
years?"
"Why do they grieve over some of the victims
only? Let's assume that the [Holocaust] was
true - who should be punished for this? This
is a serious question facing contemporary
humanity."
"Although they claim that their hearts bleed
for the Jews, during World War II and
following it they caused the widespread
phenomenon of anti-Judaism in two or three
European countries. If you support the Jews
- how do you explain this anti-Judaism? Why
did you turn Europe in its entirety into a
place unsafe for the Jews? Could there
possibly be any other reason than creating
unsafe conditions for the Jews, so that they
would flee and find shelter in Palestine?
"Why do you think they are safe in
Palestine? These people, who left their
homelands as a result of your pressure and
anti-Judaism, went to a country that did not
belong to them. Different minorities from
different countries came to live side by
side, just like pieces of paper joined
together with a paper clip. They live in an
atmosphere of insecurity on a daily basis.
I've said this once, and I'll say it again:
Open the gates of this big prison. Allow
these people to decide freely, and you will
see that they will return to their
homelands. Of course, you must first let go
of your anti-Judaism. You must let go of it.
We believe that just like the rest of
mankind, the Jews have the right to live a
life of prosperity, freedom, and security.
Set them free, and let them return to their
homelands."
"Now allow me to say a few words to the
people of Germany and Austria. Look at the
atmosphere in the world today. See how those
who purport to promote human rights and
democracy actually want to run the world.
Sixty years ago a war took place, and 60
million people were killed by both sides. If
we had any power in those days, we would
have prevented this carnage. To the best of
our ability we would not have allowed such a
massacre. Sixty years have passed since that
war, and the people of Palestine are still
paying the price for a war in which they did
not participate. The people of today's
Germany are paying reparation for a war in
which they themselves did not participate.
"My question is the following: Let's assume
that 60 years ago a certain regime in
Germany started a certain war, and certain
crimes were committed. Three generations
later - what is the fault of the current
German generation that it must be so
humiliated? Why can't it play an independent
role in international relations? They are
constantly being reminded that their parents
were criminals. Monuments are built there.
All countries build monuments for things
that they are proud of, and when tourists
come, they show them these monuments. Over
there, they build monuments, and every
German who passes by a park is constantly
reminded: 'Look, you are the son of
criminals, and you must be humiliated.'"
"In culture, science, and international
politics, Germany should have a prominent
standing. But 60 years later, they are still
held prisoner by a handful of people, who
themselves had planned all the events of
that era. Now they say that no one is
allowed to talk about or research this
event. Why not research it?"
"Why should a small handful of people ignite
the entire world, merely in order to fill
their pockets? Why? We are against this
method of running the world, and we say this
clearly. I am declaring clearly that I am
against the policies of the U.S. and England
in running the world. And by the way, I
support peace and quiet, and I am a very
peace-loving man.
"How come whenever someone criticizes you or
exposes your mistakes, you attack him
through the media that you finance, and
portray him as a criminal? Wrong!
Ahmadinejad is a schoolteacher and a very
peace-loving man. To this day, I have never
harmed an ant in my life. Allah willing, I
will never harm any living or inanimate
object."
Straw: Sanctions on Iran if Nuke Program
Continues
April 26, 2006
The Jerusalem Post
JPOST.com
link to original article
The United
Kingdom warned Iran on Tuesday that it would
be subject to sanctions if it did not cease
its uranium enrichment program. The United
States had also made that threat in the
past. Foreign Minister Jack Straw said that
Iran would be making a mistake if it counted
on Russia and China to veto the sanctions.
Speaking at the British parliament, Straw
condemned Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's statement earlier in the week,
whereby he said that Israel must not be
allowed to continue to exist.
Rice, in Greece and Turkey, Holds Talks on
Iraq and Iran
April 25, 2006
The New York Times
Steven R. Weisman
link to original article
ANKARA, Turkey
-- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
assured Turkish leaders on Tuesday that the
United States would step up efforts to stop
Kurdish insurgents in Iraq from infiltrating
into Turkey, but she cautioned the
government not to send troops to Iraq to do
the job.
The Turkish foreign minister, Abdullah Gul,
said there had been a surge in infiltration
in recent weeks.
Ms. Rice, addressing what has become a new
irritant in relations with Turkey,
acknowledged that the problem had been
allowed to grow. The Turkish news media has
been filled with reports of thousands of
Turkish troops massing on the border with
Iraq, and there has been speculation that
Turkey might intervene in Iraq.
