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On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.
Released on 2012-10-15 17:00 GMT
|2010-06-16 12:30:04
1) More ROK Activists Lobby UNSC Over Shipwreck
Unattributed report: "More Activists Lobby UNSC Over Shipwreck"
2) G20 Digest 1-15 Jun: Media Highlight Ministers' Meeting, ROK's Stimulus
Spending Cut
OSC will publish this product through November 2010 to summarize selected
media coverage of international preparations for the G20 Summit to held in
Seoul, Korea during 11-12 November.
3) Xinhua 'Roundup': Egyptian, Palestinian Presidents Meet To End Gaza
Xinhua "Roundup": "Egyptian, Palestinian Presidents Meet To End Gaza
4) 2 Koreas Brief UN Security Council on Cheonan Sinking
5) Review of Five Turkish-Language Kurdish Websites 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected reports carried by five Kurdish websites. To
request additional processing, call OSC at (80 0) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735
6) COE's Jagland Urges Pragmatism on Minority Rights, Hails Obama's Peace
Interview with Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of
Europe, by Dietmar Hipp; place and date not given: "Europe Has Suffered a
Lot From Fundamentalism." -- Spiegel Online headline. First paragraph is
an introduction.
7) Turkish Airlines Subsidiary To Launch Flights to Azerbaijan's
"THY'S SUBSIDIARY TO FLY TO NAKHICHEVAN" -- AA headline
8) Turkish Cypriot Leader Comments on Cyprus Problem, Solution
Report: "Patience is Being Lost"
9) Turkey Agrees With Greek Patriarchate To Turn Disputed Orphanage to
ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE, SAYS BAGIS" -- AA headline
10) Greek Commentary Sees Isr aeli Attack Against Gaza Flotilla as a
'Trap' by Turkey
Commentary by Khristina Poulidhou: "Prisoners in their Own Traps . . ."
11) Greek Alternate FM Addresses EU Council on Gaza, Turkey, Cyprus,
Report by V. Demiris: ""Droutsas at EU General Affairs Council"
12) Iraqi National Security Minister Warns Iran, Turkey Border Breaches
Interview with Shirwan al-Wa'ili, Iraqi minister of state for national
security affairs, by Su'ad Rashid; place and date not given: "Intertwined
Situation in Iraq Gives Its Neighbors Courage To Encroach on Its Borders"
-- first three paragraphs are Ilaf introduction
13) Turkish Press 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Turkish press on 15 June; to
request additional processing, please call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735. For Islamist press highlights, see
GMP201006150 06001. For assistance with multimedia elements, contact OSC
at 1-800-205-8615 or email@example.com.
14) Kuwait, Russia Fms Discuss Upcoming Kuwait's Amir Visit To Russia
"Kuwait, Russia Fms Discuss Upcoming Kuwait"s Amir Visit To Russia" --
KUNA Headline
15) Yeni Ozgur Politika Headlines 10 June 2010
The following is a list of news headlines from the Yeni Ozgur Politika
website on 10 June; to request additional processing, please contact OSC
at (800) 205-8615, (202) 338-6735, fax (703) 613-5735, or
16) Turkish Cypriot Leader Set To Visit Ankara 18 Jun
"TRNC PRESIDENT TO VISIT ANKARA ON JUNE 18" -- AA headline
17) Turkish, Greek Cypriot Leaders Meet To Discuss Property Issue
18) Turkish, Greek Cypriot Leaders Set Dates for Next 4 Meetings
"CYPRIOT LEADERS SET DATE FOR FUTURE MEETINGS" -- AA headlines
19) Analysts Forecast Foreign Policy of Potential New Czech Coalition
"New Czech Govt May Be More Accommodating to EU - Experts" -- Czech
Happenings headline
20) Iran Economic Sanctions, Government Corruption, 18 May - 9 June 2010
21) Turkish TESEV, German Fund Seminar in Jordan View Turkey's Ties With
Report by Cihan Celik from Jordan: "'Mideast Union' of Turkey, Arab
Countries Unrealistic, Say Experts"
22) Georgian leader, Armenian minister discuss ties, Karabakh
23) Defense of Strategic Exports
24) Gulf Press Highlights 12 Jun - 15 Jun
25) News Roundup 14, 15 Jun
For assistance with multimedia elements, contact OSC at 1-800-205-8615 or
26) Irania n Majles News and Developments 17-23 May 2010
27) Highlights -- Iraqi Southern Governorates Newspapers 06 - 12 June
The following lists selected items from newspapers published in the Iraqi
southern governorates 06 - 12 June. To request additional processing,
please call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202) 338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735.
This product is provided by the commercial establishment MediaWatch Middle
East, Dubai, UAE. OSC is not responsible for the editorial standards of
this translation
28) Israel Opposes Hamas Participation in Negotiations
"Israel Opposes Hamas Participation in Negotiations" -- KUNA Headline
29) Lebanon Eyeing Economic Coalition
"Lebanon Eyeing Economic Coalition" -- NOW Lebanon Headline
30) Italian Press 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Italian press on 15 June. To
request additional processing, call OSC at (8 00) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735; or fax (703) 613-5735.
31) Xinhua 'Analysis': Israel Braces for Iranian Attempt To Break Gaza
Xinhua "Analysis" by David Harris: "Israel Braces for Iranian Attempt To
Break Gaza Blockade"
32) Israeli Arabic Press 11 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Israeli Arabic press on 11
June; to request additional processing, please call OSC at (800) 205-8615,
(202) 338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735.
33) FYI -- Iranian President Says Obama 'Begged' for Votes at Security
Corrected version: updating processing time
34) Turkey Hosting Regional Workshop on Fight Against Drug Trafficking
"REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING" -- AA headline
35) Sleiman, Assad To Discuss Stalled Peace Process
"Sleiman, Assad To Discuss Stalled Peace Process" -- The Daily Star
36) Mitri Says Cabinet Will Meet Friday To Approve 2010 State Budget
"Mitri Says Cabinet Will Meet Friday To Approve 2010 State Budget" -- NOW
Lebanon Headline
37) Turkish Airlines Sends Plane to Bishkek To Evacuate Citizens
AA headline
38) Turkey's Gul Comments on Kyrgyzstan Events, Trade With South Korea
SOUTH KOREA HAVE 3.1 BLN USD TRADE VOLUME" -- AA headline
39) Turkish Islamist Press 15 Jun
This product lists selected reports carried in the Turkish Islamist press
on 15 June. To request further processing, please contact OSC at (800)
205-8615, (202) 338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735.
40) Philippine Agriculture Department Lifts Ban on Poultry From Turkey
R eport by KAM: "Agriculture dept lifts ban on poultry from Turkey"
41) Turkey, Senegal Sign Investment Agreement
"TURKEY AND SENEGAL SIGN AGREEMENT TO BOOST INVESTMENTS" -- AA headline
42) Egyptian Press 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Egyptian press on 15 Jun. To
request additional processing, please call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735; or fax (703) 613-5735.
43) UK Arabic Press 15 Jun 10
44) Istanbul Mayor Meets Officials After Turkish Airlines First Flight
"ISTANBUL MAYOR MEETS TANZANIAN PRESIDENT" -- AA headline
45) Brazil Political Issues 14 Jun 10
For assistance with multimedia elements, contact OSC at 1-800-205-8615 or
46) Pan-Arab Editor Argues Iran's Missed Opportunities Jeopardizes
Regional Stability
Editorial by Ghassan Sharbil: "The Year of Wasted Opportunities"
47) Gul Says Turkey Has Road Map for Ties With Israel, Declines To
"GUL SAYS TURKEY HAS A ROAD MAP FOR RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL" -- AA headline
48) Turkey's Erdogan Addresses Parliament Faction on Ties With US, Mideast
BY EQUATING TURKEY WITH OTHER COUNTRIES'" -- AA headline
49) Turkish Foreign Minister Meets With Norwegian President, Foreign
FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN OSLO" -- AA headline
50) Turkish Energy Minister Cites Problems on Nuclear Accord With South
MINISTER" -- AA headline
51) Turkish President Delivers Toast at Banquet Hosted by South Korean
"TURKISH PRESIDENT IN SOUTH KOREA" -- AA headline
52) Turkish Foreign Minister Denies Ankara's Disinterest in Central Asia
ASIA" -- AA headline
53) Turkey's Citizens Evacuated From Rebellious Southern Kyrgyzstan
54) Turkish Red Crescent Sends Aid to Kyrgyzstan
"TURKISH RED CRESCENT SENDS AID TO KYRGYZSTAN" -- AA headline
55) Turks Evacuated From Kyrgyzstan Arrive in Istanbul
1) Back to Top
More ROK Activists Lobby UNSC Over Shipwreck
Unattributed report: "More Activists Lobby UNSC Over S hipwreck" - Chosun
Ilbo Online
Wednesday June 16, 2010 03:01:00 GMT
(Description of Source: Seoul Chosun Ilbo Online in English -- English
website carrying English summaries and full translations of vernacular
hard copy items of the largest and oldest daily Chosun Ilbo, which is
conservative in editorial orientation -- strongly nationalistic,
anti-North Korea, and generally pro-US; URL: http://english.chosun.com)
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
2) Back to Top
G20 Digest 1-15 Jun: Media Highlight Ministers' Meeting, ROK's Stimulus
Spending Cut
OSC will publish this product through Novem ber 2010 to summarize selected
media coverage of international preparations for the G20 Summit to held in
Seoul, Korea during 11-12 November. - International -- OSC Report
Tuesday June 15, 2010 23:41:40 GMT
Stimulus Spending Cut At the 4-5 June meeting of the Group of 20 (G20)
finance ministers and central bankers in Pusan, members pledged to work
toward achieving fiscal "consolidation" and improving global "financial
safety nets," but failed to narrow differences on the contentious bank tax
issue. Meanwhile, the ROK Government has announced that it will cut
significantly its stimulus spending considering South Korea's rapid pace
of economic recovery in 2010.
To view the full-text in pdf, click here.
This OSC product is based exclusively on the content and behavior of
selected media and has not been coordinated with other US Government
< br>Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
3) Back to Top
Xinhua 'Roundup': Egyptian, Palestinian Presidents Meet To End Gaza Siege
Xinhua "Roundup": "Egyptian, Palestinian Presidents Meet To End Gaza
Siege" - Xinhua
Tuesday June 15, 2010 21:54:25 GMT
by Emad Al-Azrak, Wael Naguib
CAIRO, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday met
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm
el-Sheikh, with lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza, the
inter-Palestinian reconciliation and efforts to push Middle East peace
process forward high on the agenda.Following the meeting, Abbas said in a
press conference that the talks were focused on the outcome of his latest
tour which included Turkey, the United States, Spain and France as well as
the inter-Palestinian reconciliation efforts.According to the Palestinian
president, he briefed Mubarak on the outcome of his tour, especially his
talks with U.S. President Barack Obama, during which he underlined the
necessity to end the Israeli blockade on Gaza and to launch an
investigation into its attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla some two
weeks ago."We told the Americans that the siege should be lifted. This
means opening all the Israeli crossings," Abbas said.Abbas called for an
impartial fact-finding committee to investigate the Israeli attack on the
Freedom Flotilla, which killed nine pro-Palestinian activists."This
investigation committee has to be in accordance with the presidential
statement issued by the (UN) Security Council," he added.The U N Security
Council, in its presidential statement of May 31, called for an impartial
investigation into the Israeli attack on the flotilla carrying
humanitarian aid to Gaza.It is important to make use of these political
activities caused by the Israeli attack on the flotilla to lift the siege
on Gaza, Emad Gad, an expert from Al-Ahram Center for Political and
Strategic Studies told Xinhua.Gad said the strip has six crossings
bordered on Israel and one on Egypt, and the international community
should not allow this unjustified blockade exist.He added that a marine
force from Europe or other countries can be formed to search the ships
heading to Gaza, to make sure that they don't carry any weapon. And it is
also important that the European Union (EU) and UN send supervisors to
Rafah crossing to make sure it will be opened permanently.As for the
inter-Palestinian reconciliation, Gad said it is necessary to be
accomplished, which will remove the reasons of the blockade, as the s iege
was imposed after Hamas controlled the Gaza Strip.Gad said it is important
to make use of the current condition to push the peace process forward,
referring to the meeting between Abbas and Mubarak and the former's tour
in Turkey, the U.S. , Spain and France.Abbas discussed last week with
Obama the "disastrous attack by Israeli forces" on a Gaza-bound aid
flotilla, the necessary mechanism of lifting the siege imposed on Gaza
three yeas ago and the indirect negotiations between Palestinians and
Israelis.The proximity talks, supposed to handle security issues and the
borders of the future Palestinian state, have not yet made progress since
it kicked off in May.Earlier, Azzam al-Ahmad, a Fatah official, said the
Palestinian president has assured Hamas that the Islamic movement's
reservation on an Egyptian proposal for Palestinian unity would be
considered after Hamas signs the Egyptian plan.Al-Ahmad said that Fatah
agrees on conducting the presidential and parlia ment elections supervised
by Turkey and other foreign countries and international institutions from
all over the world."We are working on lifting the siege, not just to ease
it through talking about a visit or entering some goods," al-Ahmad
added.He asserted the reconciliation as the only way to revive the
national cause through gathering hands to found a law to face the Israeli
criminals and the European and American hesitation.(Description of Source:
Beijing Xinhua in English -- China's official news service for
English-language audiences (New China News Agency))
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
4) Back to Top
2 Koreas Brief UN Security Council on Cheonan Sinking - Chosu n Ilbo
Wednesday June 16, 2010 01:17:59 GMT
(CHOSUN ILBO) - The two Koreas took turns Monday briefing the UN Security
Council on the sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. UNSC
members expressed confidence in South Korea's findings but found North
Korea's denial of involvement unconvincing.
Accompanied by international investigators, Yoon Duk-yong, the head of the
investigative team, briefed a session of the UNSC for two hours and
answered questions. "UNSC members asked many good questions," he told
reporters afterwards. "They understood the scientific, physical cause of
the sinking of the Cheonan."The French, Austrian, Turkish, and Japanese
ambassadors to the UN described the briefing given by the South Korean
team as "scientific," "thoroughgoing" and "convincing." The envoys from
China and Russia, which have s at on the fence so far, reportedly raised
no further doubts in the session.North Korea's UN ambassador Sin Son-ho
was up next and claimed that far from sinking the ship, the North is the
victim of South Korean "fabrications."Austrian ambassador Thomas
Mayr-Harting called the South Korean testimony a presentation based on a
thorough "investigation" but the North's briefing an
"allegation."Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico, the current UNSC chair,
in a statement said that the UNSC is "seriously concerned" about the
Cheonan sinking and its consequences for the peace and stability of the
Korean Peninsula. He urged both Koreas to refrain from action that could
heighten tensions in the region.(Description of Source: Seoul Chosun Ilbo
Online in English -- English website carrying English summaries and full
translations of vernacular hard copy items of the largest and oldest daily
Chosun Ilbo, which is conservative in editorial orientation -- strongly
nationalistic, anti-North Korea, and generally pro-US; URL:
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
5) Back to Top
Review of Five Turkish-Language Kurdish Websites 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected reports carried by five Kurdish websites. To
request additional processing, call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202) 338-6735,
or fax (703) 613-5735 - Turkey -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 21:44:22 GMT
Website URL:
http://www.kurdwebb.com/ www.kurdwebb.com Source Information:
News portal supportive of the Kurdish cause based in Bromma
The Web site Is Under Construction (15Jun10)
News Topics: Columns: Forums:
Not Active Chatrooms:
-- Videos, Audios:
-- Interviews: Scheduled Activities: Links:
Webb TV --
http://kurdwebb.com/files/turki/firattv.php Advertisements:
*TRT6 Kurdish TV
*Wasanen Doz Publishing--Now It is Much Easier to Obtain Our Publishing
From Sweden, Telephone: 076 225 80 20
Website URL:
http://www.gencliginsesi.net/ www.gencliginsesi.net Source Information:
Kurdish communist website supportive of Kurdish cause and targeting youth
based in Hamburg News Topics:
*Issue of the 23 rd Week: How Far the Zionist Barbarism Can G0?!--Members
discuss the recent controversial Israeli attack on Turkish humanitarian
aid convoy ships and try to analyze how the USA fits in this equation and
what the AKP government was really aiming (31May10) Columns:
-- Fo rums:
No Password Needed Chatrooms:
*Number of Members: 19,216. Currently 6 members, 02 guests are online
(15Jun10) Videos, Audios:
-- Interviews:
-- Scheduled Activities: Links:
* Major Turkish Newspapers. *Pro-Kurdish Newspapers: Evrensel, Gundem,
Evrensel Avrupa, Ozgur Politika, Birgun.
*Gencligin Sesi E-Journal
* Pro-Kurdish Journals : Evrensel Kultur, Ozgurluk Dunyasi, Birlik ve
Mucadele, Tiroj, Devrimci Demokrasi, Kibrista Sosyalist Gercek, Alinteri,
Uzun Yuruyus, Sol, Kurtulus Cephesi, Hareket, Kaldirac, Sosyalist Isci,
Urun, Antikapitalist, Fabrika, Siyasi Gazete, Enternasyonel Sosyalizm,
Halkin birligi, Isci-Koylu, Devrimci Cozum, Odak, Amigra, Barikat,
Iktidara, Welat, Gercek, Direnis, Kozmopolitik, Turnusol, Teori ve
Politika, Devrim, Praksis, Serxwebun, Sterka Rizgari, anarsist Bakis, Isci
Mucadelsi, Ilerici Genclik, Mucadele Birligi *Kurdish Political Parties:
Emek, Ozgur Toplum, Hak ve Ozgurlukler, Ozgurluk Dayan isma, Emekci
Hareket, Turkiye Komunist Partisi Advertisements:
*Newspaper Gunluk
*www.okul.gencliginsesi.net (Voice of Youth School)
(Voice of Youth Radio)
*www.hayattelevizyonu.info (Hayat Television)
*www.birlesikcephe.org (Anti-imperialist United Front)
Website URL:
http://www.kurdistan-aktuel.org%20/ www.kurdistan-aktuel.org Source
News portal supportive of the Kurdish cause and north Iraqi leader Barzani
and critical of Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK; founded by Selim Curukkaya;
based in Bremen News Topics:
*NGO's Joint Announcement on Recent Rapes Cases in Eastern Anatolia--Full
text of the announcement including the names of signatory NGOs (15Jun10)
*Greetings, We Are on Action!--Detailed informat ion on the ongoing 3 main
actions among the Kurdish community (14Jun10)
*3 Documents--Links to detailed court documents of evacuated villages in
Southe ast due to terrorism, Yassiada trials in which the former prime
minister Adnan Menderes executed, and court documents on execution of
1970s student leader Deniz Gezmis and his friends (12Jun10) Columns:
*The Maple Tree in the Desert: The Secret of Qandil, Part 29--Article by
Selim Curukkaya analyzing the life and developments in KRG while visiting
the grounds after a long time. In this part he talks about Commander Nasr
of the PKK who was killed by the current executive PKK leaders' trap,
namely Duran Kalkan, Murat Karayilan and Mustafa Karasu, for criticizing
the handling of the PKK with an insight from a currently active PKK member
*Official Ideology, Religion, and NGOs--Article by Irfan Burulday
analyzing how the NGOs are the people's best choices to stand against the
official ideology and the politicized religion of the states (13Jun10)
*Kurdish Overture Without Kurds Insistent on Colonialism!--Article by M.
Kobal Aryali heavily criticizing the AKP government for its Kurdish
overture program that does not include the Kurds in it other than being
the subject that is being told what to do (10Jun10) Forums:
No Password Needed Chatrooms:
Password Needed
*Currently 93 guests are online (15Jun10) Videos, Audios: Interviews:
*Kurdish Intellectual Bayram Ayaz: 'The Wind of Change' Is Gone in the
CHP!--Interview by Murat Dagdelen with Bayram Ayaz on the Kurdish people's
and Kurdish intellectuals' perception of the newly elected CHP leader, how
Kilicdaroglu's identity of being a Kurd and Alevi might impact the Kurdish
problem and the cause, possible CHP formulas to resolve the Kurdish
problem, if the CHP can change its Kurdish policy, also can the CHP renew
itself, Ocalan's views on Kilicdaroglu and the new CHP (10Jun10)
*Kurdish Intellectual Cevat Abay: Everyone, Religious or Atheist Must
Fight Against the Kemalist Regime--Interview by Sejidxan Kurij with Abay
on the recent flotilla c risis between Israel and Turkey, international
media's reactions against Israel, the AKP's Israel policy, how it would
impact Turkish-Israeli relations, how Fethullah Gulen's reaction against
the incident should be interpreted, the IHH Humanitarian Aid Foundation,
Turkish understanding of the Gaza issue as a Muslim society, comparison of
the Kurdish case and the Gaza case (10Jun10) Scheduled Activities: --
Links: -- Advertisements: --
Website URL:
http://www.rojaciwan.com/ www.rojaciwan.com Source Information:
Portal supportive of the Kurdish cause and PKK based in Vienna News
Topics: *Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan Found Who Is Responsible
for Blocking the Kurdish Overture--Detailed information on Erdogan's
remarks on the subject and the criticism of Rojaciwan on his remarks
(15Jun10) *Arts Lessons for Kurdish Children Who Are Victims of Obligatory
Migration--Detailed information on the issue
(15Jun10) *Relatives of Missing in Yalo va--Detailed information on the
ongoing march from Istanbul to Ankara
(15Jun10) *Prison Guards Tore Ahmet Kaya's Poster Claim in Van--Detailed
information on the event in F-Type prison
*PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan: My Project That I Could Not Finish, Freeing
Kurdish Women--Detailed information on the remarks and thoughts of Ocalan
(12Jun10) *Soldiers Uncomfortable About 'War'--Detailed information on the
uprising tide of conscientious objectors in the military and how they feel
about the recent attacks
(12Jun10) Columns:
*The Last Drop th ank Makes the Water Spill--Article by Kasim Engin
heavily criticizing the Turkish state and the AKP government for their
policies towards the Kurds and their institutions while threatening to
fight back (15Jun10)
*Historical Period--Article by Selahattin Erdem analyzing the KCK's new
strategy that it announced to start on 1 June and explaining the 4 major
issues that the KCK and the PKK aim to succeed in during this period and
where that would bring the Kurdish people and the Kurdish cause (12Jun10)
*Subcontractor AKP--Article by Mustafa Karasu analyzing the AKP foreign
policy that is attracting a lot of suspicion in the international arena
and looking into the 'shift of axis' debate that is dominating the agenda
nowadays while explaining why there is no shift in turkey's axis and why
the USA and the EU should not be thinking that there is (12Jun10) Forums:
No Password Needed
*Ocalan's His Health Means Our Health Campaign (15Jun10)
*What Is Civilization and What Are Its Main Sources? (15Jun10)
*Do You Know your Rights So That You Will Not Be Oppressed? (15Jun10)
*There Is Not International Public Opinion, There Is Just Power (15Jun10)
*Our women Power YJA-STAR Destroyed and Armored Vehicle in Semdinli
*Here Are Real Intellectuals (15Jun10)
*Russia Recognizes Yezidi Religion as an Official Religion! (15Jun10)
*Kurdish Yezidis that Are Being Oppressed in Armenia Too!!!! (15Jun10)
*How Many Yezidi Villages Are There in Turkey? (15Jun10)
*Turkey's Military With 789,000 Troops and the PKK's 10,000 Guerrillas
*Alliance Between PKK and Israel? (15Jun10)
*Nationalist Hearths Raid on Kurdish Wedding Reception and Things Happened
in Kurdistan Within 24 Hours (15Jun10) Chatrooms:
Registration Required
*Live Chat 'Voice of the People'--Password required, entry as a guest is
possible (15Jun10)
*Number of Members: 64,182. Currently 22 members and 15 guests are online
(15Jun10) Videos, Audios: Interviews: Scheduled Activities: Links:
* Major Turkish Newspapers. *Pro-Kurdish Newspapers
: Ozgur Politika, Ozgur Gundem, Rojaciwan, ANF News, DIHA, Azadiya Welat,
Sexwabun, Dozame, Evrensel. Major European Newspapers: Guardian,
Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Welt, Spiegel, Die Presse, Tages Anzeiger, Focus,
20 Minuten, Blick, Le Monde, Punkt Ch, Journal Francis, Kurier, The
Australian. *Pro-Kurdish Journal: Sterka Ciwan
* Major Turkish TV : Pro-Kurdish TV : Roj TV, Kurdsat TV, Kurdistan TV,
Guerilla TV. *Major European TV
* Radio : Pro-Kurdish Denge Radio, Mezapotamya Radio. *Other:
http://www.tzpkurdi.com/ www.tzpkurdi.com
*Kurdish Lesson Advertisements:
*Ubuntu ya Kurdi
*Open Office 2.3 a Kurdi
*Bernama Ciwan, Roja Carsen li gori wexta ewrupa, at 1930 on Roj TV
*Kurtce Egitim (Learn Kurdish)
*Mir Qasimlo's 2 nd Kurdish Novel Giyanen Bahozi on the Market!