"Of course we want anything that we do to
contribute to stability in Iraq, not to
threaten that stability or to make a
difficult situation worse," Ms. Rice said,
referring to Turkish troops. "That is why a
cooperative approach on this problem —
cooperation between Iraq and Turkey and the
coalition forces — is very important."
Mr. Gul spoke of the Kurdish rebel situation
in blunt terms, saying that the Kurdish
Workers Party had turned Iraq into "a
training ground" and that "Turkey will take
her own precautions" to deal with the
problem.
He said, however, that Turkey had "no claim
on anybody's soil or any neighborly
country's soil."
Ms. Rice, on a tour through the region,
started in the morning with meetings in
Athens, where several thousand anti-American
protesters thronged the streets downtown. A
few dozen protesters threw gasoline bombs.
Police officers in full riot gear used tear
gas to disperse demonstrators trying to
march on the United States Embassy.
In Greece, Ms. Rice sought to win approval
of Security Council action to raise pressure
on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment,
which is believed in the West to be a cover
for a nuclear weapons program. Iran says it
is for civilian nuclear power.
Greece is currently a member of the Security
Council, and the Greek foreign minister,
Dora Bakoyannis, expressed solidarity with
the American objective of stopping Iran's
suspected nuclear weapons program, but
hinted that she did not think the time was
right for Security Council action.
"We are in the middle of a diplomatic
effort, a diplomatic effort which still has
some tools to use in order to become
effective," she said.
Outside the meeting, the demonstrators were
protesting the possibility of American
military strikes against Iran, and inside a
Greek journalist asked Ms. Rice whether the
United States would seek to use military
bases or facilities in Greece for military
intervention against Iran.
The question and the demonstrators suggested
that the United States has to contend in
Europe with not only the fallout from the
Iraq war but also an outcry against using
force in Iran.
"Let me go right to the crux of the
question," Ms. Rice said. "The United States
of America understands and believes that
Iran is not Iraq."
In Turkey, Ms. Rice said she appreciated its
support for the recent efforts to form a
nationally unified government in Iraq.
Turkey is fearful of a breakup of Iraq
because it is concerned that the Kurdish
population in the north could help foment a
Kurdish rebellion in Turkey.
Ms. Rice said the United States would share
intelligence with Turkey in an effort to
help prevent the movement of Kurds.
"We believe that it is important that we
make a joint effort through
information-sharing and other means to
prevent any vacuum from being used as a way
to inflict harm here in Turkey," she said,
referring to a lack of American and Iraqi
forces that may have contributed to the
problem.
Rice Vows 'Action' on Tehran Aide with Green
Card
April 25, 2006
The Washington Times
Nicholas Kralev
link to original article
ATHENS --
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
expressed concern yesterday about the case
of a high-ranking Iranian official who
arrived last month in the United States on a
green card and said the Bush administration
"will take proper action" once it has
established the facts of the case.
Mohammad Nahavandian, an economics and
technology aide to Iran's top nuclear
negotiator, Ali Larijani, has been a legal
permanent resident of the United States
since 1993 and did not give up that status
when he joined the Iranian government last
year.
"We were very concerned when we heard about
it. We are going to try to make sure that we
understand the facts and the legal basis,
and then we'll take proper action," Miss
Rice told reporters on her plane en route to
Athens.
"We have to be true to both the promise of
what it means to have a green-card status
and the policy considerations of this rather
anomalous position, in which you have
someone with [whom] the United States does
not actually have diplomatic relations that
is a diplomat, a very high-ranking diplomat,
in fact, inside the United States," she
said.
Mr. Nahavandian arrived from Canada on March
25 on a flight from Ottawa to Philadelphia,
a Department of Homeland Security official
said.
The Iranian official tried to leave the
United States on April 11 and drove to the
Canadian border at Niagara Falls but was
turned back because he was carrying
"prescription medication" that the Canadian
authorities "did not consider admissible,"
the DHS official said.
That day, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad announced that Tehran had
enriched enough uranium to produce nuclear
fuel. It was not clear whether Mr.
Nahavandian's attempt to depart had anything
to do with that announcement.
He was readmitted into the United States
because his green card was legal and he
raised no suspicion, the DHS official said.
Mr. Nahavandian did not have to show his
Iranian passport when entering from Canada,
and in both cases, the immigration officers
had no indication that he was a foreign
government official.
Immigrations records show Mr. Nahavandian
first arrived in the United States in 1989
on a tourist visa, the DHS official said. He
was issued a student visa in 1991 to attend
George Washington University and became a
permanent resident two years later. His
green card was renewed in early 2004.
The administration is looking into Mr.
Nahavandian's recent arrival and departure
records to establish whether he has abided
by the rule that permanent residents must
not be out of the country for more than 180
days to maintain their status.
However, even if he has fulfilled that
requirement, he still can lose his green
card because of his employment with the
Iranian government, which Washington has
blacklisted as a state sponsor of terrorism,
administration officials said.
"It's going to take a little time to sort it
out," Miss Rice said yesterday. "This is not
something that anybody foresaw."
Iran
Threat "Very Serious"
April 26, 2006
View London
viewlondon.co.uk
link to original article
Downing Street is taking the threat posed by
Iran "very seriously", the prime minister's
spokesman said yesterday. The comments came
as the United Nations deadline calling on
Tehran to cease uranium enrichment or face
sanctions looms.
It also comes after Iranian president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to threaten
Israel, calling it a "fake regime" which
should not exist.
Tony Blair's spokesman said yesterday: "I
think everybody should read the Iranian
President's comments, because once again it
underlines that we have to take the
situation very seriously.
"These are not actually remarks made by
somebody without power, these are remarks
repeatedly made now by the Iranian
president.
"We all have to take very seriously the
issues which are now before the UN and
therefore take forward this issue with due
seriousness.
"It seems logical that we should consider a
Chapter 7 resolution under the security
council's mandate."
Iran has until Friday to comply with the UN
demand.
US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice also
said Washington was perturbed by statements
from Iran that it would consider sharing its
nuclear data with other countries in the
region.
Speaking in Greece, she said: "I suppose the
Iranians can threaten, but they are
deepening their own isolation."
Iran offered to share Iran's nuclear
technology with other countries, and said it
would freeze ties with the UN nuclear
watchdog, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, and accelerate its atomic programme
if sanctions were imposed.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready
to transfer the experience, science and
technology of its scientists."
He added: "Iran's nuclear capability is one
example of various scientific capabilities
in the country."
Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said:
"If you impose sanctions, Iran will suspend
its relations with the agency.
"Suspension means we will accelerate our
activities," he added.
Iran insists its nuclear research will be
used for peaceful purposes.
The US and EU both disagree, citing decades
of "lies" over the Islamic state's nuclear
ambitions.
Israel
Launches "Eye in the Sky" Over Iran
April 25, 2006
Reuters
Ori Lewis
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-04-25T191800Z_01_L25785397_RTRUKOC_0_US-ISRAEL-SATELLITE.xml
JERUSALEM -- Israel successfully launched on
Tuesday a highly accurate imaging satellite
which will enhance its ability to spy on
Iran, an official said. Israeli Defense
Minister Shaul Mofaz said this week that the
nuclear program being pursued by arch-foe
Iran was the most serious threat faced by
Jews since the Nazi Holocaust.
"The launching of the satellite was
successful," an official with the
manufacturer ImageSat International said.
It would be established whether the
satellite was operational in the coming
days, Israeli media reported. The launching
took place in the Russian Far East.
Shimon Eckhaus, the firm's chief executive,
told Reuters earlier on Tuesday: "The
capabilities of the satellite speak for
themselves. I do not need to say anything
about what the purpose of its use might be."
A report in Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth
said the Eros B satellite has a camera which
can decipher objects on the ground as small
as 70 centimeters (about two feet) across.
Eckhaus confirmed the accuracy of the
published details to Reuters.
The report said Eros B will join an earlier
version of the satellite, launched in
December 2000. Both are set to augment the
work of Israel's declared spy satellite,
Ofek 5, which regularly passes over Arab
territory.
The Yedioth report said Israel was planning
to send up another spy satellite with the
ability to view objects in all weather
conditions and in darkness. The Eros
satellites are effective only in daylight
and in clear visibility.
The launch comes at a time of heightened
tension over Iran's nuclear program.
The United States accuses Iran of seeking to
build nuclear bombs and has refused to rule
out military options if diplomacy fails to
curb the Islamic Republic's atomic
ambitions. Iran says its nuclear program is
peaceful and aimed at generating
electricity.
LAUNCHED FROM RUSSIA
Like its predecessor in 2000, Eros B was
launched from the Svobodny Cosmodrome in the
Russian Far East later on Tuesday using a
Russian Start-1 rocket.
It will orbit the Earth at a height of about
500 km (310 miles) and will circle the globe
roughly every 95 minutes, ImageSat said.
The Eros satellites, which weigh under 350kg
(770 lb), are among a number of small,
lightweight satellites which Israel's space
industry has perfected, Eckhaus said.
Because of the country's geographical
location and small size, the space industry
generally favors smaller payloads that can
more easily be launched from Israeli
territory.