*Abdullah Ocalan's New Book 'Democratic Society's Manifest' on the Market!
Website URL:
http://www.dengeazad.com/ www.dengeazad.com Source Information:
News portal supportive of the Kurdish cause based in Al-Suleymaniyah News
*Hero Ibrahim and Nermin Osman to Become Members in PUK
Politbureau--Detaile d information on the election of these 2 women
*Al-Iraqiya List Spokesman Haydar Mula: If Allawi Cannot Become the Prime
Minister, He Would Leave Iraq--Detailed information on the controversial
issue and his remarks (14Jun10)
*KRG Economic Development Conference to be Held in London--Detailed
information on the issue and the process until the conference (14Jun10)
*Kurdish Delegations Baghdad Visit Starts--Detailed information on the
issue and the Kurdish strategy about new Iraqi government's establishment
*Major Iraqi Leaders Celebrate Jalal Talabani for His Re-Election as PUK
General Secretary--Detailed information on the issue and remarks of
leaders (14Jun10)
*Kurdish Women Hero Ibrahim Ahmet Got to Most Votes in Election of
Executives During PUK Congress--Detailed information on the issue
*Long Waited Al-Maliki, Al-Allawi Meeting Took Place--Detailed information
on the issue and the agenda of the meet ing (13Jun10)
*New Iraqi Parliament to Hold Its First Session Tomorrow--Detailed
information on the issue (13Jun10)
*Awaited Shiite Alliance in Iraq Announced--Detailed information on the
issue (12Jun10)
*Al-Iraqiya List: We Are Going to Burn Ahmedinezhad Pictures and Iranian
Flags--Detailed information on the perception and hostility in parts of
Iraq towards Iran (12Jun10)
*Religious Authorities Against the Opening of Beer Factory in
KRG--Detailed information on the controversial issue (12Jun10)
*Jalal Talabani Re-Elected as PUK general Secretary--Detailed information
on the issue (12Jun10)
*Iraqi Turkoman Front's Worries Increase Over Kirkuk--Detailed information
on the controversial issue (11Jun10) Columns:
*Why Turkey's Axis Debate Still on Agenda?--Article by Ihsan Dagi
analyzing the criticism against the AKP government's foreign policy and if
these are true while looking into how the opposition--the CHP,--the status
quo, and Israel and Jewish lobby are and would benefit from these
criticisms, not Turkey necessarily (15Jun10) (Zaman) Forums:
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COE's Jagland Urges Pragmatism on Minority Rights, Hails Obama's Peace
Interview with Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of
Europe, by Dietmar Hipp; place and date not given: "Europe Has Suffered a
Lot From Fundamental ism." -- Spiegel Online headline. First paragraph is
an introduction. - Spiegel Online
Tuesday June 15, 2010 18:02:58 GMT
(Thorbjorn Jagland) It is true that the Court is overloaded, for the very
reason of its own success. As every year sees more and more complaints
being submitted, a reform is now scheduled for June, aimed at making the
Court more efficient... (Spiegel Online)
...even though this has long been blocked by Russia.
(Jagland) Yes, one of my first official acts on taking office was to
travel to Moscow and get President Medvedev to go along with this reform,
which Russia has just done last spring. But a whole lot more still has to
be done, so as to move the Court of Human Rights forward. (Spiegel Online)
Such as?
(Jagland) We need a better filtering mechanism. Today, any citizen can
turn to the Court, by submitting their concerns in writing. Yet more than
90 percent of cases end up being rejected by the Court as inadmissible.
The judges should be able to focus right from the outset on the most
important cases. (Spiegel Online)
This alone isn't going to stem the flood of complaints.
(Jagland) I know. Many cases come in particular from those countries whose
citizens do not trust their own judicial systems. For these, the court is
not the final scope for appeal, but often a kind of first instance. For
this reason, we have to ensure that many states reform their own judicial
systems. Since 30 percent of complaints presently emanate from Russia
alone, we are going to help the Court if the Russian Federation reforms
its legal system - this is what makes it so important that Russia has now
recognized the importance of the Court. (Spiegel Online)
Is Turkey also one of your more problematic members? The German media
recently reported that more than 250 children and young people, mostly of
Kurdish ori gin, are serving jail terms, often of many years' duration,
for alleged terrorist activities. Are you aware of this?
(Jagland) Yes, and I am concerned about it. This example shows the need
for Turkey to make further reforms to its constitution and its
legislation. I had a long talk with Prime Minister Erdogan about this two
months ago, constitutional reform is at least being discussed right now in
the Turkish Parliament, so as to enable Turkey to measure up better to the
rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Of course, Turkey must also
do more for its Kurdish population. Having said that, the Erdogan
government is the first one to have done anything at all on this, and this
fact does also need to be recognized. (Spiegel Online)
Given these conditions, is Turkey ready for negotiations on joining the
European Union?
(Jagland) This is not a decision for me to make. But I can see that Turkey
is moving well toward European standards, and that it is working hard to
become a European nation. If Turkey does become successfully and
completely integrated into the European community, then this would have a
major influence upon Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and many other Muslim countries.
(Spiegel Online)
Religious issues are also playing an ever-greater role in the Council of
Europe. Italy was recently condemned by the Strasbourg court for the
presence of crucifixes on the walls of Italian classrooms. What is going
to happen if Italy is unwilling to make any changes?
(Jagland) Well now, Italy has filed an appeal with the Court's Grand
Chamber against this ruling, and we now have to await its verdict. But
obviously the question that arises here is that of the extent to which the
Court should interfere in national issues. (Spiegel Online)
And? Should it?
(Jagland) It's a matter of the Court's defending the fundamental, the most
important human rights. In the process, our conception of human rights is
changing , albeit in an ongoing way; just think of the rights of
homosexuals - ten years ago, it was still by no means taken for granted
that these fell under the aegis of protecting human rights. But some
issues can lose some of their importance, too; the Court must remain
focused on these changes. (Spiegel Online)
Let's stick to the case of crucifixes in schools: Many Germans have the
same problem with this Catholic tradition. If it were to be forbidden for
Italy, then the immediate result would be German plaintiffs turning to
Strasbourg too.
(Jagland) Yes, I can see that, the question that now arises is this:
Should the crucifix really be such a big issue? Or to put it another way:
Is it really the job of politicians to blow up matters that maybe are not
actually so big a problem? Take the debate over burqas and headscarves. If
there are really thousands and umpteen thousands of young girls wearing
the burqa, then we will certainly need to step in with legislation. B ut I
think this can still be dealt with entirely pragmatically. And is it
really such a big problem if girls do wear a headscarf? If a father is
forcing a girl to do so, then it is certainly a problem for the girl. But
is it a big problem for society? (Spiegel Online)
Belgium recently prohibited the burqa by law. Can you really imagine a
girl going to school completely veiled from head to toe?
(Jagland) No, but does this mean we really need a law on this? I think
this is something any school can tackle, too. If a girl were to come to
school wearing a burqa in my homeland of Norway, then the school could
say: "That's not on, as we can't see your face." So does this mean we
really need parliamentary debates and all this public rumpus? There are
surely more important things in our society. (Spiegel Online)
The Swiss recently voted in their referendum to ban minarets...
(Jagland) And that's another matter where I wonder: Was that really such a
big problem? (Spiegel Online)
That was the way the Swiss saw it.
(Jagland) But should the majority vote to decide on whether or not the
building of minarets is to be allowed? So far as I'm concerned, it's down
to the local authorities to say we don't have room for it, or else it mars
the way our city looks. But that's then a different matter. The question
is surely this: Should this be decided by referendum? It is a fundamental
principle of the Convention on Human Rights that human rights are not at
the disposal of the majority. The majority have no right to trespass on
the human rights of the minority. (Spiegel Online)
But is there a human right to build a minaret?
(Jagland) No, probably not. But I think this should nevertheless be
handled pragmatically. Europe has suffered a lot from fundamentalism and
differing ideologies. We should not be starting over with that kind of
thing. "Obama's Policy Is Only Just Starting" (Spiegel Online )
As chairman of the Nobel Committee, you gave your backing to awarding US
President Barack Obama the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. You argued that he was
not receiving the prize for nuclear disarmament, but for his peace signals
toward the Muslim world.
(Jagland) Correct. (Spiegel Online)
And how do you see that today, six months later: Was Obama the right
(Jagland) Yes, his visit to Turkey to speak in an Istanbul mosque was a
historic event. No previous US President had ever done that. And then he
went on to Cairo, where he spoke to the Muslim world. What he wants is
reconciliation. (Spiegel Online)
But the confrontation with the Muslim world still continues. American
troops are waging war in Afghanistan and in parts of Pakistan.
(Jagland) Yes, but Obama's policy is only just starting. By the way, the
Nobel Peace Prize Committee did also award the prize to Martin Luther King
at a very early stage, because he had launched such a p rocess. Someone
has to make a start, someone has to take the lead. (Spiegel Online)
A bold comparison.
(Jagland) Not at all! Surely it's getting more and more obvious that we
were right. Why have Presidents Medvedev and Obama now met in Prague to
sign the new nuclear disarmament treaty? (as published) Because Obama
started this process in Prague, by reaching out to the Russians. Entirely
in line with this is his declared intention of modifying the missile
defense treaty and ratifying the nuclear test ban treaty. And all this
happened within months. Never before have we had a President who has made
such rapid and deep-rooted changes to the United States' political agenda.
(Spiegel Online)
Even in spite of the disappointments in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
(Jagland) Political leadership does not mean that disappointments can
always be avoided. The crucial criterion for the Nobel Committee was this:
Who has done the most for world peace over the past year? And it rapidly
became very clear that the only possible answer was Obama. (Spiegel
The commander-in-chief of the greatest military power on earth, as it
(Jagland) Yes, I did also ask myself: Can we really do this: award this
prize to the most powerful man on earth? In charge of that military
machine, that economic power? But now and again one does have to - as the
Germans put it - pay tribute to realpolitik. (Spiegel Online)
Is the Nobel Peace Prize a prize for realpolitik?
(Jagland) The world cannot be changed without realpolitik. We have often
enough awarded the prize to idealists, and they are just as indispensable.
But one should from time to time focus on realpolitik. Just think of Willy
Brandt's Eastern Policy (Mayor of West Berlin, 1957 - 1966; West German
vice chancellor and foreign minister, 1966 - 1969 federal chancellor; 1969
- 1974; leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, 1964 - 1987. His
"Ostpolit ik" was designed to achieve detente and reconciliation with
Germany's WW2 enemies, subsequently the postwar communist states of
central and eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, including recognition of
the de facto postwar international borders), who was similarly honored for
such realpolitik. (Spiegel Online)
You once said that the European Union should actually get the Nobel Peace
Prize too. Two questions: Why? And second: When?
Jagland) The first question is simple: Because the EU is the most
important peace project in history. It has integrated the former enemies
inside a community, and this is a project that is now being extended ever
further, toward the east and into the Balkans. What has happened with the
continent of Europe is actually unbelievable, for all the worries over the
euro. And so far as your second question... (Spiegel Online)
...the question as to when...
(Jagland) ...is concerned: This is in fact a delicate matter, for as
chairman of the Nobel Prize Committee I am obviously obligated to silence.
(Spiegel Online)
But it would be possible, would it?
(Jagland) A lot of things are possible. This year we have more candidates
than ever before: More than 240 possible winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
(Description of Source: Hamburg Spiegel Online in German -- News website
funded by the Spiegel group which funds Der Spiegel weekly and the Spiegel
television magazine; URL: http://www.spiegel.de)
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Turkish Airlines Subsidiary To Launch Flights to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan
"THY'S SUBSIDIARY TO FLY TO NAKHICHEVAN" -- AA headline - An atolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 10:55:00 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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Turkish Cypriot Leader Comments on Cyprus Problem, Solution
Report: "Patience is Being Lost" - Kibris
Tuesday June 15, 2010 16:28:24 GMT
Responding to the question "What might happen if the talks do not end by
the end of the year?" he said: "The foreign countries and Turkey are
becoming impatient. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is moving to
intervene. We can see all that."
Dervis Eroglu asserted that the Turkish Cypriot side favors the
convocation of a five-party conference with the participation of Turkey,
Greece, Britain, and the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides if a solution
cannot be found through the bilateral talks.
President Dervis Eroglu met with the officials of the Kibris Media Group
yesterday. Resat Akar, director of the Kibris Media Group's publications
and broadcasts, and the officials in charge of daily Kibris and the Kibris
TV news sections participated in luncheon that was held at the
presidential palace. Also participating were Presidential Spokesman Osman
Ertug and Asli Eroglu.
Dervis Eroglu made important statements on the Cyprus problem prior to the
meeting he will have with Dhimitrios Khristofias today. He said, "We drew
up a presentation which also refers to the two ECHR rulings on the
property probl em. We will submit it when we meet." Starting with the
Property Problem was Wrong
President Eroglu conveyed the message that the Turkish side will maintain
its proposal for the solution of the property problem on the basis of
compensation, exchange, and restitution. Commenting on the decision that
the property problem be taken up when the negotiations are resumed, he
said: "It would have been better if we first held talks on administration
and sharing of power. Actually, I was not in favor of discussing the
property problem when the talks were resumed. I believed that starting
with that problem was wrong. However, I was repeatedly accused during the
elections of trying to disrupt the process. I would have again been
accused of trying to disrupt the process if I objected to the decision on
the property problem. So, I had to agree." Maras will be a Part of the
Comprehensive Solution
Stressing that he does not expect a call to be made for the r eturn of
Maras (Varosha) to the Greek Cypriot side as a goodwill gesture, Eroglu
said: "Bringing the matter to the negotiation table will not be good.
Maras will be a part of the comprehensive solution."
President Eroglu responded to the question "What will happen if the talks
do not end by the end of the year?" by saying: "The foreign countries and
Turkey are becoming impatient. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is moving
to intervene. We can see all that. The extension of the UNFICYP mandate
will be taken up again in November. A resolution that might call for the
withdrawal of the UNFICYP will be very important... We will assess the
situation in Ankara on 18 June. We will hold detailed talks." A Possible
Plan Must Not Contain Impositions
President Eroglu said: "The United Nations might draw up a plan. That is a
possibility. However, it must be aware that it must not contain
impositions. A possible plan must be one for which the Turkish Cypriot
people will say yes." Dervis Eroglu added that persuading the Turkish
Cypriot people to say yes to such a plan when an agreement does not exist
on any chapter in the talks will be difficult. We Proposed To Have Three
Meetings Every Week
Stressing that the talks have to be stepped up for an agreement in the
process by the end of the year, Eroglu noted: "We proposed to have three
meetings every week. Very little time is left. We are prepared to increase
the number of meetings we have. However, we have not had a response to our
proposal. Nor have we decided to hold only one meeting every week. We
decided in the last meeting we had to hold talks again on this day. We
want to have the talks stepped up. Meanwhile, the special representatives,
esteemed Kudret Ozersay and esteemed Yeoryios Iakovou, may meet more
frequently. In short, the Turkish Cypriot side is chasing the Greek
Cypriot side. However, it is running away." Five Part y Meetings Held in
President Eroglu said that the Turkish Cypriot side is opposed to a
conference in Burgenstock as called for by the Greek Cypriots. He
asserted: "Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side agree to a five-party
conference. It was first proposed by former President Turgut Ozal,
deceased, and later by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Five-party
meetings were held in Burgenstock in the past. The Greek Cypriots fear
that the KKTC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) might be recognized is
baseless. The world does not recognize the KKTC. Will it do so if Greece
sits at the negotiation table with us?"
(Description of Source: Nicosia Kibris in Turkish -- Popular liberal
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Turkey Agrees With Greek Patriarchate To Turn Disputed Orphanage to
ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE, SAYS BAGIS" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 15:35:38 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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Greek Commentary Sees Israeli Attack Against Gaza Flotilla as a 'Trap' by
Commentar y by Khristina Poulidhou: "Prisoners in their Own Traps . . ." -
O Kosmos tou Ependhiti
Tuesday June 15, 2010 13:11:30 GMT
One side argues that Israel is certain to have informed the United States
of its plan to attack the ships carrying humanitarian aid and the fact
Washington kept silent is a strong indication of its tolerance toward the
Israeli attack. Consequently, the plan was to leave Turkey exposed as a
country that seeks to establish an "Islamic arc," to include Iran, Syria,
the Hamas, and all Islam, both radical and moderate. Those who take the
opposite view argue that the Erdogan government took advantage of the
initiative taken by the (Turkish) IHH (International Relief Foundation)
(an organization with a rather suspect past) with the intention of
vilifying Israel's position in the international community, by portraying
it as a country that uses militar y force to respond to international
humanitarian missions. Irrespective of which version of events is correct,
Israel is today facing international denunciation while Turkey is viewed
with concern by the international community. Israel is accused of
launching an attack in international waters and causing the death of nine
persons, while Turkey has now become part of the Middle East problem
rather than a third party mediator.
However, there is also a third theory: That the powers behind the IHH
planned this action by predicting both the Israeli attack as well as
Erdogan's furious response. Their intention was to widen the conflict in
the Middle East, raise the adrenalin levels, and push Turkey toward
becoming a "hostage" of radical Islamic movements. In the end, a political
solution would thus become an even more distant possibility. Intolerance
Turkey's newspapers (Milliyet, Hurriyet, Sabah, Vatan, Star) report on a
climate of intense religious in tolerance and passionate belligerence that
prevails in Turkey today, where the public appears to be aligned with the
thinking of those in power. According to Turkish analysts, an indication
of the existence of an overall plan by the Turkish government is the fact
that the initiative was undertaken by the IHH and not by the Red Cross, as
well as the downgrading of all strong warnings issued by Israel, and the
lack of any diplomatic initiatives to avert the tragedy. It should be
noted that the IHH has close relations with ultra Islamist leader
Necmettin Erbakan, but also with the Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and
the Hizballah. The same analysts point out that the Israeli attack has
effectively woken up Anatolia's "sleeping giant" with the result that the
Islamists are currently dictating the country's political agenda. In their
view, the rise in Erdogan's popularity is taking place just after the
issue of the person to succeed Deniz Baikal had monopolized media
attention. As an example, they quote from a recent opinion poll that shows
66% of the public as believing that the response by the Erdogan government
was "good but insufficient." The people that poured out into the streets,
waving Hamas flags and clamoring "let us go to Palestine" or shouting
their support for the Intifada, reading excerpts from the Koran, and
beating the drums of war, cannot now return to their homes simply because
. . . night has fallen. Prayers . . .
There is no doubt that Erdogan was carried away by the glory of a "popular
leader" who won over the Muslim world. It is characteristic that children
in Gaza were given his name and thousands of Lebanese in Beirut were
chanting "Merciful Allah, give life to Erdogan for our sake," exactly as
they had done in the past with the Hizballah. In Egypt, Erdogan has been
called the "Caliph of the Muslims," while in Iran "popularly elected"
Preside nt Ahmadinezhad's standing fades when compare d to that of
Erdogan's. As young Iranians told foreign news agencies; "Our president
was forced to isolate Iran in order to remain faithful to his anti-West
rhetoric, while Erdogan defended his own people in a civilized manner,
without negotiating his Islamic values."
This kind of climate, which has no relation to Ankara's ambition to serve
as a "bridge" between East and West, was duly noted by the Islamist
movement's guru Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States. Writing
in the Wall Street Journal, Gulen called on the Erdogan government to
restraint itself, underlining that the Turkish humanitarian organization
should have asked for Israel's permission to mount the mission.
Distinguished Turkish analyst Cengiz Aktar also pointed out that Turkey
interpreted the Israeli attack against a non governmental organization as
an attack against the Turkish nation and, by recalling article 5 of the
NATO Treaty (on mutual assistance) requested the alliance's support,
albeit in vain. A similar line of thinking was adopted by all media
(irrespective of their political affiliations). As they noted, Gulen's
position was "a warning to the Erdogan government to return to the center
and to stop sliding in the direction of Erbakan's party." One of the
arguments printed was that current-day Turkey
is acting like an "advocate for radical Islamic elements." Milliyet argues
that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (who attached what he
described as Israel's aggressive and autocratic policies) "never said
anything about Iran's anti-democratic policies or spoke about the serious
violations of human rights in Iran or in Gaza against Hamas opponents. In
another article, Hurriyet wrote of a "Palestinian fetishism," comparing
this with the fact that "not a single Muslim protested in the past for the
300.000 dead Muslims in Darfour or for the one million dead Muslims in
Iraq." The Vatan newspaper also spoke of the "Islamist smell accompanying
the demonstrations that has raised concerns among many socially important
This climate of demagoguery has also extended among opposition parties.
The CHP (Republican People's Party) has complained that AKP (Justice and
Development) party deputies, despite having originally said they intended
to join the humanitarian flotilla, failed in the end to board the ships
"allowing 19-year-olf Furkan to fall dead from Israeli bullets." The CHP
demanded that the government should cancel all kinds of cooperation with
Israel. Another political party, the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) also
accused the government of "making threats of war that carried no teeth,"
while a general comment is the following: "Where was the government when
Baghdad was burning?" An Experiment
Today's climate in Turkey is extremely v olatile and there is a high risk
of a provocative act. In a characteristic article in the Hurriyet, Burak
Bekdil called on the authorities to make an experiment. "Let us put an
Orthodox Jew to take a stroll along Istiklal (a well-known street in
Istanbul). If he manages to walk in safety even half its length, then I
will admit I know nothing about my people. Let us also put a government
official to drive around Taxim Square (in Istanbul) in an ordinary car
carrying the Star of David, as thousands of other cars all over Turkey are
driving with the flag of Palestine. We shall then find out that only the
speed of his car can save him . . ." The journalist concludes by saying
that "Muslim-Turkish thinking tolerates the fact that one Muslim can kill
another Muslim. It does not tolerate, but will still not go to extremes,
if a Christian kills a Muslim. However, he will go to extremes if a Jew
kills a Muslim."
(Description of Source: Athens O Kosm os tou Ependhiti in Greek --
Independent, political and economic weekly)
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Greek Alternate FM Addresses EU Council on Gaza, Turkey, Cyprus, Macedonia
Report by V. Demiris: ""Droutsas at EU General Affairs Council" - ANA-MPA
Tuesday June 15, 2010 08:30:20 GMT
On the question of the blockading of Gaza in the wake of Israel's military
operation against the activists' flotilla, the alternate foreign minister
said that the EU adopted conclusions that include all the Greek positions
expressed recently.
He stressed that with thei r decisions the "27" presented the framework of
a substantive intervention by Europe to enable the flow of humanitarian
aid to Gaza to increase, condemning in parallel Israel's action.
According to Droutsas, the EU's foreign ministers spoke clearly about the
need for a peace process and called for the holding of a full and in depth
independent investigation that will bring everything to light.
Droutsas further said that Greece and Cyprus assumed a joint effort
regarding the increase in the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.He
maintained that with an understanding with Israel, the Palestinian
Authority and the important actors in the region the possibilities will be
probed of creating a mechanism for humanitarian aid to be provided in
The ultimate aim, as he said, remains the total lifting of the blockade,
stressing that "we must do all that we can so that the life of the
Palestinian population in Gaza can be improved immediately." ;
Droutsas also referred to Turkey's role in developments in Gaza, saying
that "when Turkey refers to the need for respect and the implementation of
international law and of sea law it cannot forget its own attitude
particularly with regard to the Aegean."
He went on to say that "when Turkey refers to the occupation of foreign
territory Turkey itself cannot forget its own occupation troops in
Cyprus.The principles of international law are not implemented a la carte,
they are not implemented only when it suits us."
As regards the Western Balkans, Droutsas reiterated Greece's satisfaction,
also following the initiatives that Greece has assumed, for Europe's new
commitment concerning the accession prospects of the countries in the
The alternate foreign minister had the opportunity of briefing his
counterparts on efforts that Greece has made recently on improving the
climate in relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(FYROM) and "on the effort for us to achieve a mutually acceptable
solution on the issue of the name.A solution that would also open Skopje's
path to the EU and NATO."
Also referring to Turkey's accession course, Droutsas said that Greece
supports this process so that Turkey can become a full member of the EU on
condition, of course, that Turkey will implement all the commitments that
it has undertaken towards the EU and all the member-states.
(Description of Source: Athens ANA-MPA in English -- English service of
the government-affiliated Athens News Agency-Macedonian Press Agency; URL:
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Iraqi National Security Minister Warns Iran, Turkey Border Breaches
Interview with Shirwan al-Wa'ili, Iraqi minister of state for national
security affairs, by Su'ad Rashid; place and date not given: "Intertwined
Situation in Iraq Gives Its Neighbors Courage To Encroach on Its Borders"
-- first three paragraphs are Ilaf introduction - Ilaf.com
Tuesday June 15, 2010 14:14:57 GMT
The Iraqi minister said that Iraq's neighboring states have dared to
breach the Iraqi border because the political dossier in Iraq is
intertwined with many internal, regional, and foreign dossiers. He
stressed that the Iraqi Government always seeks to solve these problems
through diplomatic means. He noted that Iraq has informed Turkey and Iran
that it is displeased with their military violations of its northern areas
in the Kurdistan Region.
In an interview wi th Ilaf, Minister Al-Wa'ili said that it is unlikely
that Iraq will revert to sectarian violence should some forces withdraw
from the political process. He added that he expects that the new
parliament, which will hold its first session on Monday (14 June), will
succeed in solving the current political crisis and will manage to form a
new government. The following is the text of the interview.
(Rashid) In recent days, there has been an increase in the number of
Iranian-Turkish violations of the Kurdistan Region border. What is the
central government's position on such attacks?
(Al-Wa'ili) This issue has been discussed by the National Security
Council, as well as by the Presidency Council, which has tasked Foreign
Minister Hoshyar Zebari with officially expressing the government's
discontent and its unwillingness to allow any assaults on Iraqi territory.
Also, the foreign minister has met with the Iranian ambassador and the
Turkish charge d'affaires in Baghd ad to learn the truth about the
situation. This is because of the confusing information that has been
received by the government. Do such moves fall within the framework of
hunting down and going after the members of the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) or what? If this is a matter of hunting down terrorist militants,
then it should be coordinated between Iraq and the Turkish and Iranian
sides, whether in terms of the use of fighter jets or engagement in any
other military action. This is especially since we have a tripartite
Iraqi-Turkish-US committee under my chairmanship, in addition to the
serious work that is being done to hunt down PKK terrorists. Nevertheless,
Iraq will certainly not allow Iran to violate its border.
(Rashid) Based on the security agreement it signed with Iraq, the United
States is considered to be in charge of the security dossier. However, we
see that it is adopting a position of silence on such assaults. Why?
(Al-Wa'ili) According to the agreement, the United States is responsible
for the Iraqi security dossier. However, it explores the situation and
will adopt a stance if the Iraqi territory is facing real threat. I do not
want to defend the United States or state its position. However, according
to the security agreement, the United States is still actually in charge,
at least when it comes to border breaches.
(Rashid) Some people view the Iranian violations of the Iraqi border as an
attempt to exert pressure as far as the formation of the Iraqi Government
is concerned.
(Al-Wa'ili) Definitely, the failure to form a government has had a mental
and political impact on the Iraqi street. This is something that we must
accept. However, the government continues to manage affairs regarding the
security, services, and economic dossiers. Also, the Presidency Council
and the National Security Council are convening on a weekly basis.
Moreover, key officials are carrying out their duties a nd managing the
country's affairs.
(Rashid) Do you expect a reversion to sectarian violence in the Iraqi
arena should a major force withdraw from the electoral process?
(Al-Wa'ili) Of course I do not. There are co nstitutional texts that we
must respect. Also, there is an Iraqi National Assembly that will convene
within a week and will decide on the largest bloc that will enter
parliament and be responsible for the formation of the government. If this
bloc fails, there are constitutional alternatives. It is inadmissible for
us to be pessimistic or afraid of going back to the sectarian square one,
because this is an unsound logic. It is wrong to say that, if any bloc
fails to form the government, then it will resort to violence. We are
living under a democratic system. I am optimistic that the parliament will
arrive at a solution, because having differences is a characteristic of
the Iraqis. However, in the end, harmony is the outcome of such
differences in viewpoints, as has become customary to us.
(Rashid) How do you view the interference of Iraq's neighboring states in
Iraq's affairs?
(Al-Wa'ili) The political situation in Iraq involves a great deal of
intertwining between regional, internal, and foreign dossiers. This gives
Iraq's neighboring states the courage to encroach on Iraq and its borders.
However, the Iraqi Government has options, foremost of among which is the
diplomatic option. This is like what happened with the Al-Fakkah oilfield,
which Iran occupied for a few days. The government is working toward
solving all the unresolved issues, including the Iraqi-Iranian dossier and
the Iraqi-Kuwaiti dossier, through diplomatic means. It is also resorting
to dialogue. Moreover, there are international agreements and the Iraqi
Government is making positive reactions to solve matters diplomatically.
This is in addition to the fact that all other options remain open to the
(Descrip tion of Source: London Ilaf.com in Arabic -- Saudi-owned,
independent Internet daily with pan-Arab, liberal line.URL:
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source cited.Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder.Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Turkish Press 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Turkish press on 15 June; to
request additional processing, please call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735. For Islamist press highlights, see
GMP20100615006001. For assistance with multimedia elements, contact OSC at
1-800-205-8615 or email@example.com. - Turkey -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 13:00:46 GMT
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english )
columnist Melih Altinok views the debate over the alleged "shift of axis"
in the Erdogan administration's foreign policy as an anti-AKP campaign
carried out by "neo-nationalist" circles. In his 800-word article, Altinok
lauds the AKP's foreign policy initiatives, saying that the removal of
visa requirements with almost 60 countries, Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu's warm greeting to the leader of the Regional Kurdish
Administration, the steps taken for the lifting of the embargo on Gaza
Strip and the reunification of Cyprus, President Gul's visit to Armenia,
and the recent swap agreement with Iran are some of the significant
political steps taken by the Erdogan administration in the international
arena. The columnist asks "whether Turkye's leftist, democratic and
liberal circles, which are expected to support the establishment of
friendly relations with the int ernational community, Europe, and its
neighbors, should be concerned over any of those developments." (Istanbul
Taraf Online in Turkish -- Website of antimilitarist and liberal daily;
http://www.taraf.com.tr/ http://www.taraf.com.tr )
Cartoon by Salih Memecan (Sabah, 15 Jun)Caption: Shift of axis
Cartoon by Salih Memecan refers to the debate over the AKP's alleged "axis
shift" by depicting Prime Minister Erdogan saying "sorry" to Uncle Sam
when he falls from a pole representing Turkey's foreign policy. (ABD: USA,
Bizimcity: Ourcity, Eksen: Axis) (Istanbul Sabah Online in Turkish --
Website of pro-government daily owned by Calik Group, close to the ruling
Justice and Development Party; URL:
http://sabah.com.tr/ http://sabah.com.tr )
A 600-word article by Radikal columnist Nuray Mert asserts that she will
applaud a "shift of axis" in the Turkish foreign policy if it means a
decision to quit underestima ting "the East, the Arab world, and the
Muslim geography." Noting that she has always "supported a political and
cultural rapprochement between Turkey and the Middle East," Mert warns
that a political change will become dangerous if it drags Turkey from
democracy to an authoritarian regime. She draws attention to the impact of
the change in Ankara's foreign policy on domestic political atmosphere and
laments that the government started to use a "threatening" tone against
its opponents by describing them "Tel Aviv's lawyer," "Zionist," and "PKK
mouthpiece." (Istanbul Radikal Online in Turkish -- Website of pro-secular
and liberal daily owned by Dogan Media Group; URL:
http://www.radikal.com.tr/ http://www.radikal.com.tr ) Turkey-US Relations
After Iran Vot e at UNSC
In his 500-word column entitled "Will US Punish Turkey?" Sami Kohen of
Milliyet focuses on the impact of Turkey's "no&q uot; vote at the UN
Security Council on the Turkish-American relations. Recalling that
Washington was "shocked" by Ankara's decision to say "no" to the proposal
to impose new sanctions on Iran, Kohen says: "The United States, which
even managed to secure the support of Russia and China on the issue, is
unable to digest Turkey's failure to extend the backing expected from an
allied country." The columnist asserts that despite the presence of a
group that calls for certain steps to punish Turkey because of its stance
at the UNSC vote, the circles close to the Obama Administration still
regard Turkey as an important ally and note the "common interests" of the
two countries. Referring to US official Philip H. Gordon's "objective"
assessment of the bilateral ties, Kohen says that Washington taking a
negative position toward Ankara is unlikely. (Istanbul Milliyet Online in
Turkish -- Website of pro-secular daily, one of countr y's top circulation
papers, owned by Dogan Media Group; URL:
http://www.milliyet.com.tr/ http://www.milliyet.com.tr )
A 650-word article by Hurriyet columnist Sedat Ergin also believes that
Washington is planning to adopt a "balanced approach" toward Ankara
despite its "disappointment" with Turkey's no vote at the UNSC. Ergin says
that regardless of the fact that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
displayed a "controlled" reaction after the vote, certain US officials'
remarks over Turkey's Iran policy show that Washington's "disappointment
is deeper" than expected. Noting that Ankara has not yet clarified its
position on the sanctions, he says that issue will be the main topic of
discussion between Ankara and Washington in the coming days. The columnist
also comments on the US assessment of the Turkish government's role in the
Gaza aid flotilla, saying that the Obama administration expects a "fast,
realistic, and comprehensive investigation" into the incident to
understand if the Turkish government was involved in the aid campaign.
(Istanbul Hurriyet Online in Turkish -- Website of pro-secular,
mass-appeal daily, one of country's top circulation papers, owned by Dogan
Media Group; URL:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ http://www.hurriyet.com.tr ) Erdogan Said
Using Anti-Israeli, Anti-Western Rhetoric for Domestic Politics
In his 1225-word column in Hurriyet Daily News, Semih Idiz argues that
Erdogan and his party executives are worried that the "reinvigorated"
Republican People's Party, CHP, may make headway given the successful
manner in which its new leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has been hitting at
the government over topics that really matter for the average man on the
street. Also pointing to the increasing popularity of the other Islamist
Felicity Party, SP, Idiz says: "So we see him (Erdogan) increasingly
turning up the volume of his demagoguery, and hitting at Israel and the
United States at every opportunity that presents itself." (processing)
Comparison Between National View, Gulen Movement
A 500-word article by Cuneyt Ulsever of Hurriyet Daily News views the
differences between the two leading Islamist movements in Turkey by
stressing that "it is an undeniable fact that both the National View and
the Gulen Movement are the most important movements that have played
critical roles in the political and social history of Turkey." According
to the columnist, the National View in essence is a political organization
while the Gulen Movement is a social structure active in economic areas.
(processing) Crisis Within Opposition CHP
A 500-word article by Milliyet columnist Fikret Bila says that CHP leader
Kemal Kilicdaroglu managed to solve the crisis caused by some of the
appointments in the new party administration. Recalling that Berhan Simsek
replaced Gursel Tekin as the CHP provincial le ader in Istanbul, Bila
says: "Tekin served as a successful provincial leader in Istanbul. The CHP
managed to reach suburbs as a result of his policies. This policy, which
was also supported by (former CHP leader) Deniz Baykal, and Kilicdaroglu's
positive image increased the CHP votes in Istanbul. Tekin will now follow
a similar policy at the headquarters." Recalling that internal conflicts
prevented the CHP from fighting for power several times in the past, the
columnist says that Kilicdaroglu seems to have solved the crisis to save
the CHP from another intra-party row.
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Kuwait, Russia Fms Discuss Upcoming Kuwait's Amir Visit To Russia
"Kuwait, Russia Fms Discuss Upcoming Kuwait"s Amir Visit To Russia" --
KUNA Headline - KUNA Online
Sunday May 16, 2010 19:12:45 GMT
By Adeeb Al-Sayyed MOSCOW, May 16 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Deputy Premier
andForeign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah held talks
Sundaywith Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on regional and
internationalissues of mutual concern, as well as to prepare for His
Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's visit to Russia.Speaking
to KUNA before concluding his visit to Russia, Sheikh Mohammad saidthe
visit of the Amir of Kuwait was "important" because Kuwait was the
rotatingPresident of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab
Economic Summit.His Highness Sheikh Sabah "carries files, problems and
concerns of the Stateof Kuwait, the GCC and the Arab world in general,"
said the K uwaiti foreignminister.He said his talks with Lavrov touched
upon the mega development plan inKuwait, economic reforms and
possibilities of contribution of Russia to thedevelopment plan."there is a
noticeable optimism by the Russia side to know the details ofthese
(development) plans," said Sheikh Mohammad who noted that Russia
andKuwaiti officials would meet to discuss these plans.He and Lavrov also
discussed Kuwait's willingness to benefit from the nuclearenergy for
peaceful purposes, like water desalination, said Sheikh Mohammad.He said
many countries sought to benefit from the Russian nuclear
technology,citing a recent agreement between Moscow and Ankara to build a
nuclear reactorin Turkey."The State of Kuwait does not rule out any party
in its quest to honor itsnational interest. It (Kuwait) is exploring all
available capabilities indifferent countries to provide nuclear energy
technology for the State ofKuwait, as well as guaranteeing safety and
efficien cy," said Sheikh Mohammad.Kuwait and Russia, he went on,
discussed regional security and the Russianrole to enforcing peace in the
Middle East.Sheikh Mohammad, in this regard, noted that members of the
Quarter, duringtheir recent meeting in Moscow, called for the
establishment of the Palestinianstate within 24 months. "This formula
which set a timeframe to establish aPalestinian state with East Jerusalem
as its capital was warmly welcomed by theArabs." Sheikh Mohammad and
Lavrov called for addressing the Iranian nuclearfile peacefully and
diplomatically, and via the UN Security Council.Sheikh Mohammad underlined
importance of an international concensus toaddressing the Iranian nuclear
file. He hoped the countries involved with thisfile succeeded in
convincing Iran to fully cooperate with the Vienna-basedInternational
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to avoid more sanctions againstTehran.The
Kuwaiti top diplomat, meanwhile, called for forming a government
ofnational unity in Iraq which consisted of all political parties.
Thisgovernment, he added, should send a clear message of "assurance" to
neighboringcountries foremost Kuwait."It is important that the new Iraq be
a security and stability factor for allcountries in the region, and to
respect human rights and neighborliness,believes in principles of
international law and international legitimacy and tobe a supporter to its
brothers and be a source of assurance," he said.Russia and Kuwait agreed
to hold a conference between the GCC countries andMoscow before end of
this year, he said.Lavrov, in a statement to KUNA, said the political
dialogue between Kuwait andRussia was "excellent and is taking place at
the highest levels." He saidbilateral relations and economic cooperation
were progressing.Lavrov voiced content for the Kuwaiti companies'
investments in Russia, notingthat Russia firms were also interested in
doing business in Kuwait.The two sides agreed t o convene a meeting of the
government economic andcommercial committee, said Lavrov."We took note of
the development plans which were approved in Kuwait in thefields of
energy, infrastructure and housing," he said and appreciated the factthe
Kuwait has opened door for the Russia companies to participate in
thedevelopment plans.The Russian foreign minister said cultural ties with
Kuwait were good.Russia and Kuwait should cooperate to develop the
dialogue betweencivilizations.Russia believes in importance of normal
relations between Kuwait and Iraq onthe basis of full compliance with all
UN resolutions related to the formerIraqi regime's invasion of Kuwait in
1990, said Lavrov.(Description of Source: Kuwait KUNA Online in English --
Official news agency of the Kuwaiti Government; URL:
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holder. Inquiri es regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
15) Back to Top
Yeni Ozgur Politika Headlines 10 June 2010
The following is a list of news headlines from the Yeni Ozgur Politika
website on 10 June; to request additional processing, please contact OSC
at (800) 205-8615, (202) 338-6735, fax (703) 613-5735, or
firstname.lastname@example.com - Yeni Ozgur Politika Online
Tuesday June 15, 2010 15:04:39 GMT
Warning From TAK (Kurdistan Freedom Falcons) to Tourists: `Don't Come` -
The organization named TAK has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack
in Istanbul Kucukcekmece in which 15 police officers were injured. Issuing
a warning to tourists who are considering taking their holidays in Turkey,
the organization said, "We consider all of the holiday regions of Turkey
to be zones of action and revenge."
Turkish State Oppression Narrated - The Arbeitskreis Asyl Nurtingen held a
panel discussion in Nurtingen, Germany, entitled "The behavior of the NATO
country of Turkey toward Kurds and the effects of this behavior on the
refugees in Germany."
Perspective of Unity Needed - Dr. Kamuran Berwari, a member of the
teaching staff of Dohuk University, said that Kurds need a perspective
based on national unity.
Secret Burials of Executed Prisoners - Iran has refused to release to the
families the bodies of the five political prisoners who were executed on 9
May, but has instead buried them in an unknown location.
PJAK (Free Life Party of Kurdistan) Kills Four Commanders - It has been
announced that four high-ranking Iranian military commanders were killed
in the skirmishes that took place between the PJAK and Iranian army
"Leadership Has Vital Role in Peace Process" - Former IRA (Iri sh
Republican Army) Military Council Chairman Martin McGuinnes said the
example of Ireland is very important as a solution of the Kurdish issue.
Claims That Iran Will Stop its Attacks - It is being claimed that the
Iranian army is planning to end its artillery attacks against South
Kurdistan territories. It was also announced that the Iranian
representative in Baghdad promised that the Iranian troops inside the
border will be withdrawn.
Black Sea Closed to Kurds - The doors of the Black Sea are partly being
closed to the workers who migrate from the Kurdish provinces each year to
pick the hazelnut crops there. The area will be bringing in workers from
Georgia in place of the Kurds.
Six Years Imprisonment for Dancing in Kelares - Ferhat Aksu, DTP
(Democratic Society Party) worker who was arrested in Bitlis on 7 April
prior to the `KCK operation,` was taken yesterday to the Van Third High
Criminal Court for a session of the trial being held against him.< br>
Hakkari Under State Blockade - Yesterday morning, the Turkish state forces
in Hakkari that have been terrorizing public demonstrations carried out of
raids of homes where they beat 12 people as they took them into custody.
They also attacked protestors and injured three persons.
Kurdish Children Are "Prisoners of War" - Saying that the Turkish state's
actions towards Kurdish children are based on a policy of enmity, Gulizar
Tuncer, one of the lawyers of the children who are being victimized by the
TMK (Anti Terror Law), says that the state regards the children imprisoned
in state prisons to be `prisoners of war.`
Imprisoned Children Given Group Beatings! - According to information
received, when children held at the Maltepe Children's Prison started a
hunger strike to force their demands for a change of rooms, prison guards
-- with the knowledge of the prosecutor -- beat 10 of the children as a
Government Maintains Silence - The s earch for justice action being
carried out in front of the Diyarbakir E-Type Prison by the families
victimized by the TMK has now entered its sixth day. The AKP (Justice and
Development Party) government continues to maintain its silence.
IHD (Human Rights Association) Couldn't Go to Tokat - The IHD, which set
up a delegation to go to Tokat to investigate and research the current
rise in attacks against Kurdish students there, has received a negative
response to their request for a meeting with the Tokat Chief of Police and
the Governor's Office. The delegation has decided not to visit the city as
their safety cannot be assured. Serefname
in Bookstores - Published in five volumes, the Serefname illuminates the
history of Kurds and the people of Mesopotamia.
Lost Kurdish Poet Cerdoye Eset - A Kurdish fable published in Georgia has
led us to remember the great Kurdish poet Cerdoye Eset, who made
significant contributions not only to Kurdish poetry but als o to
Caucasian literature.
Composition from Aysegul Erce for Stone-Throwing Children - Artist Aygul
Erce has written a song for the children known by the public as `the
stone-throwing children," who are being victimized by the TMK.
Symposium by Hrant Dink Foundation - The Ottoman Empire and Cultural
Interactions in Turkey Symposium, which is being organized by the
International Hrant Dink Foundation, will be held between 12-13 June at
the Dolapdere Campus of Istanbul Bilgi University.
South Africa Very, Very Far Away - While European feminist movements held
a number of actions and campaigns to demonstrate their opposition to the
prostituting of thousands of women during the World Football Championship
when it was held in Germany in 2006, they are now remaining very silent,
despite the fact that the same thing is happening in South Africa.
Confidence Building with Kardelen - A total of 76 trainees who attended
the Kardelen Women's House run b y the Baglar Municipality succeeded in
completing reading-writing, computer, and pattern-making and sewing
courses, and were presented with certificates and course attendance
Six Years, Three Months Prison Sentences for Peace Mother - Sultani
Acibuca, a member of the Izmir Peace Mothers' Initiative, has been
sentenced to six years and three months imprisonment for a speech she gave
at 8 March, World Women's Day.
Great Anger against Village Guard Rape - Anger is mounting due to the rape
in Batman of nine-year-old elementary school student, S.E., by a village
guard named K.K. (23). BDP members said, "The incident is the dirty face
of an unconventional war being waged against Kurds."
"We Will Enjoy this Festival Together" - The people we spoke with to get
their opinions about the 2 nd Dersim (Tunceli) Culture Festival that is
due to start tomorrow had a common opinion: "The festival focuses on the
brotherhood of differen t people and symbolizes solidarity with Dersim
Earth is Younger Than We Thought - Contrary to what was believed earlier,
the earth and the moon, which formed as result of the intense crash of two
planets, is 120 million years younger than had been thought.
Vaccine against Heart Attacks Imminent - News is out that a vaccine has
been developed that will neutralize the bad cholesterol that accumulates
in the body, and thus will prevent heart attacks.
"We Are Being Robbed of Our Educations" - Thousands of students in Germany
took to the streets for their education rights. The harsh intervention of
the police to the demonstrations drew attention.
US Pushes Iran into Corner - Its refusal to explain its nuclear program to
the international community is gradually pushing Iran into a corner.
Tehran, which received a negative answer to its "uranium swap" offer with
Turkey and Brazil, is now facing UN sanctions.