"The fact that we are launching the
satellite in Russia means that we can do so
with the Earth's rotation and makes it more
effective and gives it a longer life span,"
Eckhaus said.
Israel is only able to launch small
satellites westwards over the Mediterranean
Sea -- opposite to the Earth's rotation --
because it cannot risk rockets flying over
its Arab neighbors to the east or debris
falling on their territory.
The satellite manufacturer
ImageSat International is partly owned by
government-held Israel Aircraft Industries,
the country's biggest defense company.
The
satellite's camera was developed and
manufactured by El-Op, a subsidiary of
Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems
which has a
stake in ImageSat International.
Rice Worries Iran Would Share Technology
April 25, 2006
The Associated Press
Anne Gearan
link to original article
Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the
United States is concerned over Iranian
threats to share the nuclear technology it
is developing with other countries.
Appearing at a news conference here, Rice
said Bush administration officials "have to
be concerned when there are statements from
Iran that Iran would not only like to have
this technology but would share it, share
technology and expertise."
She was reacting to a statement from Iran's
supreme leader that Tehran was prepared to
transfer its nuclear technology to other
countries.
"That's one of the fears, that there would
be that kind of escape, if you will, of
technology and expertise," Rice said.
Earlier Tuesday, Iranian's top leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said as he met with
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that
"Iran's nuclear capability is one example of
various scientific capabilities in the
country. ... The Islamic Republic of Iran is
prepared to transfer the experience,
knowledge and technology of its scientists."
Earlier, Rice dismissed new threats from
Iran over the future of its disputed nuclear
program, but won no public pledge of support
from ally Greece for punitive sanctions.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani,
said Tuesday that Iran will withdraw its
cooperation from the United Nations nuclear
watchdog agency if faced with U.N. sanctions
and will be forced to hide its nuclear
program if the West takes "harsh measures"
against it.
The statements were Iran's strongest
statement of defiance yet before a Friday
deadline the Security Council has given the
country to stop all uranium enrichment.
"What Iran's statements do is further Iran's
isolation from the international community,"
Rice said, adding that the Iranian people
"deserve better then they are currently
seeing from their government."
Rice, who spoke in Athens before traveling
to Turkey, said the next step in the
international effort to counter Iranian
nuclear ambitions is not certain.
The United States and European allies are
expected to press for binding measures when
the U.N. Security Council begins the next
round of its review of the Iranian case as
soon as next week.
Although Rice has recently raised the
likelihood of pressing for sanctions, she
did not go that far Tuesday when taking
questions following a meeting with her Greek
counterpart.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said
Greece opposes any nuclear weapons
development by Iran, but she was guarded
when she was asked whether Greece would
support sanctions. Greece is a temporary
member of the Security Council but cannot
cast a veto.
"The position of Greece is that the
international community should achieve a
peaceful settlement of this matter,"
Bakoyannis said. She said "there must be
coordination within the European Union, and
decisions will be taken within the framework
of the Security Council. We are in the
middle of a diplomatic effort, which still
has tools at its disposal that allow it to
be effective."
As anti-American riots raged near her
ministry, Bakoyannis said Iran had to
provide "sufficient assurances" that it
would not pursue a military nuclear program.
Asked about any possibility of U.S. military
action to deter Iran, Rice repeated the
standard White House reply. "The United
States president doesn't take any options
off the table, but we are on a diplomatic
agenda here," she said.
Bakoyannis and Rice also denied they had
discussed the possible use by the United
States of a large military base on the Greek
island of Crete. "The agenda is to reinforce
our diplomatic efforts," Rice said. "I most
certainly did not raise facilities for
anything, because that is not on the
agenda."
Rice also met briefly with Greek Prime
Minister Costas Caramanlis.
Riot squads fired tear gas Tuesday at masked
youths hurling gasoline bombs and rocks
after they tried to break through a police
cordon to reach the building where Rice was
meeting with Bakoyannis.
The youths set fire to at least one delivery
van and smashed many store fronts in one of
Athens' premier shopping areas as they were
chased by police away from central Syntagma
Square.
It was the first official trip by a U.S.
secretary of state to Greece in 20 years. In
March 1986, Secretary of State George
Schultz's visit coincided with a terrorist
bombing.
Greece is considered a hotbed of
anti-Americanism in Europe and protests
caused former Secretary of State Colin
Powell to cancel two planned visits — one in
late 2003 and another during the Athens
Olympics in 2004.
Threatened protests also forced former
President Clinton to shorten a 1999 visit,
which was marred by clashes between police
and anti-globalization activists.