A usterity Measures Package Divides CDU - The austerity measures package
announced on Monday by Germany is continuing to draw ire. After complaints
issued by the unions, opposition parties, and various other circles,
criticism has now started to come from within the CDU (Christian
Democratic Union).
Tens of Thousands Protest Government in Denmark - Workers and students
protested the Danish government's proposed austerity package. Kurdish
Kurds Barred from Black Sea - The gates of the Black Sea region have been
closed to Kurdish agricultural workers who go to there to pick hazelnuts.
A decision was made to bring in workers from Georgia to collect the nuts,
despite the availability of Kurdish workers.
Memorial Ceremony for Abdurahman Kara - A memorial ceremony was held by
the Association of Families of Martyrs in the Makhmur refugee camp for
Abdurrahman Kara, who passed away because of cancer.
Series of Detentions Continues - Acting under an or der of the Wan (Van)
Third High Criminal Court, the TEM (Anti-terror team) of the Colemerg
(Hakkari) Police Department raided many homes, and many people were taken
into custody.
Peace Suit Launched by Peace Assembly - In Amed (Diyarbakir), the Peace
Assembly has called for the trial of the Peace and Democratic Solution
Group to become a "peace trial," and is asking for people to attend it.
Kurdish Language Signs Not Posted - Signs pointing directions to the
Akdamar Islands written in Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian and English were not
posted and the Kurdish sign was not found in the warehouse of the Wan
Museum Department. The city's Office of Tourism and Culture stated that
they do not have any information regarding the subject.
Bodies Buried Secretly - Kurdish teacher Farzad Kamangar, Farhad Vekili,
Ali Heidarian and -- despite the pleas of women's movements -- Shirin Alam
Holi, were executed on 9 May in the Evin Prison of Tehran by the Iranian
No Turning Back on the Struggle - Sukru Kursun, the father of Vedat
Kursun, the former distributor and editor of Azadiya Welat daily, said:
"We will never give up the struggle, even if they imprison us for 166,000
KCD (Democratic Society Congress) Leads Language and Education Endeavors -
The KCD is leading important efforts focusing on political, economical,
religious and cultural issues.
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Turkish Cypriot Leader Set To Visit Ankara 18 Jun
"TRNC PRESIDENT TO VISIT ANKARA ON JUNE 18" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 18:20:39 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Turkish, Greek Cypriot Leaders Meet To Discuss Property Issue
headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 14:37:48 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited.P ermission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder.Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Turkish, Greek Cypriot Leaders Set Dates for Next 4 Meetings
"CYPRIOT LEADERS SET DATE FOR FUTURE MEETINGS" -- AA headlines - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 17:45:13 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Analysts Forecast Foreign Policy of Potential New Czech Coalition
"New Czech Govt May Be More Accommodating to EU - Experts" -- Czech
Happenings headline - Czech Happenings
Tuesday June 15, 2010 10:19:23 GMT
The government will set the date of the euro adoption, actively support
the Czech participation in foreign missions and strengthen close links to
the United States, a ten-member expert team from the Association for
International Issues (AMO) and the Institute for European Politics
Europeum said in a document released to CTK.
The experts expect TOP 09 chairman Karel Schwarzenberg to return the post
of foreign minister and former deputy prime minister for EU affairs
Alexandr Vondra (ODS) to head the Defence Ministry.
The new government is to maintain continuity of the Czech foreign policy
that has lasted from 2002, according to the analysis.
But it will have to improve the reputation of the country in Europe and
NATO, harmed due to the toppling of the Czech government during the Czech
presidency over the EU in spring 2009 and to the unclear future of the
Czech participation in the Afghan military mission.
The experts believe that the Czech Republic will have a realistic position
on EU integration and that it will be a reliable ally of the United
States, with the strongest possible involvement in the new U.S. missile
defence project.
The priorities of Czech foreign policy will be energy security, Eastern
politics, human rights and economic diplomacy, the experts write.
"Wariness toward Russia will remain," the analysis says.
In European affairs, economic issues like the impacts of the economic
crisis, regulation of the internal market and talks on the reforms of the
EU budget will dominate. The active role of the government will be limited
by the fact that the Czech Republic is not a eurozone member, according to
the analysis.
It is nearly certain that euro will not be adopted by the new government
but the date of euro adoption is likely to be set within the next four
As far as the Civic Democrats are concerned, the experts presume that the
position of Eurosceptical groups close to President Vaclav Klaus, ODS
founder, will further weaken. The possible new government will probably be
more open to the EU and more active on the European scene.
The analysis says there seem to be no irresolvable issues that would
thwart cooperation between the three parties.
"Coalition disputes may arise in connection to regulations on the level on
European policies where individual ministers and not the Foreign Ministry
will operate," the analysis says.
AMO, a think tank founded in 1997, focuses on international relations.
Europeum is an NGO that deals with EU integration and changes in the
political, economic and legal climate in the Czech Republic.
(Description of Source: Prague Czech Happenings in English -- Internet
magazine with focus on political and economic reporting, published by CTK
subsidiary Neris; URL: http://www.ceskenoviny.cz)
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Iran Economic Sanctions, Government Corruption, 18 May - 9 June 2010 -
Iran -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 22:11:00 GMT
The following are highlights of Iranian sanctions- and corruption-related
issues as reported on various Iranian domestic and expatriate websites
sites monitored by OSC. Sanctions Iran Not Afraid of Sanct ions, Says
Presidential Spokesman
- On 23 May Rooz Online reported that Esfandiyar Rahim-Masha`i, head of
the president's office, met in Shiraz the day before with Iranian
expatriate investors. Rahim-Masha`i (photo below) told them: "We are not
afraid of sanctions. ... We are not interested in fighting with any
country, not even the Zionist regime whom we do not recognize" (Rooz
Online in Persian -- an expatriate website that advocates for human rights
and reform in Iran. URL: www.roozonline.com).
Larijani Warns the West -
On 23 May Rooz Online reported that Majles Speaker Ali Larijani told
reporters the previous day that Iran would withdraw its offer to exchange
nuclear fuel as contained in the Tehran Declaration in case new UN
Security Council sanctions were imposed upon Iran. World Bank Not Honoring
Its Charter - On 23 May the Fars News Agency claimed that the World Bank's
refusal to provide services to the Oman-based Tajer Company, which i s
partly owned by Iran, demonstrated that, despite claims to the contrary,
the activities of the World Bank are influenced by the United States
(Tehran Fars News Agency in Persian -- hardline pro-Ahmadinezhad news
agency; headed as of December 2007 by Hamid Reza Moqaddamfar, who was
formerly an IRGC cultural officer. URL: www.fars.ir). Names of Banks
Violating Laws To Be Publicized - On 24 May Aftab News reported that
Mahmud Bahmani, director general of the Central Bank of Iran, said that
all banks and financial institutions must follow the guidelines given to
them or otherwise their names will be publicized and their activities
halted (Aftabnews in Persian -- conservative, pro-Hashemi-Rafsanjani
website run by Hasan Rowhani, former secretary of the Supreme National
Security Council and current head of the Expediency Council's Strategic
Studies Center Council. URL: www.aftabnews.ir). Iran's Top Trading
Partners in Europe - On 25 May the Fars News Agency reported that, despit
e the threat of US-led sanctions, six of Iran's top 10 trade partners in
the first month of the current Iranian year, which began 21 March 2010,
were Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Britain, France, and Italy. Official
Claims Reduction in Oil Exports to China Not Related to Sanctions -
Asadollah Asgaroladi, head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce, on
18 May rejected media reports claiming that the sharp decline in the value
of Iranian oil sales to China was due to the sanctions imposed by the
West, the Fars News Agency reported the same day. Responding to a request
for comment on the reason for the 20-percent decline in Chinese imports of
Iranian oil in the first three months of 2010 in comparison with the same
period of 2009, he stated: "No, it is not related to sanctions." Turkey To
Support Iran on Gas Sales - On 29 May ILNA quoted Turkish industrial
sources saying that Turkey has promised to support Tehran aga inst any
sanctions on the sale of gasoline to Iran (Tehran Iranian Labor News
Agency (ILNA) in Persian - moderate conservative news agency; generally
supports government policy but publishes some items reflecting
non-official views, such as interviews with 2009 presidential candidate
Musavi. URL: www.ilna.ir). Corruption Iranian VP Holds Fake Doctoral
Degree, Says Science Minister - On 25 May Alef reported that Minister of
Research and IT Sciences Kamran Daneshju said that First Vice President
Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, who is suspected of financial crimes, does not have
a Ph.D. degree (Alef in Persian - website run by conservative Tehran
Majles Deputy Ahmad Tavakkoli. URL: alef.ir). Undocumented $370 Million
Expenses - On June 6 IRNA reported that Javad Eslami, managing director of
the accounting department of the municipality of Tehran, said that,
between the Iranian years of 1382 and 1387 (21 March 2003 through 20 March
2009), the city of Tehran registered $370 million worth of expenses
without any proper documentation ( Tehran IRNA in Persian --
pro-Ahmadinezhad official news agency, controlled by the Ministry of
Culture and Islamic Guidance. URL: www.irna.ir). Allegations of $14
Billion Theft by Government -- On 7 June the Fars News Agency reported
that Majles deputy Mehdi Shahriyari has requested that the Iranian
parliament initiate an investigation into the alleged government
misappropriation of $14 billion of the national budget. Mismanagement
'Beyond a Doubt' at Azad University -- On 29 May the Fars News Agency
reported that Mohsen Mohammadi (photo below), head of the Cultural
Department of the Union of Students' Islamic Association of Iran, said
that the discovery of secret government documents at Azad University prove
beyond a doubt the mismanagement of the university.
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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of Com
21) Back to Top
Turkish TESEV, German Fund Seminar in Jordan View Turkey's Ties With
Report by Cihan Celik from Jordan: "'Mideast Union' of Turkey, Arab
Countries Unrealistic, Say Experts" - Hurriyet Daily News.com
Tuesday June 15, 2010 10:12:12 GMT
Though senior Turkish officials reject the idea that it indicates a U-turn
in policy, the deal Turkey struck last week with Lebanon, Syria and Jordan
to create a new economic alliance has brought the "shift" debate to a
higher level.
But expanding stronger economic ties into a political union between Turkey
and Arab nations is an "unrealistic idea," said Mohammad H. al-Momani,
deputy director of the Legislative Strengthening Program in Jordan, adding
that would-be members of such a bloc have weak economies and lack
political will.
Described by Turkish diplomats as a "regional cooperative model," the new
alliance was introduced and extensively discussed in the Turkish media as
a "Middle East Union," a potential rival to the European Union, which
Turkey has been trying to enter for the last four decades.
Such a bloc could not compete with the EU, al-Momani, who is also a
professor of political science at al-Yarmouk University, told the Hurriyet
Daily News & Economic Review.
"The EU has a completely different scope," he said in an interview on the
sidelines of a workshop on Turkey and the Middle East held Sunday in the
Jordanian capital by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation,
or TESEV, and the German foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Threat to
Egyptian, Saudi influence
The rising Turkish role in the region is an attempt to fill the leadership
gap in the Middle East, accord ing to Dr. Mohammad al-Halaiqah, a former
deputy prime minister of Jordan, who agreed with al-Momani that there is
no way for the new economic alliance to become a political union.
Even if Turkey and some other countries in the region were to take steps
toward creating such a political bloc, influential players among the Arab
nations would see it as a threat to Arab unity, al-Halaiqah said. "Egypt
and Saudi Arabia would not allow such an organization," he told the Daily
However, not everyone at the Amman meeting was pessimistic about the idea
of a "Middle East Union" in the region. Professor Mohammad Masalha, the
dean of the Faculty of International Studies at the University of Jordan,
said such a union would compensate for Turkey being outside of the EU if
it is refused membership in the bloc.
"Those countries (Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan) have a big market
share and a influential regional role. Therefore they have t he capacity
to build a sustainable economic bloc," Masalha said, adding that improved
economic and cultural ties could be later transferred to the political
realm and offered to hold prime-ministerial-level cooperation summits to
establish institutions to deal with what he called "technical issues,"
such as energy and transportation, and to discuss integration plans among
the nations. No shift in policy
The Ankara government's stance on regional crises, such as Israel's
blockade of the Gaza Strip and Iran's controversial nuclear program, has
raised speculation that Turkey is shifting away from its traditional ally,
the West, toward the East, with which it has historical and cultural ties.
Once staunch allies, Turkey and Israel have been at odds since the
latter's deadly attack on Gaza during the winter of 2008-2009, which led
to a series of diplomatic spats between the two nations. Relations hit a
new low following Israeli commandos' deadly attac k May 31 on a Gaza-bound
flotilla of humanitarian aid dispatched by a Turkish organization.
Turkey, however, will not turn its face completely to the East lest it
lose its Western allies, Dr. al-Halaiqah said in remarks linking Ankara's
increasing role with the lack of leadership among Arab nations and the
rise of Iran.
Professor al-Momani agreed, saying Turkish efforts in the region favor the
country's own interests and its heightened role will have a positive
effect on Ankara's bid for EU membership. "Turkey is only trying to
increase its regional role in order to boost its value to the European
Union and the United States," he told the Daily News.
Turkey's rising popularity in the region has been reflected in a TESEV
report, "The Perception of Turkey in the Middle East," based on a survey
conducted in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories,
Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Even before Ankara ramped up its criticism of Israeli policies, Turkey had
a good image in all seven nations, according to the report, which was
discussed at the workshop in Amman.
The survey, conducted nearly a year ago with a total of 2,006 respondents,
showed that the public in these nations perceives Turkey as a major actor
with influential opinions, said Jonathan Levack, the foreign-policy
program manager for TESEV. He said the survey results demonstrate clear
support in the region for Turkey's mediator roles, and for it further
expanding its position.
Still, Turkey must have good relations with all actors in the region to
maintain its image as a fair mediator, Levack said, adding that TESEV is
planning to conduct a similar survey with a larger sample soon in response
to recent developments.
Turkey has entered a new era of diplomacy and politics, according to Daily
News columnist Mustafa Akyol, who compared what he called "old Turkey,"
which had a more militarist approach, with th e "new Turkey" that is more
"diplomacist, globalist, regionalist and less nationalist" on both foreign
and domestic policies.
Turkey is rediscovering itself militarily, economically and
diplomatically, al-Halaiqah said, adding that it has huge support among
both Arab populaces and nations, though some governments do not want the
Turkish role to grow.
Noting that hopes about Turkey should not be exaggerated, however,
al-Halaiqah said Turkey would not be able to solve long-standing regional
problems immediately. "Turkey will not liberate Palestine tomorrow," he
said. "So, it should cool down recent tensions."
(Description of Source: Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News.com in English --
Website of Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, pro-secular daily,
with English-language versions from other Dogan Media Group dailies; URL:
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
22) Back to Top
Georgian leader, Armenian minister discuss ties, Karabakh - Arminfo
Tuesday June 15, 2010 13:29:46 GMT
Text of report by private Armenian news agency ArminfoYerevan, 15 June:
Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan, who was on a working visit to
Georgia on 14 June, met Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in
Batumi.The Armenian foreign minister passed greetings from Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan on to the Georgian leader, the press service of
the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.Saakashvili noted with
satisfaction that friendly ties had been established between Armenia and
Georgia. He said the dialogue established with President Sargsyan provides
an opportunity to continue bilateral cooperation effectively.Saakashvili
and Nalbandyan exchanged opinions on issues of the bilateral agenda,
discussed the process of implementation of agreements achieved previously
and also the implementation of economic programmes.A number of issues of
concern for the Armenian community of Georgia were touched on during the
conversation. At Saakashvili's request, Nalbandyan presented the current
situation in the negotiation process on the Karabakh settlement and latest
developments in the Armenian-Turkish process of normalization of
ties.During a meeting with the Armenian community, Nalbandyan spoke about
the current state of and prospects for Armenian-Georgian relations, and
presented the outcomes of meetings he had held previously, and also main
priorities of Armenia's foreign policy.(Description of Source: Yerevan
Arminfo in Russian -- Independent news agency)
Materi al in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
23) Back to Top
Defense of Strategic Exports - JoongAng Daily Online
Wednesday June 16, 2010 00:48:39 GMT
(JOONGANG ILBO) - The Ministry of Knowledge Economy signed a memorandum of
understanding on a nuclear power generation deal with Turkey yesterday,
moving Korea one step closer to winning the international bid to construct
two nuclear reactors there. When added to last year's contract with the
United Arab Emirates for four Korean-model nuclear reactors worth $40
billion, Korea becomes a full-fledged atomic energy exporter.
But exporting nuclear power plants cannot be achieved by a competitive
edge in technology and price alone. That will be possible only when
supported by diplomacy, defense and finance. The export of nuclear power
plants to the U.A.E. was possible through the combined efforts of
President Lee Myung-bak (Yi Myo'ng-pak) and related government ministries.
Our strategic export industry is now in the hands of the Korea Electric
Power Corporation, which should be corrected.The same goes for exports of
military equipment. The T-50, Korea's first supersonic aircraft, the K-2
Black Panther battle tank and the U-214 class submarine have already
proven they are competitive in the global arena thanks to the effective
combination of advanced information technology and traditional industry.
Yet our defense industry still stops short of meeting its growing status
because it frequently loses in international bidding to the United States,
France and Britain.The sad reality is that our defense companies often try
to expand their globa l business by themselves, whereas defense companies
in other developed countries do the job collectively and systematically
through pan-government support agencies such as DSAA (in the United
States), DESO (Britain), DIR (France) and SIBAT (Israel). In those
countries, experts from government ministries are fully engaged in
handling tasks ranging from the acquisition of bidding information to
marketing and promotion.Nuclear power plant construction and military
equipment manufacturing are export industries with high added value. These
industries should not limit themselves to the domestic market just to keep
their operations above a certain level. For instance, some defense
industry people are keeping a close watch on worldwide bidding to meet the
growing demand overseas.But we should ask ourselves why countries like
France, Britain and Italy are devoting all of their energy and passion to
their strategic exports.We, too, should establish a pan-governmental body
that will fu lly support the export of our defense materials. It is time
for all the related experts in government to put their heads together to
come up with a comprehensive strategy to reinforce this
sector.(Description of Source: Seoul JoongAng Daily Online in English --
Website of English-language daily which provides English-language
summaries and full-texts of items published by the major center-right
daily JoongAng Ilbo, as well as unique reportage; distributed as an insert
to the Seoul edition of the International Herald Tribune; URL:
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
24) Back to Top
Gulf Press Highlights 12 Jun - 15 Jun - Arabian Peninsula -- OSC Summary<
Tuesday June 15, 2010 20:24:43 GMT
http://www.elaph.com/Web/NewsPapers/2010/6/570164.html 2. Kuwait: Draft
Law Criminalizing Normalization of Ties with Israel; Involvement of Women
in Terrorist Activities a. Kuwait Al-Dar Online in Arabic -- Website of
independent, pro-Shiite daily focusing on regional affairs
; URL: http://www.aldaronline.com on 14 June carries a 400-word commentary
by Fadil al-Talib entitled "The Law of Criminalizing the Normalization of
Ties with Israel for Putting an End to the Insolence of the Press." The
article comments on a currently debated law in the Kuwaiti National
Assembly "deeming it a crime to release any publication which openly
supports the Zionist entity." The writer condemns all those who
"desperately defend the crimes of the Zionist authority," back the Israeli
policies and "call for killing their Arab and Mu slim brothers." The
writer further notes: "I wish the National Assembly, when approving such a
law, would toughen as much as possible the punishment against pro-Zionist
http://www.aldaronline.com/Dar/Detail.cfm?ArticleID=105552 b. Kuwait
Al-Dar Online
on 15 June carries a 400-word article by Aliyah Al Farid entitled "Women
and Extremism in Our Gulf Societies," commenting on the involvement of
women Al Farid says: "The reality of extremism and radicalism which leads
to terrorism is ubiquitous in the Saudi society and affects both genders.
The negligence of the status of women was never justified in the past. The
latest manifestation of this situation was the arrest of the most
dangerous female member of Al-Qa'ida -- as described by the media -- who
goes by the name of Haylah al-Qasir, aka Umm al-Rabab." The writer further
points out: "This situation requires the launch of a cultural, national
and integrated proje ct which will be dedicated to women and family in the
Saudi society. Many societies include groups and associations geared to
women and family; except in the Saudi society, where no national and
integrated institutions caring for the affairs of women and family exist."
3. Qatar: The Gaza Siege; The Broadcasting Interruptions in Al-Jazirah TV
Coverage of the Soccer World Cup; The Pro-Arab Turkish Initiatives a. Doha
Al-Sharq Online in Arabic -- Website of leading, large-circulation
independent daily with close ties to the ruling family; focuses on
domestic affairs; URL: http://www.al-sharq.com/
on 14 June carries a 200-word editorial entitled "A Visit to Break
Effectively the Siege, Not a Show to Defuse Tension," commenting on the
recent visit made to Gaza by Amr Musa, the secretary general of the Arab
League, in the aftermath of the Israeli raid on the Freedom Flotilla. The
paper says: "We stand before a humanitarian disaster which reappears every
single day, killing Gaza's residents by the arms of disease and hunger.
This situation requires from all the Arab regimes to cement the decision
they took upon the 2008 Arab Summit, which stipulated breaking Gaza's
siege. In addition, they must mobilize all international and regional
moves and stands condemning Israel's act of piracy against the Freedom
Flotilla, and take the initiative to send official delegations carrying
http://www.al-sharq.com/articles/more.php?id=198624 b. Doha Al-Rayah
Online in Arabic -- Website of influential, independent daily with close
ties to the ruling family; focuses on domestic affairs;
URL: http://www.raya.com/ on 15 June carries a 500-word commentary by
Munira Al Thani entitled "The Al-Jazirah Sports TV: The Pride of the
Satellite Channels," in which the writer condemns the premeditated
broadcasting interruptions of Al-Jazirah's coverage o f the World Cup 2010
in South Africa. The writer says: "The jamming of Al-Jazirah Sports TV
signal during the inauguration of the World Cup is nothing more than a
maneuver carried out by weak people to deprive millions of Arab viewers
from a globally-shared and peaceful recreation for which they wait every
four years." The writer adds: "Preventing millions of Arab viewers from
enjoying this championship is a crime perpetrated by people who display
childish and weak behavior and seek to mar global joy."
7&version=1&template--id=168&parent--id=167 c. Doha Al-Arab
Online in Arabic -- Website of independent, large-circulation pan-Arab
daily; has close ties to the ruling family but is sometimes critical of
government policies;
URL: http://www.alarab.com.qa/ on 12 June carries a 750-word commentary by
Yasir Sa'd entitled "The Arab Suspicion Over Erdog an and his Motives," in
which the writer commends the pro-Palestinian Turkish stand. The writer
criticizes the Arab media outlets which have recently criticized Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, casting doubts on the sincerity of
his support to the Arab causes, and says: "Attacking this man and his
stands as well as suspecting his intentions has not been difficult for
some figures which have the upper hand over the Arab media landscape, in
order to instill in us the culture of defeat, depression, and intellectual
and psychological decadence." Sa'd says that the Arab journalists who
blame Turkey for maintaining ties with Israel ignore that "the political
situation in Turkey is controlled by delicate balances of power, inasmuch
as the Turkish Army is lying in wait for the government run by the Justice
and Development Party." According to the writer, Ankara will lose the
bargain and pressure "cards" through which it can exert pressu re on
Israel in case it cuts off its ties with the "Hebrew State." The writer
voices regret that the Turkish stances "have gained limited Arab support,"
stressing that "what Erdogan has done to serve the Palestinian cause
deserves praise and admiration."
5 4. UAE: The UN Sanctions Against Iran; The US Role in the Middle East
Peace Process; The Controversy Over the Statements Made by Helen Thomas a.
Sharjah Al-Khalij Online in Arabic -- Website of conservative,
independent, pro-government daily; URL http://www.alkhaleej.ae/
on 12 June carries a 400-word opinion by Sa'd Mihyu entitled "Iran and
Turkey," in which the writer comments on the recent UN Sanctions on Tehran
. The writer says: "What is more dangerous than the grave UN sanctions
imposed by Washington on Tehran were the exceptionally harsh words
addressed by Susan Rice, US env oy to the UN Security Council, to Turkey
and Brazil." The writer then quotes the US diplomat as saying: "Turkey and
Brazil are now the outliers. They are standing outside the rest of the
Security Council, outside the international community's body." The writer
also asks: "The Israeli crime claimed the lives of Turkish nationals whose
country has been the first line of defense for the United States, the
NATO, Europe and the Middle East. Does this crime not deserve much more
than the American feelings of regret? Does the US leniency with this crime
mean that Washington has become fully biased toward Israel at the expense
of Turkey in the new Middle Eastern equations?" b. Sharjah Al-Khalij
Online in Arabic -- Website of conservative, independent, pro-government
URL http://www.alkhaleej.ae/ carries a 300-word editorial on 12 June
entitled "False Promises," in which the writer doubts of the possibility
of concluding a US-brokered settlement in the protracted
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The paper says: "A few days ago during a
meeting PA President Mahmud Abbas, US President Barack Obama made a new
promise to settle the Arab-Zionist conflict before the end of this year."
The paper further notes: "Obama knows perfectly well that he cannot
fulfill his promise, as he is incapable of doing so even if he wanted to,
due to the influence of Zionism over him and his administration. So why
did he make such a promise?"
c. Sharjah Al-Khalij Online in Arabic -- (Website of conservative,
independent, pro-government daily; URL http://www.alkhaleej.ae/
on 14 June carries an approximately 500-word opinion piece by Sa'd Mihiu,
entitled "The United States Changes, The United States Did Not Change,"
commenting on the foreign policy pursued by the Obama administration
following the recent publication of t he US National Security Strategy.
Mihiu says: "Expectations were already high that the Obama administration
would move the United States from a country ruling the world by force to a
country exerting a well-intended hegemony." The writer highlights the
disagreement between the United States, Turkey, and Brazil by saying: "The
sharp US reaction toward the Turkish-Brazilian initiative to transfer the
Iranian uranium abroad proves that the Obama administration still acts
with the same arrogance which marked the Bush administration." The writer
further observes: "The strong US reaction towards Turkey and Brazil is due
to the fact that Washington is not capable of being democratic and
tolerant with the rising international powers when the oil of the Middle
East -- the all-important factor in the US National Security Strategy-- is
at stake, ."
d. Sharjah Al-Khalij Online i n Arabic -- (Website of conservative,
independent, pro-government daily; URL http://www.alkhaleej.ae/
on 14 June carries an approximately 400-word article by Yusuf Abu-Lawz
entitled "Thank you Mrs Helen," commenting on the controversial comments
on Israel made by Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps. The
writer says that Thomas did not do anything wrong when she asked the
Israelis to "get the hell out of Palestine." According to the writer,
Thomas's "moral stand" has "sparked a wave of outrage which emerged at the
White House itself." The writer further extends his thanks to Thomas
"despite her apologies," noting that the US Administration's official
"deserve to be reprimanded not her, for hasting to muzzle a lady in her
nineties." The writer also compares the embarrassing situation of Thomas
with that of some Palestinian politicians who seek to make politically
correct speeches and shy from sp eaking out against regional or
international powerhouses, "uttering weak phrases which barely convey any
condemnation of the United States or Israel."
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
25) Back to Top
News Roundup 14, 15 Jun
For assistance with multimedia elements, contact OSC at 1-800-205-8615 or
firstname.lastname@example.com - Iran - OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 08:30:22 GMT
The following is a roundup of reports appearing in the Iranian media
sources in English, and news and commentaries published in non -US media
on 14 and 15 June 2010. This roundup is in the following sections: (Click
on the links to go to the desired section) NUCLEAR ISSUE/SANCTIONS
NUCLEAR ISSUE/SANCTIONS Press TV: "Ashton invites Jalili for nuclear
(Mon, 14 Jun) EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has invited Iran's
chief nuclear negotiator to discuss Tehran's nuclear issue ahead of an EU
summit in Brussels Thursday. "I have written to Mr. (Saeed) Jalili...
inviting him to meet with me to now discuss nuclear weapons issues,"
Ashton said upon arrival in Luxembourg for talks with EU foreign
ministers, AFP reported.While some EU foreign ministers are pushing for
additional measures against Iran in addition to the new, though
meaningless, UN Security Counc il sanctions imposed on the country, others
have expressed reservations about any sort of sanctions policy against the
Islamic Republic.While British Foreign Secretary William Hague insists
that EU should take a "strong lead" on the Iranian nuclear issue by
adopting "accompanying and additional measure" against the country, the
Swedish Foreign Minister has spoken against any sort of sanctions as an
ineffective effort. "No one really believes that sanctions are going to
sort out this problem or have much political effect," Swedish Foreign
Minister Carl Bildt told reporters as he arrived for the talks in
Luxembourg.He reiterated that the only effective sanctions would be one
with international proportions.EU foreign ministers are expected to
consider any potential measures against Tehran in addition to the new UN
sanctions in their meeting on Monday.Iranian officials have expressed
fierce criticism of the new sanctions, calling the measure illegal ,
worthless and illegitimate.Iranian President Ahmadinejad said Sunday that
the US had gone around the world "begging" for votes to impose the UN
Security Council resolution on Iran.According to a draft document which
will be presented at EU's Thursday summit of its leaders, the potential
measures are to target Iran's financial and transport sectors, as well as
investments in or sale of equipment to Iranian oil and gas companies.An EU
resolution on any measures requires the unanimous approval of all 27
member states.There has been no official response by Iranian officials to
Ashton's invitation.However, according to observers, the response is not
expected to be quite positive considering the implied threat of further
sanctions which Iran regards as illegitimate and insulting.The Europeans
have clearly stated that the proposed additional measures, if approved,
intend to stop Iran's nuclear program.The Iranians, on the other hand,
have insisted that their nuclear wor k is civilian and totally subjected
to comprehensive international monitoring.They rigorously reject any talk
or efforts aimed at impeding what they consider their legitimate right to
the peaceful use of nuclear technology. (Back to top) IRNA: "Foreign
Ministry objects to recent remarks of EU representative"
(Tue, 15 Jun) IRI Foreign Ministry objected here Monday to stands taken by
EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton on situation of human rights in
Iran. According to IRNA, the Information and Media Head office of the IRI
Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the Managing Director of Foreign
Ministry's International Political Affairs as reflecting Iran's strong
objection to Ms. Ashton's remarks in a meeting with the Ambassador of
Spain, whose country is currently the rotating head of the EU. The Iranian
official said that the communique issued by the EU top official was
"politically motivated, biased, unreal, and unconstructive." The forei gn
ministry official meanwhile referred to the abstained vote of the EU to
the Human Rights Commission resolution in condemnation of the Zionist
regime's attack against the International Peace Flotilla heading for Gaza
in which more than 10 relief workers and peace activists were killed as a
negative move and a sign of the double standards adopted by the EU that
encourage the Zionist officials to commit more crimes against human
rights. Spain's ambassador promised to reflect Iran's objections to the EU
at the end of the meeting. EU foreign ministers on Monday proposed new
sanctions going further than UN restrictions, in a bid to pressure Iran
over its peaceful nuclear program. The measures, which also cover the oil
and gas industry, with transport and banking or insurance curbs, will now
go forward to an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday for final approval.The
foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, said the EU would seek to
prohibit new investment as well as the transf ers of technologies,
equipment and services. Iran has the world's second-largest reserves of
natural gas and is OPEC's second largest oil exporter.Global energy majors
have come under increased international pressure over their activities in
the country. "We need to adopt accompanying and supporting measures," to
the UN sanctions, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said after
protracted ministerial talks.However Ashton stressed that the sanctions
are "not the end game" and that the EU continued with its twin-track
approach with the offer of talks remaining firmly on the table. Last
Wednesday the UN Security Council slapped its fourth set of sanctions on
Iran, authorizing high-seas inspections of vessels believed to be ferrying
banned items to Iran and adding 40 entities to a list of people and groups
subject to travel restrictions and financial sanctions... (Back to top)
IRNA: "Mottaki: Obama lost great opportunity"
(Mon, 14 Jun ) Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday that the
US President Barack Obama lost a great opportunity provided by Tehran
Declaration and instead revealed the true image of US policies to world
nations. According to the Press Bureau and Public Relations Department of
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mottaki made the remarks in his meeting with
visiting Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin in Tehran.Mottaki
referring to deep-rooted political, economic and parliamentary cooperation
between Iran and Turkey hailed sincere cooperation between Iran, Turkey
and Brazil in signing the Tehran Declaration and striving to resolve the
country's nuclear standoff.Turkey demonstrated its diplomatic capability
through Tehran Declaration, he said while describing the reaction of US to
such a move as 'naive'.The US move proves the legitimacy of the Islamic
Republic of Iran in the past 30 years in revealing the wrong policies of
the US administrations to world nations, he said.The US president had
personally advised the Turkish and Brazilian presidents to play an active
role in Tehran nuclear swap deal but simply missed the opportunity and
revealed the true image of US hegemony.The Iranian foreign minister also
voiced sympathy with the Turkish people and government over martyrdom of 9
Turkish citizens aboard a ship carrying relief supply to Gaza people.He
blasted the UNSC for its double standard approach to the Zionist regime's
attack on Gaza aid convoy.Turkish parliament speaker, for his part,
highlighted the two sides' relations and underlined that Tehran nuclear
standoff should be resolved through negotiations and diplomatic
means.Turkey believes that Tehran Declaration is still on the table and
sharply criticized the reaction of certain countries to this
effect.Referring to existing problems in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan,
he called for expansion of cooperation among regional parliaments mainly
between Iran and Turkey. (Back to top) Press TV: "Iran: US nearing nuclear
(Mon, 14 Jun) Iran's foreign minister says the US is standing on the brink
of defeat over adopting an "immature" stance towards Tehran's fuel swap
declaration.The remarks were made Monday during a meeting with the Turkish
Parliament speaker, Mehmet Ali Sahin, who is heading Ankara's first
visiting delegation since the May 17 declaration.Mottaki said "America's
response to the tripartite initiative was immature, which on the grand
chessboard of international affairs, has brought the United Sates one step
closer to a checkmate," read a Foreign Ministry statement.Hailing Ankara's
"diplomatic aptitude", the minister added that the US missed a chance by
failing to endorse the fuel swap declaration -- an initiative it had
earlier touted as productive. "While encouraging the Brazilian president
and the Turkish premier in playing a role in the nuclear fuel swap
proposal, the US missed a chan ce, giving up the real face of US politics
to the world," the statement added.The Turkish official described the
declaration as the positive outcome of diplomacy and dialogue, and
stressed that Ankara believed the nuclear fuel swap declaration was still
on the table. (Back to top) Press TV: "Turkey: Diplomacy key to Iran
nuclear issue"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Nearly a week after Iran faced new sanctions over its
nuclear activities, Turkey's parliament speaker says the key to resolving
the international deadlock is with diplomacy.Mehmet Ali Sahin who is in
Tehran, criticized the UN Security Council's approval of a US-proposed
resolution for a fourth set of sanctions against Iran, adding that the
nuclear issue can only be resolved only by diplomatic means.Sahin, who
made the comments in a Monday meeting with Iranian counterpart Ali
Larijani, went on to describe the Tehran declaration on a nuclear fuel
swap as a "positive step" that should have been taken seriously in the
West. (Back to top) Press TV: "'Russia, China showed goodwill'"
(Mon, 14 Jun) In a rather different tone, a senior Iranian lawmaker says
Russia and China probably had "the best of intentions" when they voted yes
for another set of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.In a Monday
interview with Mehr News Agency, Hossein Ebrahimi dismissed speculations
that Iran is considering downgrading its ties with Russia and China over
their support for a UN Security Council (UNSC) decision to slap fresh
sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear activities."The Iranian Foreign
Ministry believes China and Russia's moves were in fact sympathetic," said
Ebrahimi, who is a senior member of the National Security and Foreign
Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis).He further pointed
out that Iranian lawmakers have discussed the move in a parliamentary
session and have decided that "there should be no change in the country's
relations" with Russia and China. "After all, the new sanction resolution
will not have a negative impact on the country, so there is no cause for
concern," the lawmaker noted... (Back to top) Press TV: "Indonesia against
Iran sanctions"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Indonesia has lamented the imposition of fresh UN sanctions
against Iran, stressing the need for diplomacy in ending the standoff over
Tehran's nuclear program.Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa cast
doubt on whether the UN Security Council sanctions resolution can play a
part in efforts to settle the nuclear standoff, the Qatari New Agency
(QNA) reported Monday citing a ministry statement.Highlighting Jakarta's
opposition to the measure, Natalegawa stressed that the standoff revolved
around a "shortage of trust between the parties."He added that the same
skepticism has withheld the West from accepting the May 17 nuclear fuel
swap declaration issued by Iran, Brazil and Turkey. (Back to top)
POLITICS/DIPLOMACY IRNA: "VP: Today's world in need of Islamic governance"
(Tue, 15 Jun) 1st Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi said here Monday
today's world is in need of an Islamic governance to rid mankind of many
of its difficulties. According to IRNA Political Desk reporter, Rahimi who
was speaking at the closing ceremony of the National Conference on Islamic
Management in Education at IRIB International Conferences Center added,
"The current conditions of the world are sufficient proof that the
prevailing world order is in need of progress towards becoming Islamic
governance."Pointing out that if the Islamic management will not reign
over the world the global management problems would keep on lingering and
worsening, he added, "Today the world is in dire need of a world order
whose control system would be in the hands of Islam."According to Rahimi,
the Islamic governance whose roots are in the Glorious Qur'an is
definitely a divine system, capable of solving the entire problems of the
mankind.The IRI First Vice President pointed out that the mafia of he
global world order is opposed to the successful reigning of an Islamic
governance, arguing, "The governance of pure wisdom and logical reasoning
is rejected by the current world order and that is the reason why whenever
they feel a good manager is working in a corner of he world they do their
best to create obstacles in the way of his smooth governance."Emphasizing
that the Islamic management system is quite capable of governing the
world, he said, "Governance based on Islam can easily solve the entire
problems, difficulties and conflicts of the mankind throughout the
world."He added, "Almighty All is the Mightiest Manager in the entire
universe, adding, "The ultimate goal of the science of management is
gaining maximum benefits, but in Islamic good governance gaining material
benefits is merely a prelu de for strengthening the foundations of the
blessed Islamic values."Rahimi pointed out that the Islamic management and
educational systems are today faced with poor scientific backing, adding,
"Unfortunately most of the Islamic world authors in these fields have
adopted the western style in their works."He said the history of the
Islamic civilization has such great thinkers as Imam Mohammad Qazali, Imam
Fakhr Razi, and Imam Khomeini (P), who have contributed valuable works in
the field of Islamic management and Islamic governance.Rahimi concluded
his remarks arguing, "The late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Imam Khomeini (P), among them, managed to present practical theories in
macro-scale Islamic governance and management system to the world." (Back
to top) Mehr News Agency: "Grand ayatollah criticizes officials' visits to
(Mon, 14 Jun) QOM -- Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani has cr
iticized Iranian official s' visits to the Shanghai Expo as China endorsed
a Western-backed UN sanctions resolution against Iran.Talking to a number
of cleric lawmakers, Ayatollah Hamedani said, "China voted in favor of the
anti-Iran resolution by following the footsteps of the U.S. and
Russia...Why Iranian officials should visit the country after that
move."China also betrayed the Islamic Republic by refusing to accept
Iran's membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and it was not
appropriate that Iranian officials visit this country, he noted. Moreover,
import of Chinese goods into the country has harmed local economy badly,
the ayatollah lamented. (Back to top) Fars News Agency: "Senior MP
stresses expansion of ties with Armenia"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Head of the Iranian parliament's National Security and
Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi in a meeting with Armenian
envoy to Tehran underlined Iran's resolve to develop relations with
Yerevan. "The Isl amic Republic of Iran attaches special importance to the
expansion of relations and cooperation with Armenia," Boroujerdi said on
Sunday, adding that the two countries' friendly ties are moving on an
upward trend.Underscoring the prominent role of the two countries'
parliaments, particularly parliamentary friendship groups, in
consolidating Tehran-Yerevan relations and cooperation, he stressed the
Iranian parliament's support for the promotion of bilateral relations in
all fields.Boroujerdi also reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran's
principled policy is based on strengthening tranquility and security in
the region, and said, "Establishment of durable security and stability in
the region depends on cooperation among regional states."During the
meeting, the Armenian ambassador said that Iran has a special place in
Armenia's foreign policy and that his country's leaders are resolved to
develop all-out ties with Tehran.Underlining the importance of develo
pment of economic relations between the two countries, he said that
Armenia has abundant capacities and capabilities for economic cooperation
with Iran and supports investments by Iranian private companies in the
country.Iran and Armenia have expanded their bilateral relations in recent
years, specially in political, economic, trade and cultural fields.Iran in
early February held an international conference in Tehran on introducing
the trade and investment opportunities of Armenia during which the
Armenian and Iranian officials expressed the hope that the relations
between the two countries would further develop.During the conference,
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Amir Mansour Borqe'i called on Iranian and
Armenian officials to use all the existing potentials and capabilities to
increase trade ties and exchanges between the two countries. "Iran and
Armenia should use all the existing potentials to expand trade activities
and mutual investment by the (two countries') pr ivate sector," Borqe'i
said at the conference.Also, Senior Advisor to Armenian President Ahram
Narsisian reiterated at the time that Yerevan is seeking to promote
relations with Iran.Narsisian stressed the need for gathering a proper
understanding of the existing impediments to the further expansion of
relations between the two countries. (Back to top) GAZA AID IRNA
Exclusive: "Iran asks for immediate lifting of Gaza Siege"
(Tue, 15 Jun) At 14th Session of UN Human Rights Council, Iran asked for
immediate lifting of inhumane lingering Gaza siege and possibility of
forwarding philanthropist contributions to oppressed Palestinians.
According to IRNA correspondent in Vienna, Iran's demand was put forth at
a session in which the human rights conditions at the occupied territories
of the Palestinians was being discussed under Article 7 of the said
council.At the session the Permanent Charge d'Affaires of the Islamic
Republic of Iran at the UN Asadollah Eshr aq-Jahromi in his address
referred to the deteriorating conditions within the occupied Palestinian
territories that have always been one of the major and urgent concerns of
the international community.He emphatically added, "Unfortunately during
the course of the past six decades the world nations have constantly been
witnesses to the breaching of the international and human rights of the
innocent Palestinian nation by the occupier regime of the Holy Qods."He
added, "In that while the illegal continuation of the township building,
destroying of residential homes, arresting and imprisonment of the
innocent people, vast and systematic resorting to torture and imprisonment
of the innocent people, and other cruel behaviors, the inhumane lingering
siege of Gaza Strip and the invasions of military forces into that region,
destruction of holy sites and continuation of the separation wall as an
obvious sign or racism, and the recent brutal attack against the Internati
onal Peace Flotilla carrying humanitarian aides in the international
waters have been, but a small portion of the criminal acts committed by
the Zionist regime." He said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran once again
seriously condemns the criminal acts of the Zionist regime, particularly
its attack against the aids caravan for the people of Gaza that cost
dozens of precious lives of civilian people and wounding a lot more, which
have entirely been broad violations of international laws."He asked for
putting to trial the people who have committed such crimes at an
international court of justice without any delay.Iran's ambassador also
asked for the establishment of an international truth seeker group to
identify the people that have ordered the occurrence of such crimes among
the officials of the occupier regime of the Holy Qods.Eshraq-Jahromi
referred to the endless pains of the Palestinian people, particularly the
Gaza residents, asking for an immediate end to t he inhumane siege of Gaza
and the other occupied lands and permitting the free flow of the
humanitarian aides' ships into Gaza free from any Israeli nuisance.At
regular sessions of the UN Human Rights Council the violations of human
rights at occupied territories are surveyed under Article 7 in the
framework of reactions to the report of the Special UN Reporters at two
separate sessions of that council. (Back to top) AhlulBayt News Agency:
"Iranian ships carrying humanitarian aid head for Gaza"
(Tue, 15 Jun) Iranian national radio reported on Monday that Tehran sent
two ships to aid the besieged Gaza Strip, confirming that one of the ships
left the port on Sunday, while the other will leave by next Friday, loaded
with food, construction materials, and toys. Sources from the Iranian
military confirmed that Iran would not provide military protection for
these vessels. Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the Revolutionary
Guard, said in response to reports t hat his troops will provide military
escort for the vessels going into Gaza, "Such matters as this are not on
our agenda."In past instances, Iran has sent aid to Gaza via Egypt. It is
not yet clear whether these ships will follow the same route or attempt to
dock in Gaza itself.On a similar note, a delegation of members of the
Iranian parliament plan to travel to Gaza via Egypt. Alaeddin Boroujerdi,
head of foreign policy and national security in the Iranian parliament,
said that Egyptian authorities are "positive" in the proposed visit by
parliamentarians, but did not issue a formal approval.The French News
Agency quoted the Iranian media as saying that about a quarter of the
Iranian parliament's 291 members expressed their desire to visit Gaza. The
Iranian daily news also reported that an officer from a youth organization
under the Iranian Red Crescent Society said that about 100,000 Iranians
have volunteered to be crew members of ships carrying huma nitarian
aid.Iran's actions are in response to the Zionist massacre against the
Freedom Flotilla on May 31, which resulted in nine Turkish deaths and
dozens of injuries. (Back to top) --IRNA: "Iran's humanitarian aid to be
shipped to Gaza next week" (Mon, 14 Jun) Iran will send two separate
cargos of humanitarian aid for the oppressed people of Gaza next week, it
was reported Monday. The announcement was made by an official in charge of
the support for Palestinians and sending humanitarian aid for the
oppressed people of Gaza.Mohammad Ali Nouraee said the first cargo will be
shipped to the Gaza Strip from the southern port of Khorramshahr in
Khuzestan province.Khorramshahr is the symbol of Iranians' resistance
against the enemy during the eight years of Iraq's imposed war against
Iran 1980-1988 while Gaza is the symbol of the resistance of the
Palestinian people, said the official. "The first Iranian ship sailing to
Gaza is called the Convoy to Gaza," Nouraee said.He added that the second
cargo will also be sent to the besieged area from north of Iran via the
country's border with Turkey and then will be shipped to Gaza through
Istanbul.Nouraee stressed that the two convoys would move with no security
arrangements as "we are not to fight.We will go for help and we may even
become martyred in this way." (Back to top) IRNA: "Escorting Gaza aid
ships not on IRGC agenda: Senior commander"
(Mon, 14 Jun) A senior official of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) said Monday that escorting the ships heading to Gaza was not on the
IRGC's agenda. IRGC's First Deputy Commander Hossein Salami made the
remarks on the sidelines of a local gathering in Tehran while commenting
on the recent reports that the body was ready to escort ships that are
sailing humanitarian aid to the besieged area. "Not such an issue is on
the IRGC's agenda," Salami told reporters.Referring to the Zionist
regime's n ew threats against Iran, the official said, "There is nothing
new in those threats for us."We were grown up with such threats which have
led us to make our own defensive power so that we can encounter the worst
scenarios.Therefore, such threats would not concern us at all regardless
of their form, intensity and scale."Touching upon the issue of sanctioning
the IRGC by new round of restrictions imposed on Iran, the official said,
"We are not concerned about sanctioning the IRGC as our economic life is
not dependent on interacting with powerful countries." "During the past 31
years, we have always been under sanctions.We are experienced in living
with sanctions and with this we reached a complete self-reliance," Salami
stressed. "In fact, this is the world which is in need of having economic
ties with us as Iran is a big country which is both a producer and a
consumer of economic goods." (Back to top) ECONOMY/ENERGY IRNA: "Pre
sident Ahmadinejad signs contracts to expand South Pars" (Tue, 15 Jun)
Assalouyeh, Bushehr Province - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed
contracts to expand six phases of Pars Special Economic Energy Zone
(SPSEZ). The President signed contracts to expand phases 13, 14, 23, 22,
19 and 24 of South Pars.The contracts to expand the phases were signed
with different consortiums comprising of several Iranian companies.The
contracts have the production capacity of 140 million cubic meters of gas
per day.Iranian contractors are to invest about dlrs 21 billion on these
six phases.Prior to the signing of the contracts, President Ahmadinejad
toured two phases of South Pars.Assalouyeh is located in the Persian Gulf
province of Bushehr.Phase 19 of the South Pars FTZ comprises of three
sub-phases.The Managing Director of Pars Oil and Gas Company, Ali Vakili,
had earlier told IRNA that signing of the contracts on the phases would
lead to unprecedented development in the Assa louyeh region. Meanwhile, a
special oil work group is scheduled to survey the rapid expansion project
of the remaining 19 phases of the South Pars FTZ during the President's
visit to the region. (Back to top) IRNA: "President: New chapter in Iran's
oil industry"
(Tue, 15 Jun) Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that today marked
the opening of a new chapter in Iranian oil industry and construction and
development of Iran. The President made the remark here in the Persian
Gulf province of Bushehr in southern Iran in reference to signing of
contracts with Iranians companies on Tuesday to expand remaining phases of
South Pars Gas Field.He noted that the contracts signed with Iranian
contractors and companies which were done relying on domestic financial
resources as well as national technical skills to develop the remaining
six phases in the South Pars Gas Field were the biggest ever in Iranian
oil industry.He said he believed it was possible to develo p and construct
Iran in speed three times higher the present one provided the national
capabilities and potentials are wisely recruited and managed.Referring to
the sabotages by some foreign contractors in fulfilling their commitments
in carrying out different projects in the country, President Ahmadinejad
said rejecting big hegemonic powers who are dominating nations will make
them beg world nations. (Back to top) IRNA: "1,000MW power plant goes on
stream in President presence"
(Tue, 15 Jun) Assalouyeh, Bushehr Province - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
inaugurated a 1,000-MW oil-gas concentrated power plant in this Persian
Gulf industrial zone Tuesday morning. The power plant is constructed to
provide necessary energy for development projects of the South Pars gas
fields.It was completed with a budget of more than 4,550 billion rials
during a period of 28 months which had started in 2006.The power plant
lies in the village of Bidkhoon some 60 km from Assal ouyeh. (Back to top)
IRNA: "President leaves Assalouyeh for Tehran"
(Tue, 15 Jun) Presdident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad departed Assalouyeh in the
Persian Gulf province of Bushehr, southern Iran, for Tehran Tuesday
morning. (Back to top) Mehr News Agency: "South Pars attracts $15b in
domestic investment"
(Mon, 14 Jun) The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and domestic
companies will sign contracts worth $15 billion today/tomorrow for the
development of six phases of the South Pars gas field.Phases 13, 14, 19,
22, 23, and 24 are to be transferred to the Industrial Development and
Renovation Organization (IDRO), Petropars, and an all-Iranian consortium,
the SHANA news agency reported.NIOC Managing Director Ahmad Qalebani and
Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi will attend the signing ceremony.In April,
Mirkazemi stated that all phases of the South Pars gas field will come on
stream by 2015.According to Iran's Fifth Five-Year Socio-Economic
Development Plan (2010-2015), $25 billion should be invested annually in
the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, the Mehr News Agency
quoted Mirkazemi as saying.The development of oil and gas fields which are
shared with Persian Gulf states, Iraq, and Turkmenistan is a priority of
the Oil Ministry, he added.He went on to say that Iran's oil production
capacity is projected to rise above 5 million barrels per day and gas
production is expected to hit 900 million cubic meters per day. The South
Pars field is a gas condensate field located in the Persian Gulf.It is the
world's largest gas field and is shared by Iran and Qatar.According to the
International Energy Agency, the field holds an estimated 50.97 trillion
cubic meters (1800 trillion cubic feet) of in-situ gas and some 50 billion
barrels of condensates. Iran holds has the world's second-largest reserves
of natural gas and the third-largest reserves of oil. (Back to top) IRNA:
"Iran oil industry plans to focus on d evelopment of joint fields"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Investment in the joint oil and gas fields will be among
priorities of Iranian oil industry with joint fields slated to become
operational in next three to four years, said an Iranian official here on
Monday. "For instance each phase of South Pars field needs maximum of $2.5
billion to three billion investment," Deputy Oil Minister for
International and Commercial Affairs Hossein Noqre-Kar Shirazi told
reporters on Monday.He said that LNG production is among targets of his
ministry.He also referred to a tripartite project with India and Pakistan
for transfer of natural gas. "Over the past few months, Indians have
become active.The pipeline, which has thus far stretched to Iranshahr,
reveals the availability of Iranian and Pakistani facilities for
connection.Based on the contract, gas will be delivered to Pakistan in the
next three years."In the mid-1990s, Tehran and New Delhi inked a
preliminary agree ment to transport gas to India through Pakistan.The
proposal was then called "Peace Pipeline' to show to the world good
neighborly relations between India and Pakistan.But India remained
concerned about some points, thus preventing meaningful progress of the
deal.The first point was the price of gas, the second was Islamabad 's
reluctance to guarantee the safety of the pipeline in its territory and
the high transit fee Pakistan demanded.India has not yet formally
announced its withdrawl from the project.Petroleum Minister Murli Deora ,
in April, even proposed a trilateral meeting in the Iranian capital to
furhter negotiate the issue.He also met Iran 's Noghrehkar Shirazi on the
sidelines of the 12th International Energy Forum at Cancun, proposing such
talks.But Iran's news sources have been reporting that New Delhi had
actually withdrawn from the project last year.The sources, however, said
that Iran is still willing to welcome India should it wish to join the
project l ater.Iran has formally signed a $7.6-billion cross-border
pipeline deal to supply 750 million cubic feet of natural gas daily to
Pakistan from mid-2014.The pipeline will connect Iran 's giant South Pars
gas field to Pakistan's restive Balochistan province in the southwest and
Sindh in the south.Once the gas starts flowing in, it will meet 20 percent
of Pakistan's needs. "We explicitly announce that as a country having huge
gas reserves, Iran will play a key role in guaranteeing global energy
security in the future," Oil Minister Masood Mir-Kazemi said after the
deal was inked in Tehran.Iran has already laid around 900 km out of the
1,000 km of the pipeline envisaged on its territory.Now, Pakistan will
have to construct about 700 km from the border to its gas transmission
network at Nawabshah, near Karachi , at a cost of $1.65 billion, officials
said.There is also a provision to raise the level of import to as much as
one billion cubic feet of gas per day during the 25-year pact, which can
be extended for another five years. "Now the project has entered into the
implementation phase and there are no further formalities left in the
way," said Naeem Sharafat, managing director of Pakistan 's Inter-State
Gas Co who was part of his country's delegation. (Back to top) Fars News
Agency: "Iran discovers 30bln barrels of oil in southern fields"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Iran announced on Monday that exploration operations in
Arvandkenar oil field in the southwestern city of Abadan in the oil rich
Khuzestan province have resulted in the discovery of 30bln barrels of oil
in the region. "The Arvandkenar oil field has 30bln barrels of in-place
oil reserves," member of the parliament's Energy Commission Javad
Sa'dounzadeh told FNA, adding that digging operations have ended for the
first well while same operations are continued in two more wells.By
discovering such a large amount of oil reserves in Arvandkenar, the region
w ill soon be turned into one of the most important exploitation
centers.Iran, OPEC's second largest oil producer, plans to open some of
its oil and gas fields to foreign investment and boost output by 2015 to
5.3 million barrels per day (bpd), from the current 4.2 million bpd. Iran
possesses roughly 10 percent of the world's total proven petroleum
reserves.Iran has the world's second-largest reserves of natural gas (15%
of the world's total) as well.Meantime, Iranian Oil Minister Seyed Masoud
Mir-Kazzemi announced in February that two giant oil and gas fields have
been found in southern and western Iran.Mir-Kazzemi said that the oil
field is located in Soummar, east of Naftshahr, in the western Kermanshah
province.He said that the filed has 475 million barrels of oil reserves,
of which 70 million barrels are recoverable. the minister also said that a
giant gas field had been found in Halegan about 73 km north of the Persian
Gulf port of Assalouyeh.The minister added that the gas fields' output
could reach some 50 million cubic meters of gas per day and for 20 years.
(Back to top) Mehr News Agency: "Central Bank to wind down law-breaking
financial institutions"
(Mon, 14 Jun) The Iranian Central Bank governor stated that his
organization will categorically wipe out all financial entities breaking
rules set by the Central Bank.The Mehr News Agency quoted Mahmoud Bahmani
as saying that regulating financial institutions according to CB policies
started two years ago and during this period permits have been issued to
law-abiding establishments. Last year was the last chance given to
unqualified foundations and we gave opportunity to many institutions to
gain their permits, he said. He pointed out that in one move alone the
bank granted permits to as many as 801 establishments leaving out 200
firms that were not qualified at that time. If these financial entities do
not meet the requirements set by us in the announced time-frame t hey will
definitely be closed this time, he reiterated. (Back to top) IRIB English
Radio: "Mineral export to be limited to countries imposing sanctions on
(Tue, 15 Jun) An official at Iran's Ministry of Industries and Mines,
Masoud Sami'inejad, announced Monday that export of Iranian minerals to
certain countries which played a role in imposing sanctions on Iran will
be restricted in the near future.The announcement was made by Iran's
Deputy Minister of Industries and Mines in charge of mineral affairs,
Masoud Sami'inejad, while talking to reporters on Monday morning.The
U.N.Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran last
Wednesday.The resolution passed with "no" votes from Turkey and Brazil,
which argued that sanctions were the wrong approach to take with Tehran,
and an abstention from Lebanon.Sami'inejad reiterated that his ministry
would re-examine its exports policies regarding those countries which
imposed sanctio ns on the Islamic Republic of Iran.He added: "Several
countries are keen to purchase Iran's mineral products, but the sale of
these would be restricted to countries which played a role in imposing
sanctions on Iran". (Back to top) Fars News Agency: "Iran to export 300
buses to Iraq"
(Mon, 14 Jun) A leading Iranian bus manufacturing company plans to export
300 buses to the neighboring country of Iraq, a company official announced
on Monday. "The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for the
export of 300 bus units to Iraq," Managing-Director of Semnan's Oghab
Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company Abdullah Akbari-Raad said in
an interview with FNA.He added that the company has exported a $1mln worth
of bus units to Iraq and Afghanistan during the last Iranian year (ended
on March 20).Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company is a
leading company in the field of bus production and is located in the
special industrial z one of Iran's northern city of Semnan.Iran and Iraq
have enjoyed growing ties ever since the overthrow of the former Iraqi
dictator, Saddam Hussein, during the 2003 US invasion of the Muslim
country. (Back to top) Mehr News Agency: "Iran commerce minister meets
Singaporean officials"
(Mon, 14 Jun) The Iranian commerce minister held meetings in Singapore
with figures from the public and private sectors of that city-state.
During his two-day visit Mehdi Ghazanfari had talks with both the
country's senior advisor of the foreign minister and head of its commerce
federation. The Iranian official also made inspections at one of
Singapore's free-trade zones and one of the state's four famous ports.
Meetings with the Singaporean commerce minister and Iranian expats trading
in that country were also on Ghazanfari's itinerary. (Back to top)
MILITARY/SECURITY Fars News Agency: "Riyadh categorically denies deal with
Israel on air strike against Iran"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Saudi Arabia categorically rejected a media report claiming
that the Muslim country has allowed Israel to use its airspace to launch
an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. A statement issued by the Saudi
Embassy in Amman on Monday stressed that Riyadh has never allowed Israel
to use its airspace. "Saudi Arabia has noticed some false claims in some
sections of the British media that it has permitted Israel to launch
attacks on Iran using its airspace," the statement said, obtained by
FNA.The statement further underlined the country's clear strategy of not
allowing any country to use either its airspace or its soil against any
other nation.Riyadh also stressed that it will act upon the same strategy
in its interaction with the regime of Israel, although there are no ties
between them.The Times Online claimed in a report on Sunday, that Saudi
Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defenses to enable
Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on I ran's nuclear facilities.British
media quoted defense sources in the Persian Gulf as saying that Riyadh has
agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the
north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on
Iran.Speculations that Israel could bomb Iran mounted after a big Israeli
air drill in 2008.In the first week of June 2008, 100 Israeli F-16 and
F-15 fighters reportedly took part in an exercise over the eastern
Mediterranean and Greece, which was interpreted as a dress rehearsal for a
possible attack on Iran's nuclear installations.Iran has warned that it
would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under
attack by the Tel Aviv.In November 2009, Commander of Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh told
FNA that Iran has developed its military capabilities so much that it is
now able to target all types of enemy aircrafts' missiles and bombs. (Back
to top) Press TV: &q uot;MP: Freezing S-300, Russia's loss"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Russia's failure to deliver the S-300 defense systems to
Iran will be to Moscow's own loss as Iran has already manufactured all
military equipment banned by the West.Chairman of Iran's parliamentary
(Majlis) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin
Boroujerdi said Iran has developed all military equipment which has been
banned under Western sanctions.The remark was made in response to the
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's statement about freezing the
delivery of the S-300 missile defense systems."Iran's missile capability
is reflective of the country's military abilities," Boroujerdi said.Iran
signed a contract with Russia in December 2005 to purchase at least five
S-300 surface-to-air defense missile systems.However, Russia, under
fierece pressure from Israel and the US, has repeatedly delayed the
delivery of the sophisticated defense system. (Back to top)
TERRORISM/CRIME/NARC OTICS Fars News Agency: "Iranians increase call for
Rigi's execution"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Iranians who still feel much anger at the savage crimes and
offences carried out by the ringleader of the Jundollah terrorist group,
Abdolmalek Rigi, are impatiently waiting for the final judiciary decree
for the execution of the devil.The Jundollah group has claimed
responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in Iran.The group has
carried out mass murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, acts of sabotage and
bombings.They have targeted civilians and government officials as well as
all ranks of Iran's military.In one of the worst cases, his group killed
22 citizens and abducted 7 more in Tasouki region on a road linking the
southeastern city of Zahedan to another provincial town... (Back to top)
DISSENT/OPPOSITION Mehr News Agency: "Police will deal firmly with any
illegal gathering: official"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Security forces will take firm action against those wh o
seek to hold illegal gatherings on the days marking the anniversary of
protests that followed the presidential election last year, the deputy
police chief warned. "Nothing special will happen over the next few days,
and police will stand up firmly to any group or individual who seeks to
disturb the peace and undermine people's security," Ahmad-Reza Radan said
on Monday. "Some people influenced by the enemies' propaganda campaign are
under illusion that they can organize riots overnight, but the servants of
the people and velayat-e faqih (rule of the supreme jurisprudence) will
put down any riot," he added. (Back to top) Radio Zamaneh: "Evin prison
visits cancelled by Tehran prosecutor"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Tehran Prosecutor has cancelled all in-person visits with
political prisoners.Kaleme website reports that starting this week, Abbas
Jafari Dowlatabadi has stopped all in person visits with political
prisoners at Evin Prison for an undeterm ined period.Detainee families
report that they can only contact their kin only by special orders from
the Prosecutor by phone or in cabins where there is no possibility of
physical contact from behind glass windows.It appears that these
restrictions are aimed at stopping detainee messages and writings from
getting out.In the past months, a number of open letters from
post-election detainees have been published in the media.In the past year,
over five thousand protesters were arrested by the Islamic Republic to
quell the protests against the alleged fraud that gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
another term at the presidency.The detainees include scores of political,
social and human rights activists, as well as journalists and student
activists.Many of these prisoners have been sentenced to long prison
terms.In the meantime, arrests continue all across the country.Seven
students were recently arrested according to a number of news outlets and
their families have been so far unable to secure information about their
whereabouts.Advar News reports that Salman Sima, member of student
organization, Adavar Tahkim Vahdat, was arrested on June 12 in course of
street unrest on the anniversary of the disputed 2009 presidential
elections.This is second time the student activist has been arrested in
the past year.Sima has been sentenced to six years in prison by the
preliminary court.Saeed Fadai Asl and Farnoosh Rezqi, students at Tehran
University were also arrested on Saturday in course of student gatherings
marking June 12 anniversary.Human Rights Reporters Committee also reports
that Kourosh Jannati, an Allameh Tabtabayi Univeristy student was summoned
to the university's security office on Saturday morning and
arrested.Intelligence forces also went to his father's home where they
searched and confiscated some of his belongings.Daneshjoo News website
also reports that Abtin Pegah and Babak Qiasi, students at Razi University
in Kermanshah, were arrested on June 1 2 and taken to prison with another
two unidentified students.On June 12, marking the anniversary of the
election protests that has led to a year of turmoil in the country, scores
of protesters were arrested by Islamic Republic security forces.Tehran
Police Commander announced that 91 people were arrested on Saturday but
Kaleme website contends that 400 people were taken to Evin Prison on this
day. (Back to top) SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY Fars News Agency: "High-purity
lanthanum oxide nanoparticles synthesized in Iran"
(Mon, 14 Jun) Iran's chemical engineering researchers discovered a
suitable and highly efficient method to produce pure lanthanum oxide
nanoparticles.Lanthanum oxide nanoparticle is used in the production of
nanostructures such as lanthanum chromite required for cathodic layer of
the solid oxide fuel cells.Besides having applications in water
purification, it is one of the most important components of the device
that transfers the emitted heat from the vehicles' exhaust pipe. "In this
research, we used hydrothermal synthesis under the supercritical water
condition method in a batch type reactor.This method enables us to
properly control the size and shape of the particles," Shahriyar
Ja'farinejad, one of the researchers, told INIC. "Comparing with other
methods, the synthesis time of this method is shorter, and the final
product has less impurity," he added. Referring to the phases of the
research, Ja'farinejad said, "At first, we built the device to produce
nanoparticles by supercritical fluid method.Then we produced lanthanum
oxide nanoparticle by using a hydrothermal synthesis method under the
supercritical water condition in a batch reactor.Considering the
importance of the purity, efficiency, and size of the product, we studied
the important parameters affecting the synthesis of lanthanum oxide
nanoparticle such as synthesis temperature, time of reaction, and the
initial concentration and p H." "In order to produce nanoparticles with
high reaction efficiency, high purity, infinitesimal size, and high BET
surface area, we increased the temperature and pH of the initial solution,
and decreased the initial concentration (despite the possibility of
decrease in the reaction efficiency), and we kept the time of the reaction
in the average duration," he concluded. (Back to top) SOCIETY/RELIGION
IRNA: "Ayatollah Mousavi-Ardebili: "Unfortunately Islamic ethical system
is sometimes violated in country"
(Tue, 15 Jun) Qom, June 15, IRNA - Grand Ayatollah Abdol-Karim
Mousavi-Ardebili said here Monday, "Quite unfortunately, Islamic ethical
system is sometimes violated in country and parliament's clerical MPs
shoulder heavy responsibility respectively." According to IRNA, Ayatollah
Mousavi-Ardebili made the comment in a meeting with the clerical
parliament members at his residence, adding, "The clergies must be models
for the full observation of the Islamic ethical system at the Majlis
(parliament), since the Majlis ranks atop the entire organs in the country
and you are sitting on the seats that MPs like Modarres and Mostowfi once
used to sit, which is why you should wholeheartedly defend the Islamic
ethical system all the time."The Shi'a grand source of jurisprudence
reiterated, "The clergies in Majlis need to preserve harmony among them,
although there might be some who may wish to disturb such harmony and that
is alright.But the rest, who have eaten the bread of Imam Sadeq (P) and
are clad in Islam's holy attire, must feel responsible and as MPs speak
firmly what they have in mind."Ayatollah Mousavi-Ardebili said, "Sometimes
certain things happen at the parliament that they shouldn't.The people
need to feel assured of their officials' conduct."The source of
jurisprudence reiterated, "The articles of country's constitution should
not be easily breached.It doe s not suffice to have good laws, as the
people should feel quite sure that the ratified laws are fully implemented
and the MPs should heed their divine and legal duties and pass laws that
are to the benefit of the country."He said, "Great efforts have been made
in the course of the Islamic Revolution to make sure that the religious
rules are observed in the passing of the laws and in country's major
affairs, and the people have great expectations from their religious
clergies."Ayatollah Mousavi-Ardebili reiterated that the Majlis MPs need
to have constant relations with the Alims and the sources of
jurisprudence, adding, "We speak more openly with the clergies at the
parliament."He said, "The clergies were the pioneers of campaign against
the despotic regime of the ousted shah and the mentors of the people and
encouraged them in the campaign.Today, when someone puts on the attire of
and Islamic clergy his talks his propagation and his behavior m ust bring
prestige for this dress." (Back to top) The International News (Pakistan):
"Iran bars 71 women from boarding planes"
(Tue, 15 Jun) TEHRAN: Seventy-one Iranian women "improperly" dressed were
prevented from boarding flights in recent months, an airport official said
on Monday, as a police crackdown on the behaviour of young people
intensified.Iranian airports security chief
http://www.ilna.ir/newstext.aspx?ID=129298 Nabiollah Heidari told ILNA
news agency that "in the first 82 days of the current Iranian year (which
began on March 21), 71 women were barred from boarding flights because
they were improperly dressed." "Their cases have been forwarded to the
judiciary," he added.Iranian women have to abide by an enforced Islamic
dress code, and summer crackdowns on what the authorities perceive to be
un-Islamic attire are common.Women are often warned about wearing
body-hugging short coats and flimsy headscarve s in defiance of the
Islamic republic's sharia-based law, which stipulates modest dress.Every
post-pubescent woman in Iran is required to cover her hair and bodily
contours in public, but young women are often seen with their hair only
half covered by a scarf.The punishment for women flouting the strict dress
code is a fine of up to 13 million rials (1,300 dollars).In recent weeks
the dress code has been more strictly enforced, with police confiscating
cars whose drivers are deemed to be harassing women, according to local
media that did not clarify what amounts to harassment.The reports say the
crackdown has become a major issue for Iran's youth, with police or
militiamen stopping luxury cars to question boys and girls on board about
their relationship. (Back to top) ENVIRONMENT Fars News Agency: "Quake
hits southeastern Iran"
(Mon, 14 Jun) An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale jolted the
town of Faryab in Kerman province, Southeastern Iran, on M onday.The
Seismological center of kerman province affiliated to the Geophysics
Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 08:44 hours local
time (0414 GMT).The epicenter of the quake was located in an area 57.4
degrees in longitude and 28.3 degrees in latitude.There are yet no reports
on the number of possible casualties or damage to properties by the quake.
(Back to top) CULTURE/MEDIA/SPORTS Cartoon Brew: "The Last Fiction,
promising animated feature from Iran" by Amid
(Mon, 14 Jun) It's been a while since I've written about animation
produced in Iran--specifically, April 2004 when I
interviewed director Amir Dehestani --so I was delighted to learn about a
young Tehran-based commercial studio
http://www.hoorakhshstudio.com/ Hoorakhsh 7th Sky Studio that is producing
work with production values a few notches above other animation I've seen
from that regio n's developing animation scene.Hoorakhsh, which has been
around since 2005, is currently developing its first animated feature The
Last Fiction, which is based on Persian mythology.They have nearly
finished pre-production and storyboarding the film.A
http://www.hoorakhshstudio.com/ trailer on their website (under the Reels
section) gives a hint of the polished anime-influenced style they're
working towards.According to an email a friend of mine received, the
studio is looking for international co-production partners because they
feel "that both the story and the visual style of this project has the
potential of being developed and published internationally in order to be
shown to the audiences of different cultures." (Back to top)
COMMENTARIES/ANALYSES/INTERVIEWS The Jerusalem Post: "Israel yet to divest
from Iran" by Gil Hoffman
(Mon, 14 Jun) A law requiring Israeli financial institutions to divest
from companies that do business with Iran , which passed with with great
fanfare on April 2, 2008, has never been implemented, The Jerusalem Post
learned Sunday.The law's sponsor was then opposition leader Binyamin
Netanyahu.Kadima MK Ronnie Bar-On, who was finance minister through March
2009, did nothing to implement the bill.His successor, Yuval Steinitz, did
not immediately move to implement it either, but the Post has learned that
he has been working to implement it over the past several weeks.The bill
was intended to prevent Israeli banks, insurance companies, financial
institutions and funds from investing in companies that do major business
with Iran.It authorized then-finance minister Bar-On to appoint the
chairman of a committee to implement the bill, although he never did
so.The committee was supposed to keep a list of companies doing business
with Iran, and set guidelines and punishments.The law did not set a
deadline for forming the committee, which was to include two appointees
from the Prime Minister's Office and one each from the Foreign Ministry,
Defense Ministry, Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry, the Securities
Authority, and the Anti-Money Laundering Authority.The law, which was the
only bill Netanyahu sponsored during the previous Knesset, passed with
overwhelming support after he persuaded the coalition to back it.He also
worked successfully to convince state legislatures in the US to divest
from Iran during visits to the US and via Ron Dermer, the economic attache
in Washington, whom he had appointed when he was finance minister.Dermer
is now his senior adviser.Netanyahu said at the time that divestment could
"stop Iran dead in its tracks.""The Islamic Republic of Iran constitutes a
danger to world peace and the existence of the State of Israel," Netanyahu
said following the vote. "It has been proven that economic sanctions cause
definite changes in the international and political policies of countries
worldwide.Avoiding contact with comp anies and corporations that uphold
ties with Iran will put pressure on them to quit these ties.In the
approval of this bill Israel has demanded that the countries of the world
commit themselves to prohibiting Iran from developing nuclear
weapons."Knesset Economics Committee chairman Ophir Akunis called for the
immediate implementation of the bill.He spoke to Justice Minister Yaakov
Neeman on Sunday, following an incorrect report in Maariv that the law had
not been implemented due to negligence by a Justice Ministry clerk.Shai
Baaton, an Israeli financial strategist, began an effort on Sunday to
persuade Jews around the world to boycott select companies that continue
to do business with Iran and avoid buying their stock.Baaton contacted
President Shimon Peres to ask him to serve as honorary chairman of the new
effort.He now intends to write to 52,000 Israeli companies and
businessmen, as well as to rabbis and Jewish community leaders around the
world. (Back to top) Reute rs: "Iran starts preparing to launch subsidy
(Tue, 15 Jun) Iran began work yesterday on a law to slash food and fuel
subsidies, due to be introduced later this year, state television
reported, a plan critics say could fuel inflation and spark protests.The
report said the heads of households in six out of the country's 30
provinces initially had been asked to register via an official Website to
give bank account details so that they could receive compensation from the
authorities for higher prices on a range of goods.The government says
Iranians in lower income brackets will receive cash payments to help them
cope when prices on items such as bread and gasoline increase as a result
of the gradual removal of hefty subsidies.The government has previously
said it would start reducing subsidies in the second half of the Iranian
year which began in March.Subsidies are due to be phased out over a period
of five years.Analysts estimate that subsidies cost I ran, the world's
fifth-largest crude oil exporter, up to $100 billion annually.President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hopes to save the state billions and stimulate the
economy by carrying out the subsidy plan.Critics say the plan could fuel
inflation and revive anti-government protests, which jolted the country
after last year's disputed presidential vote which saw Ahmadinejad
re-elected and which the opposition says was rigged.Iran's annual
inflation rate now stands at about 10 percent.Cliff Kupchan of consultancy
Eurasia Group described the subsidy elimination programme as "ambitious
and potentially destabilizing."Iranian officials say higher gasoline
prices will also help curb consumption and limit the country's
vulnerability to any international sanctions targeting the country's fuel
imports.The West fears Iran's nuclear programme is a front to develop arms
and has repeatedly demanded Tehran halt its sensitive nuclear
activities.Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating
electricity. (Back to top) Financial Times: "US aims to widen Iran
sanctions scope" by Daniel Dombey in Washington
(Tue, 15 Jun) US lawmakers are seeking to include international banks in
sanctions legislation on Iran, as part of a push to widen its scope and
bring in more targets.People close to negotiations on Capitol Hill say
discussions are intensifying about introducing measures into the final
text - such as sanctions against Iran's Revolutionary Guard and those
involved in the crackdown on the country's opposition as well as measures
in the financial sector.Matthew Levitt, a former US Treasury official now
at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said measures on banks
that did business with designated Iranian financial groups would take
sanctions in the sector to "another level".The move to toughen up the
unilateral legislation follows a delay of almost six months, which
Congress agreed to help the Obama administrati on to build an
international consensus on United Nations sanctions on Iran.With sanctions
agreed at the UN, many politicians argue that delays - and what they see
as the relative weakness of UN resolutions - mean there is more reason to
proceed with tougher sanctions legislation than was envisaged.John McCain,
the former presidential nominee, has called for "very stiff sanctions" at
the congressional level, while leading Democrats have urged their
colleagues to pass the strongest possible Iran sanctions legislation
promptly.The legislation is designed to discourage sales to Iran of the
refined oil on which its economy depends, by imposing measures both on oil
traders and insurance companies underwriting the shipments.It has been
backed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress, but is awaiting
agreement on a final text and votes in both chambers.The Democratic
leadership of both the House and the Senate - including Chris Dodd, the
Senate banking committee chairman - say they are "fully committed" to
passing tough sanctions by the end of this month.Officials and staffers
say that one of the central topics of negotiation is the latitude Barack
Obama, president, would be granted over the sanctions.But the addition of
fresh targets, though still not certain, is also becoming a focus of
attention.Such measures could affect banks from east Asia and the Gulf,
since many European banks have pulled out of Iran or cut down business in
the country in recent years.At present, international banks are prohibited
from accessing the US financial system on behalf of banks designated by
the US Treasury as having links to proliferation or terrorist finance -
such as Iran's banks Mellat, Melli and Saderat.Expanding the scope of
congressional legislation would introduce the threat of direct measures
against international banks that did any business whatsoever with the
designated groups."Adding financial institutions, reinsurance, and insura
nce and correspondent accounts to the sanctions legislation - you can do
all of that with the argument that you are doing so to comply with the UN
Security Council resolutions," said Mr Levitt.But he added that the
legislation would also have to withstand challenges in the World Trade
Organisation. (Back to top) Middle East Online: "Obama's foreign policy
blunders" by Patrick Seale
(Mon, 14 Jun) Obama's latest moves on Iran's nuclear activities and its
internal politics, Turkey's regional diplomacy, the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict, and the war in Afghanistan suggest that he is yielding to
populist pressures and special interest groups at variance with his own
convictions, says Patrick Seale.U.S.President Barack Obama seems to be
piling up blunders across a whole spectrum of foreign policy issues,
gravely tarnishing the reputation in the outside world which he enjoyed
when he came to office in January 2009.His latest moves and pronouncements
on subjec ts as various as Iran's nuclear activities and its internal
politics, Turkey's regional diplomacy, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
and the war in Afghanistan strongly suggest that he is yielding to
populist pressures and special interest groups at variance with his own
convictions.The most dangerous of these blunders may well prove to be his
policy towards Iran.Instead of welcoming -- as an important first step
towards a wider negotiation -- the fuel swap agreement which Turkey and
Brazil reached with Tehran on 17 May, Washington dismissed the deal as a
time-wasting ploy and proceeded to secure Security Council backing for
further sanctions against Iran.It is hardly surprising that Iran has
reacted with defiance.Obama's early ambition of ending three decades of
U.S-Iranian hostility has turned to dust.Worse still, Obama and his
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton are now openly interfering in internal
Iranian politics -- something they wisely refrained from doing at the time
of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested re-election a year ago.Last
week Obama urged the world to support the Iranian people in their fight
for 'freedom', while Clinton accused the Iranian regime of repressing its
people, manipulating elections, exporting terrorism and pursuing nuclear
weapons. "This adds up,'" she said, "to a very dangerous combination."To
Iranians, the additional sanctions and the belligerent statements can mean
only one thing: As was the case with Iraq in 2003, the United States is
being pushed by Israel and its American supporters into a military
confrontation with the Islamic Republic.The Times of London -- once a
serious newspaper but now a frequent peddler of disinformation on the
Middle East -- reported on 12 June that Saudi Arabia, with the approval of
the U.S. State Department, had agreed to allow Israel the use of a
corridor in its airspace for a bombing run on Iran.The malicious aim of
reports such as this is to persuade opinion that a leading Arab state is
prepared to join with Israel against Iran, and thus prepare the ground for
war.This is inflammatory nonsense.In the wake of Israel's assault on 31
May on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which killed nine Turks, tension has
arisen between the United States and Turkey -- largely because of
ferocious attacks by Jewish groups in the United States on Turkey's Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his criticism of Israel's
action.American neocons are calling for Turkey to be expelled from NATO,
while pro-Israeli newspap
26) Back to Top
Iranian Majles News and Developments 17-23 May 2010 - Iran -- OSC
Tuesday June 15, 2010 11:06:11 GMT
The following are highlights of the latest news and developments in the
Iranian Majles as reported in various domest ic and expatriate websites
monitored by the OSC, including the official Majles news websites. Chief
Nuclear Negotiator Briefs Majles Deputies on Nuclear Fuel Exchange Deal -
Supreme National Security Council secretary and chief nuclear negotiator
Sa`id Jalili briefed Iranian lawmakers on 18 May on the details of an
agreement between Iran, Turkey, and Brazil for the exchange of the nuclear
fuel needed for the Tehran research reactor, the Fars News Agency reported
on 18 May. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Majles Speaker Ali
Larijani said it was important for Majles deputies to be aware of the
details of the negotiations that led to the 17 May Tehran Declaration. He
described the agreement as a national issue and said it was vital to
conduct serious discussions on the issue to enhance unity among all
Iranian authorities on this issue (Tehran Fars News Agency in Persian and
English - hardline pro-Ahmadinezhad news agency. URL:
http://www.farsnews.ir/). Khaneh Mellat
reported on 20 May that Larijani expressed doubt about the sincerity of
the United States and other Western countries concerning a nuclear fuel
exchange deal with Iran. He said the immediate rejection by these
countries of the Tehran Declaration pointed to their "insincerity in
nuclear dealings with Tehran" (Khaneh Mellat in Farsi and English - a news
web site of the Majles. URL: http://www.icana.ir/).Majles Speaker Larijani
announced on 23 May that the Majles would continue to support the Tehran
Declaration for the exchange of nuclear fuel provided that all its
conditions are met precisely, IRNA reported the same day. He also warned
that US "adventurism" would imperil the efforts of Turkey and Brazil in
this regard and force parliament to review the level of cooperation
between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (Tehran Islamic
Republic News Agency (IRNA) in Persian and English - pro-Ahmadinezhad
official news agency, controlled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic
Guidance. URL: www.irna.ir). Speaker Terms Draft UN Security Council
Resolution Hasty, Reactionary Move
- Majles Speaker Larijani described the draft resolution presented to the
UN Security Council for a new round of sanctions against Iran as a hasty
and reactionary measure by the United States, Khaneh Mellat reported on 22
May. "Preparing a draft by the Americans was a reactionary measure; they
should have first waited to see the effectiveness of the Tehran
Declaration" before moving to reject the nuclear fuel exchange offer, he
told reporters. Larijani expressed surprise that, while the United States
and France originally urged Brazil and Turkey to seek to mediate a nuclear
fuel exchange agreement, they immediately rejected the declaration and
presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that was
previously prepared. Larijani claimed that Washington had "disgraced"
Turkey and Brazil, which had been urged to negotiate with Iran but that,
once their efforts bore fruit, the US suddenly changed course and withdrew
its support. "Iran is ready to continue negotiations on the issue although
it did not consider the exchange of nuclear fuel as a wise option because
Iran, like other states, should have been able to buy the necessary fuel"
for its medical needs, Larijani added. Lawmaker Describes President
Obama's Remarks as Clear Instance of Nuclear Terrorism
- A member of the Iranian parliament on 18 May criticized President Barack
Obama for his recent threat to use nuclear weapons against Ir an, saying
such remarks are a clear instance of nuclear terrorism, the Mehr News
Agency reported the same day. "This threat is a clear instance of
state-sponsored nuclear terrorism, and the free and noble nations of the
world condemn it," Mohammad-Karim Abedi said at an open session of
parliament. Saying the United States had committed many "atrocities" agai
nst Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, he claimed that Washington is
determined to prevent the country's progress and development (Tehran Mehr
News Agency in Persian and English - conservative news agency; run by the
Islamic Propagation Office, which is affiliated with the conservative Qom
seminary. URL: www.mehrnews.com). Senior Deputy Says Bushehr Nuclear Power
Plant Will Begin Producing Electricity Soon
- National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Ala`eddin
Borujerdi announced that the nation will likely have nuclear electricity
during the summer, Khaneh Mellat reported on 19 May. "Most probably, part
of the nation's electricity during this summer will be nuclear
electricity," he told reporters in a briefing on a visit by committee
members to the Bushehr nuclear power plant. He said the Russian
contracting company had increased the number of engineers at the site to
complete the plant, and he added that final technical tests were underw ay
before the plant comes on stream. Judiciary Chief Chastises Majles
Deputies for Urging Action To Deal With Opposition Leaders
- Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani criticized some lawmakers for
writing a letter urging him to take immediate legal action against the
"leaders of sedition," the Mehr News Agency reported on 18 May. "Some
deputies have asked why the judiciary has been slow in dealing with the
leaders of sedition, and unfortunately some representatives have asked
others to sign this letter," Larijani (photo below) stated, adding that,
while there was no doubt that the opposition leaders had committed some
offenses, the Majles should know that the judiciary acts on the order of
the Supreme Leader and takes the system's overall polices into
consideration before making any decision. "Although we have explicitly
explained to these representatives that the judiciary will not compromise,
they repeat these remarks once again," he said. "We are aware of our duty,
will never make any compromises, and we are not afraid of taking action
against the leaders of sedition," he added. Larijani rejected claims by
some principlist deputies that the judiciary has placed the directors of
some media outlets on trial because opposition leaders had filed
complaints against them. Addressing opposition charges that the judiciary
had halted investigations into the actions of some officials on the orders
of Ayatollah Khamene`i, he said: "When has the Leader given me such an
order? Why do you spread such lies? How do you expect people to join the
green movement?"
Deputy Confirms That Opposition Leaders Not Allowed To Leave Iran
- Principlist deputy Hamid Rasa`i confirmed that opposition leaders
Mohammad Khatami, Mehdi Karrubi, and Mir Hoseyn Musavi are not allowed to
leave the country, the Fars News Agency reported on 24 May. The report
said the statement was shortly after former pre sident Khatami was
prevented from leaving Iran to attend an international conference in
Japan. Contradicting a government denial of reports that Khatami was not
allowed to leave the country, Rasa`i said: "Mr. Khatami was told that he
cannot leave the country and not to make any preparations, and he has
accepted that. He has been told that, if he tries to leave the country, it
will be officially announced that he is under a travel ban. And this also
a pplies to Mir Hoseyn Musavi and Mehdi Karrubi." Rasa`i claimed that the
only reason that the three opposition figures would want to leave the
country was to use "international platforms to keep the seditious movement
alive." He went on to say that Musavi was "under investigation" and that
"he will certainly be prosecuted and that is why he is restricted from
traveling abroad." Rasa`i added that Mehdi Hashemi, a son of Expediency
Discernment Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafs anjani, was
also under investigation. "Ayatollah Rafsanjani is entangling himself in
the fate of Mehdi Hashemi, and the people around them are presenting the
situation in a manner that confronting Mehdi Hashemi is a confrontation"
with his father, he said. Khaneh Mellat
on 24 May reported that principlist deputy Mehdi Kochekzadeh stated the
previous day that most opposition leaders have already been arrested and
that "the two or three remaining ones will also be arrested by the
judiciary in good time." Consensus Emerging in Majles for War Reparations
From Iraq
- Majles Speaker Larijani stated that the issue of obtaining war
reparations from Iraq is being seriously pursued by parliament, the Mehr
News Agency reported on 22 May. "The issue of reparations is not an issue
that can be forgotten, and we are following up on it, although the special
circumstances Iraq is facing should also be taken into consideration,"
Larijani told family members of those killed in the Iran-Iraq war of
1980-88. The report said other Majles deputies believe that Iran should
receive reparations since Kuwait is doing the same. Majles National
Security and Foreign Policy Committee member Gholamreza Karami was quoted
as saying in the report that the issue of reparations should be pursued
vigorously through international legal mechanisms and by presenting
documentation. Deputy Emad Hoseyni noted that the United Nations considers
Baghdad as the aggressor and that Iraq was required to pay war damages
according to Article 6 of UN Security Council Resolution 598. Deputy
Farhad Tajari stated that the Majles was prepared to lend legal support to
the government in its efforts to obtain reparations from Iraq. He said
that, although Iran has always been sympathetic toward the Iraqi
government following the fall of Saddam Hussein, it was now time for the
Iraqi government to pay reparations to the Islamic republic for the
massive damage infl icted upon the Iranian nation. Khaneh Mellat
on 23 May quoted National Security and Foreign Policy Committee spokesman
Kazem Jalali as saying "Iran has a legal right to seek compensation for
the damages it endured during the war imposed by former Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein and this matter should be pursued in all seriousness,"
particularly now that "the United States is selling Iraqi oil as
reparations for the war it waged on the Middle Eastern country. The Tehran
government should also claim compensation." Supreme Leader Unhappy With
Some Majles Deputies
- Principlist deputy Mohammad-Taqi Rahbar said that Ayatollah Ali
Khamene`i expressed his displeasure with the performance of some Majles
deputies, Khaneh Mellat reported on 21 May. Rahbar said that, in a meeting
with a number of lawmakers, the Supreme Leader chastised some deputies for
being absent from parliamentary sessions and said such behavior was not
befitting of the Islamic repub lic, while urging all deputies to attend
Majles meetings regularly. Rahbar added that the principlist deputies had
asked for the continuation of morality patrols to ensure that Islamic
dress codes and values were enforced in society. Majles Asks Supreme
Leader To Define Its Responsibilities - Majles Speaker Larijani sent a
letter to Ayatollah Kham ene`i asking him to outline the duties of the
Majles and the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution headed by President
Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad, Khaneh Mellat reported on 21 May. The report quoted
Majles deputy Ali Abbaspour as saying that, considering that the two
bodies have overlapping duties and that the council regularly acts beyond
the scope of its authority by enacting laws, the Majles decided to seek
Khamene`i 's opinion in this regard. According to the Iranian
constitution, only parliament has authority to legislate and the council
sets general policies, Abbaspour explained, adding that, although the
constitution requires tha t the policies proposed in the council should be
presented to the Majles for ratification, the council has in the past
enacted laws and enforced them, which is interference in the duties of the
legislative body. "We have asked the Supreme Leader's opinion and will
obey his directive," he added. Lawmaker Says Country Cannot Be Ruled by a
Single Faction - Deputy Majles speaker Mohammad-Reza Bahonar has stated
that the country cannot be ruled just by one political faction, Khaneh
Mellat reported on 21 May. "We can never run the country with the monopoly
of just one faction; rather, various factions should contribute in the
governance of the country," Bahonar said at a press conference, adding
that all parliamentary political factions should function within the
framework of the law. Bahonar, who is secretary-general of the Islamic
Society of Engineers, warned that political parties should act in a manner
in which their activities do not jeopardize the country 's interests or
Iran's national security. MP: Notorious Women Were Paid To Go to Qom To
Undermine Morality
- Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi told members of the Islamic
Republic faction of the Majlis that his ministry arrested a group of women
who were paid to go to Qom in clothing that violated Islamic dress code in
an effort to undermine public morality, the Fars News Agency reported on
20 May. The report quoted Majles deputy Mohammad-Javad Abtahi as saying
that Moslehi told lawmakers that a number of social and cultural
"decadence networks" had been involved in the conspiracy and have been
disbanded. He added that a group of notorious women who were paid to go to
Qom with either no hejab or with improper hejab were also arrested.
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of C
27) Back to Top
Highlights -- Iraqi Southern Governorates Newspapers 06 - 12 June
The following lists selected items from newspapers published in the Iraqi
southern governorates 06 - 12 June. To request additional processing,
please call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202) 338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735.
This product is provided by the commercial establishment MediaWatch Middle
East, Dubai, UAE. OSC is not responsible for the editorial standards of
this translation - Iraq - OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 08:12:03 GMT
The article here is written by Dawoud Al Rubai'ei.He sheds light on the
problems facing the Iraqi fishermen while they are fishing even in the
Iraqi waters. Children and teenagers in Iraq smoke corn poppy and sniff
The new Iraq has been suffering fr om a new crisis which is the start of
planting corn poppy especially in Diala province and smuggled to Saudi
Arabia and other GCC countries.The UNICEF warned of using children and
women in Iraq as drug dealer, pointing out that 10% of addicted people to
drugs are children. Wooden buses.. Heritage in Basra to extinct
The article here is written by Kamal Al Hajami.He sheds light on the
wooden buses in Basra which have been used for years and did not change
and still working till present especially in the old city of Basra. Spain
refuses to issue of visas for 'Iraqi resistance'
Undersecretary of Iraqi foreign ministry Lubaid Abawi said the Spanish
foreign minister said in a letter sent to his Iraqi counterpart that the
Spanish authorities refused to grant visas for some people who want to
participate in the conference of Iraqi resistance. Four employees of
Rafidain bank referred to integrity commission
Minister of Finance Baqer Al Zubaidi approved referring four employees
from Rafidain Bank to the Integrity Commission, a statement issued by the
ministry of finance said. Oil prices expected to swing between 70-80
Abdul Kareem Al-Luaibi, the Iraqi deputy oil minister, said he expected
that the oil prices to swing between 70-80 dollars per barrel, adding that
the prices are unfair but acceptable at the meantime. Jamal Khalaf Salem
Here is an interview with Jamal Khalaf Salem, the director of Basra
Municipality. Ata: Al Qaeda depends on armed robbery to finance its
Spokesman of the plan of enforcing law, Gen Qasim Ata, said Al-Qaeda is
suffering from financial crisis after the stop of foreign finance,
pointing out that Al-Waeda will search for alternative financial sources
inside.He added that Al Qaeda has become depending on the armed robbery to
finance its operations. Iraqi Ports Company meets number of Italian
The team of field survey of the Italian companies group, which was granted
the license to design the Faw Grand Port, held a meeting with the general
company for Iraqi ports to discuss looking into the location of the port.
Campaign to lift scrap from Abu Flous port
Director General of department of protecting and developing environment in
southern area Taha Yassin Mohamed checked on the team work of Basra
environment department who is conducted radiation tests for the scrap in
Abu Flous port. Zebari: unsolved issues between Iraq and Kuwait need
further efforts from government
Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zebari announced forming a ministerial committee
to settle the unsolved issues between Iraq and Kuwait. Amer Al Ruba'ei
The article here is written by Amer Al Ruba'ei.He sheds light on a citizen
who used the man to draw a picture for Saddam Hussein on the wall of his
house so the people will not throw their garbage there.But after 2003, the
people returned to throw the garbage and the man had to replace th e
picture of Saddam with another one for a respective religious reference.
Al Basra International Exhibition
Here is an advertisement for Al Basra International Exhibition. Profession
The editorial her sheds light on the ethics of the journalism
profession.The writer said some journalists are not committed to the
responsibility of delivering the true information objectively. Turkish
start Jurkan arrives in Basra
Turkish TV star Jurkan Owegon will arrive in Basra province on June 23rd
to participate in the opening of Basra International Exhibition which will
be held during June 25-29, 2010. Basra council approves number of projects
The provincial council of Basra unanimously approved a number of projects
in the field of education funded by the oil revenues. Barazani meets
Turkish leaders
Masoud Barazani, the president of Kurdistan region met with Turkish Prime
Minister Rajab Tayyeb Ardugan and discussed with him bilateral relations i
n the various fields. Basra governor checks on work at Courniche Al Ashar
Governor of Basra Dr Sheltagh Aboud checked on the work at Courniche Al
Ashar and rehabilitation works of Sheraton Hotel and Al Tanouma Bridge.
Fishermen in gulf waters
The article here is written by Dawoud Al Rubai'ei.He sheds light on the
problems facing the Iraqi fishermen while they are fishing even in the
Iraqi waters. Ata: Al Qaeda depends on armed robbery to finance its
Spokesman of the plan of enforcing law, Gen Qasim Ata, said Al-Qaeda is
suffering from financial crisis after the stop of foreign finance,
pointing out that Al-Waeda will search for alternative financial sources
inside.He added that Al Qaeda has become depending on the armed robbery to
finance its operations. Al Basra International Exhibition
Here is an advertisement for Al Basra International Exhibition. Jamal
Khalaf Salem interviewed
Here is an interview with Jamal Khalaf Salem, th e director of Basra
Al Mustathmir in Arabic - Weekly Newspaper financed by the Islamic Da'wah
Party, 06 June 2010 Basra council takes part in training course in Najaf
Dr Sa'd Matti Boutros, member of the Basra provincial council,
participated in the special training course in Najaf for setting up the
5-year plan for Basra city for the years 2011-2015. Basra holds conference
for businessmen to set mechanisms to invest oil revenues
The businessmen association in Basra held a conference for Iraqi
businessmen and investors.Sabeeh Al Hashimi, the chairman of the
association, said the conference is to discuss the mechanisms for
investing the revenues of oil exports and crossing points and to set the
important projects that should be implemented. Transport Minister calls
for negotiation with Kuwait
Iraqi transport minister Amer Abdul Jabbar Ismail called on the Kuwaiti
officials to open the doors for negotiation with the Iraqi side to solv e
the dispute between the two countries, affirming that the Iraqi Airways
will not stop. Violations on sidewalks in Basra removed
The municipality of Basra performed a campaign to remove the violations on
the sidewalks of Al Khora street in Basra city. Basra police bring IQD1tr
back in two years
Security source said the Basra police department managed to arrest 112
gangs, deactivate 1000 bombs and to return about IQD1 trillion back to the
government. Federal court approves election results
The federal court in Iraq approved on Tuesday the results of the
parliamentary election except for two seats for Iraqiya list and an
alliance of main political parties. Maliki receives French Ambassador
Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki received French Ambassador to Baghdad Boris
Bwalun and his accompanying delegation.Maliki said the Iraqi-French
relations are getting stronger, calling for further cooperation between
the two sides to secure the Iraqi borders. US a rmy affirms capability of
Iraqi forces to handle internal security
The spokesman of the US forces in Iraq said the Iraqi forces are capable
of handling the internal security file and to protect Iraq from any
external threats after the full US withdrawal from Iraq. Jaber: We need
from regional councils to set up integrated plans
Basra provincial council's chairman Jabbar Amin Jaber received a
delegation of people from Abil Khseib region.During the meeting, Jaber
importance for the regional council to set integrated plans to ensure the
needs of the citizens. Esawi, Egypt's envoy discuss developments of
forming government
Member of Iraqiya list, Rafe' Al Esawi, received on Thursday Egyptian
Ambassador to Iraq Sharif Shaheen and discussed with the moves of Iraqiya
list, which is chaired by Iyad Allawi, to form the new government. Finance
Minister, British Ambassador discuss bilateral ties
Minister of Finance Baqer Al Zubaidi received John Jenkins, the British
Ambassador to Iraq, and discussed with the political and economic
relations between the two countries. Iraq: privatizing economy will not be
upon conditions of the World Bank
The Iraqi government is planning to privatize the Iraqi economy but not in
the way that the World Bank is calling Iraq to follow, the government's
spokesman Ali Dabbagh said. Violations on sidewalks in Basra removed
The municipality of Basra performed a campaign to remove the violations on
the sidewalks of Al Khora street in Basra city. Basra governor discuss
investments with Chinese firm
Governor of Basra Sheltagh Aboud received representative of Chinese 'Dau
Tong Luhai' company and discussed with him the investment licenses and
opportunities in Basra city. Basra council okays water projects
Basra provincial council held its 24th extraordinary session during which
it received director of Basra water department to discuss a number of
projects in the field of water t hat will be funded from the oil revenues.
Decreasing power of prime minister is benefit for Kurds
Member of State of Law alliance Ezzat Al Shabandar said the calls for
reducing the power of the prime minister violate the Iraqi constitution.
Turkmenistan's Lawyers praise UN recommendation
Lawyer Humaid Hamaji, the legal adviser of President of Turkmen party, and
lawyer Taymour Beyatli, the member of the political office of the party,
attended the lecture that was delivered by lawyer Najat Al Najjar to
discuss the intellectual property law. Rawndozi: Leaders did not renew
their candidacy for party's election
Feryad Rawndozi, member of the National Kurdish Union, said leaders from
the party did not renew their candidacy for the leadership committee and
the central council of the party. Esawi affirms government support to
Iraqi and foreign investors
Mayor of Baghdad Saber Al Esawi called on Iraqi and foreign businessmen
and investors to perform projec ts especially in the services, tourism,
and entertainment fields. Giga Group delegation visits Wasit
Chairman of construction committee of Wasit provincial council Mahdi
Hussein met with a delegation from the Pakistani-Emirati Giga Group and
discussed with them the possibility of establishing residential compounds
in the province. Al Anbar killer arrested in Al Anbar
The Iraqi police in Al Anbar province announced arresting Emad Al Esawi,
who is known as the 'Killer of Al Anbar'.He will be facing charges of
killing more than 200 people of civilians and policemen. Iraq, France
discuss cooperation.
Minister of Construction and Housing Bayan Dazee received the French
Attache of Commerce and head of the economic department at the French
Embassy to Baghdad as well as a number of French companies'
representatives and discussed with the investment opportunities in Iraq.
Iraq wins two seats in Arab land transport union
The Iraqi ministry of transport gain ed two seats at the Arab union for
land transport union which is part of the Arab League. Iraqi businessmen
union to establish consultation office
The Iraqi businessmen union decided to establish a consultation office for
solving the economic issues. Dhouk Investment grants licenses for
investment projects
The Investment Department in Dhouk province announced granting seven
licenses for establishing projects at a value of more than $400 million
during the current year. Reclamation of land in Ramadi continues
The ministry of water resources continues its work of reclamation of lands
in Al Ramadi area in Al Anbar province. SmartCard project to be
implemented for chronic diseases soon
The popular medical clinics of the ministry of health will soon start
implementing the project of SmartCard for distributing medications of
chronic diseases for 600,000 citizens. Baghdad council discusses
establishing residential compounds for displaced people
Th e provincial council of Baghdad is considering establishing residential
compounds for the displaced people in the capital in coordination with
concerned parties. Maissan to attract foreign doctors
Governor of Maissan province Mohamed Al Sudani announced that the local
government is working on enhancing the health sector in the province
thought solving the problem of the shortage of medical cadres by
recruiting Indian doctors. Big problems in Iraq
Through dealing with Iraq , Iran has shown a well understanding for its
national interests as Iraq is a complicated political battlefield and is a
chance for Iran to achieve its objectives to have a regional power and a
security key in the region instead of USA. Unemployment and street
children phenomenon
The article here sheds light on the problem of unemployment in Iraq as
well as the phenomenon of children who sell tissues, cold water, and cars
accessories in the streets. Shanghai starts developing electricit y
station at $1bn in Iraq
Officials said that Shanghai Electric company, the biggest electricity
equipment maker in China, has started works in a station of generating
electricity in Iraq at a value of $1 billion. Thi-Qar re-invites Pope to
visit archeological sites.
The local government of Al Nasseriya in Thi-Qar province renewed its
invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit the house of Prophet Ibrahim in
Owr City. Penalties against those who violate electricity network
The Ministry of Electricity announced that the cabinet granted it the
right to enforce law against those who violate the national network of
electricity and sentence them with penalties including capital penalty.
Job seekers awaiting new gov ernment to provide job opportunities
The article here sheds light on a number of unemployed Iraqi citizens who
said they hope the political powers in Iraqi would speed in forming the
new government that might provide them job opportunities. I raqi planes in
Jordan will be taken into pieces
Jordan's Minister of Transport Alaa Bataineh said taking the Iraqi planes,
perching on Queen Alia Airport since 1991, into pieces will not be
affected by the decision of dissolving the Iraqi airways company. First
patrol boat arrives to Iraqi navy
The first patrol boat, out of 15 of Iraqi navy, has arrived to Mogan city
in USA on May 20.These boat, P-301, were developed to be deployed for the
navy fleet. Maissan discusses cooperation with Chinese companies
A delegation from the Chinese petrochemical company discussed scopes of
cooperation with the investment commission of Maissan province in the
field of oil industries. Iraq plans to combat poverty
An Iraqi official affirmed that the 5-year development plan that Iraq has
recently approved will aim to reduce the poverty rates to 30%. Al-Mar'ah
(Woman Voice) - Weekly Newspaper issued by Asma al-Hassan 06 June 2010
Women complain of unemployment and boredom
The article here is written by Esraa Al Mahdi.She sheds light on boredom
and unemployment as main problems facing the Iraq women especially the new
graduates from universities. Four terrorist women arrested
The security forces arrested four terrorist women in Al Rashidiya area,
northeast Baghdad. Baghdad council: housing compound project for displaced
people will be performed soon
Chairman of Baghdad Provincial Council said the project of establishing
housing compounds for the displaced people will be performed in the coming
period. Female employee dismissed, another degraded at Agricultural bank
Minister of Finance Baqer Al Zubaidi ordered to dismiss a female employee
at the Agricultural bank and to degrade another one because of misusing
the public money. Education Minister: Iraqi universities will witness
construction camping this Summer
Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Abd Thiab Al Ojeily said
the Iraqi universi ties will witness a wide construction campaign this
summer season. Change of environment and its impact on thoughts towards
The article here sheds light on the environment and its impact on the
language of speech, values and traditions that reflect the social and
environmental level. Health Ministry takes part in training courses in New
The Ministry of Health announced it will take part in various training
courses in family medicine which will be held in the United States of
America. Iraq, France discuss cooperation
Minister of Construction and Housing Bayan Dazee received the French
Attache of Commerce and head of the economic department at the French
Embassy to Baghdad as well as a number of French companies'
representatives and discussed with the investment opportunities in Iraq.
Investment license granted for housing project in Baghdad
The Investment Commission in Baghdad granted an investment license for a
housing project in Haifa St. in Baghdad at a value of $6 million. Al
Khafaji: approving results will push political blocs to form government
Member of Iraqi National Alliance, Layla Al Khafaji, said approving the
election results is important to push the political blocs to complete
their alliances to form the new Iraqi government. Calls for immediate
investigation on the cut of electricity power in Al Tanouma
The district commissioner of Shat Al Arab shouldered the government the
responsibility of the cut of electricity power in Al Tanouma area in Basra
province, calling for starting an immediate investigation about this
issue. 140 Iraqi families accepted to resort to US, Europe and Australia
The office of refugees commissioner in Syria accepted the application of
140 Iraqi families to resort for USA, Europe and Australia. Iraq's First
Lady patronizes ceremony of female fine arts
Hiro Khan Ahmed, the spouse of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, patronized
the graduation cere mony of female students of fine arts institution in
Baghdad on Monday. MP: weaponry purchase deal of defense ministry is
Member of Parliament Kamila Al Mosawi criticized the new deals that the
ministry of defense is seeking to sign to purchase the military equipment,
pointing out that those deals will put the ministry in a suspicious
position. Iraqi human rights minister awarded by Italy
The Italian government decided to grant Iraqi Minister of Human Rights
Wijdan Salem the International Polisario Award which is grated for women
who exerted efforts in the field of human rights, peace and freedom.
Education Minister: Iraqi universities will witness construction camping
this Summer
Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Abd Thiab Al Ojeily said
the Iraqi universities will witness a wide construction campaign this
summer season. Investment license granted for housing project in Baghdad
The Investment Commission in Baghdad grant ed an investment license for a
housing project in Haifa St. in Baghdad at a value of $6 million. MP:
weaponry purchase deal of defense ministry is suspicious
Member of Parliament Kamila Al Mosawi criticized the new deals that the
ministry of defense is seeking to sign to purchase the military equipment,
pointing out that those deals will put the ministry in a suspicious
position. Clinton calls Iraqi leaders to speed forming government
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on the political leaders in
Iraqi to speed in forming the new government. Al Obeidi: The
constitutional right of Iraqiya cannot be ignored
Member of Iraqiya list, Fa'eza Al Obeidi, said the Iraqiya will not
nominate anyone but Iyad Allawi for forming the new government.She added
that Iraqiya won the constitutional right to form the government. Election
commission to hold provincial councils election in Kurdistan
Independent High Commission for Elections in Iraq intends to send a letter
to the presidency of Kurdistan region regarding hold the provincial
councils' election so the commission will get ready to hold them as
scheduled. Al Husseini affirms need to rehabilitate holy shrines
Member of Baghdad provincial council and deputy chairman of the religious
committee, Manal Al Husseini, affirmed the importance of rehabilitating
the holy shrines. US company to establish tourism projects offshore Shat
Al Arab
A delegation from a US company held a meeting with the officials of Basra
Investment Commission to discuss establishing tourism projects offshore
Shat Al Arab in Basra. Women Development Organization calls on government
to combat illiteracy
The Organization of developing women held a course for combating
illiteracy and teaching handcraft professions for a number of women in Al
Haditha city, north of Al Ramadi. Sumer for empowering women holds
Sumer Center for empowering women held an exhibition for the handcrafts
works made by women.The exhibition was attended by a number of
representatives of governmental departments. Smaisem: Privatizing public
sector could be corrupted
Economic expert Salam Smaisem said privatizing the public sector will
positively affect the Iraqi economy but at the same time it could witness
cases of administrative corruption due to the absence of the parliament
council. Head of PRT in Thi-Qar denies boycott by local government
The head of the US PRT in Thi-Qar denied news about dispute between the
team and the local government in Thi-Qar. Wasit council distributed
The provincial council of Wasit distributed a number of greenhouses for
poor people and widows in the various areas in the province. Kurdish
alliance member: Al Maliki seeks for Kurds support for the prime ministry
Member of Kurdish Alliance, Asia Ahmad, said the visit of Nouri Al Maliki
to Kurdistan came to convince the Kurds to support him for the prime
Al-Manarah - Independent political daily Newspaper , 09June 2010 Water
resources ministry completes first and second phases of Srowjawa
irrigation project
The engineering department at the ministry of water resources finished the
first and second phases for the Srowjawa irrigation project in Al
Suleimaniya province. Honoring new parliament members in Al Qadisiya
provokes anger of people in Diwaniya
The festival that was held two days ago in Al Qadisiya province to honor
the new members of the parliament provoked the anger of many people in
Diwaniya. Turkish consul in Basra: Your water goes to sea
The Turkish Consul to Basra Ali Reda is exerting efforts to increase the
investments in Basra.He also exerts efforts to hold the industrial
exhibitions in the city.The article here includes an interview with the
Turkish Consul to Basra. Thi-Qar: citizens say government is responsible
about defect in electric machines
A group of an gry citizens shouldered the local government the
responsibility about the defect in the electric appliances in their houses
because of the fluctuating of electricity power. Thi-Qar re-invites Pope
to visit archeological sites
The local government of Al Nasseriya in Thi-Qar province renewed its
invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit the house of Prophet Ibrahim in
Owr City. Biden visits Baghdad soon
US Vice-President Joseph Biden will visit Baghdad soon to look into the
process of forming the new government of national partnership and the
preparations for withdrawing the US army from Iraq, political source said.
Al-Alawi to chair first Parliament session
Hassan Al Alawi, the member of Iraqiya list which is chaired by Iyad
Allawi, will chair the first session of the Iraqi parliament during the
coming days because he is the oldest member of parliament. Al-Akhbar -
Weekly Newspaper issued by the Iraqi Media Network , 09June 2010 Zeal for
newspapers decl ine
The article here is written by Salah Thabit.He said: until recently, the
newspapers were one of the most important sources for news for people but
the technology revolution led to the creation of many devices that affect
the popularity of newspapers and its sales. Training course on photography
attracts unemployed females
With the support of the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) and in
cooperation with Sana organization for women and children rights, a
workshop on digital photography for 20 female participants of
universities' graduates. IQD345 billion allocated for electricity projects
in Basra
Head of the electricity committee at the Basra provincial council Zeyad
Ali Fadel, said the province allocated IQD345 billion ($292.4 million) to
perform projects in the field of electricity in 2010. 16 researches from
Basra take part in conference in Karbalaa
Some of 16 researches from Basra University and Shat Al Arab collage took
part in the sec ond international scientific conference which was held at
Karbalaa University during 10-11, May, 2010. Fekri Theiban Al Shehabi
Here is an interview with Fekri Theiban Al Shehabi, the Director of Public
Relations and Media at Manawi Basha Hotel in Basra.
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited.Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder.Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
28) Back to Top
Israel Opposes Hamas Participation in Negotiations
"Israel Opposes Hamas Participation in Negotiations" -- KUNA Headline -
KUNA Online
Sunday May 16, 2010 10:55:31 GMT
GAZA, May 16 (KUNA) -- Israel will not accept engaging Hamas in
thepolitical process, Israeli Mini ster of Foreign Affairs Avigdor
Lieberman saidSunday.Radio Israel quoted Lieberman as saying that Israel
is displeased withRussia's stance towards Hamas and the decision to supply
Syria with arms,adding that this step would not help "create a peaceful
atmosphere in theregion." During the Russian-Turkish talks which took
place Wednesday, Turkeyand Russia called for including Hamas in the peace
negotiations, as TurkishPresident Abdullah Gul said that it is not
possible to "ignore the fact" thatHamas won the elections in Gaza.Russian
President Dmitriy Medvedev said that all parties involved should takepart
in the elections and no end should be "excluded," especially since
GazaStrip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis.Lieberman meanwhile
stressed the importance of "strategic" Israeli-Americanrelations. However,
Israeli foreign policy should also cover many countriesthat had been
ignored in the past, he stressed.As for the announcement ma de by Israeli
Minister of Internal Security YitzhakAharonovitch regarding plans to
demolish Palestinian houses in easternJerusalem, Lieberman said that
Israel was not trying to provoke any party, butstill adding that "it would
not give up on its sovereignty."(Description of Source: Kuwait KUNA Online
in English -- Official news agency of the Kuwaiti Government; URL:
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
29) Back to Top
Lebanon Eyeing Economic Coalition
"Lebanon Eyeing Economic Coalition" -- NOW Lebanon Headline - NOW Lebanon
Tuesday June 15, 2010 09:59:59 GMT
Economy Minister Mohammad Safadi told Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram that
Lebanon is looking to form a regional economic coalition that includes
Egypt,Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey to boost the regions trade and
economy.He added that Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his Egyptian
counterpart, AhmadNazef, will look into ways to enhance coordination
between the two countries inthe trade sector.Hariri and Nazef are to chair
the Supreme Joint Egyptian-Lebanese Committeesseventh session, which will
convene on June 17.-NOW LebanonRelated Articles:Egyptian-Lebanese
committee to discuss bilateral agreements(Description of Source: Beirut
NOW Lebanon in English -- A privately-funded pro-14 March coalition,
anti-Syria news website; URL: www.nowlebanon.com)
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of Comme
30) Back to Top
Italian Press 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Italian press on 15 June. To
request additional processing, call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202) 338-6735;
or fax (703) 613-5735. - Italy -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 09:41:38 GMT
1. FM Frattini cited on Gaza flotilla probe, EU demand Israel relax Gaza
blockade. (p 15; 350 words; processing 200-word excerpt)
2. Interior Minister Maroni announces Italy to install body scanners also
in railroad stations. (p 27; 350 words; no processing planned)
3. International Financial Stability Board Chair Draghi chairs meeting
ahead of upcoming G20 summit, argues most important thing 'is to show the
greatest determination in completing the reform of the financial system.'
(p 37; 400 word s; no processing planned)
Milan Il Giornale in Italian -- right-of-center daily owned by the
Berlusconi family
1. Justice Minister Alfdano calls Mafia bosses' arrest 'turning point' in
struggle against organized crime. (p 13; 100 words; processing)
2. Turkish Ambassador to Holy See Gursoy reveals Turkish intelligence,
counterterrorism probing Smirne Bishop Padovese's assassination despite
initial allegations murder was isolated gesture by slain bishop's mentally
deranged driver. (p 16; 550 words; no processing planned)
Milan Il Sole-24 Ore in Italian -- leading financial and economic daily
1. Alberto Negri takes his cue from leaked Afghan mineral wealth report to
consider US 'difficulties' in country, doubts news will impact the course
of the war. (p 12; 500 words; processing)
Milan Il Foglio in Italian -- independent right-of-center daily
1. FM Frattini demands 'private debt criterion' be included in EU's new
Stability Pact, argues this is a 'red line that cannot be crossed.' (p 1;
550 words; no processing planned)
Milan Libero in Italian -- independent right-of-center daily
1.Carlo Pelanda argues 'schoolmistress Merkel is a disaster for Europe,'
her economic recovery plan 'a boomerang for Europe'; notes President Obama
'in the summer of 2009, terminated his (country's) alliance with the
Europeans by unilaterally transferring the functions of global economic
governance from the G7 to the G20, where only the US and China carry any
weight.' (p 1; 700 words; no processing planned)
2. Gianandrea Gaiani comments on leaked Afghan mineral wealth report to
argue 'Obama has found another excuse to stay on' in Afghanistan. (p 17;
600 words; no processing planned)
Rome La Repubblica in Italian -- moderate left-of-center daily
1. Muslim immigrant sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of his
daughter, slain for dating an Italian. (p 13; 550 words; no processing
Rome Rinascita in Italian -- independent 'nonparty, nonconfessional,'
broadly anti-US daily
1.Report on exclusive interview with Turkish MHP Nationalist Movement
Party Istanbul chief Barutcu on range of issues including EU membership,
Cyprus, Iran nuclear; denies Armenian 'genocide.' (pp 4-5; 700 words; no
processing planned)
Turin La Stampa in Italian -- leading centrist daily; owned by Fiat's
Agnelli family
1. Interior Minister Maroni warns overseas missions must be extended in
budget to include also police missions, otherwise it will be impossible to
continue tracking, protecting Italian World Cup soccer team in South
Africa. (p 19; 150 words; processing)
Negative selection: none;
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</ a>31) Back to Top
Xinhua 'Analysis': Israel Braces for Iranian Attempt To Break Gaza
Xinhua "Analysis" by David Harris: "Israel Braces for Iranian Attempt To
Break Gaza Blockade" - Xinhua
Tuesday June 15, 2010 14:14:27 GMT
JERUSALEM, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Three ships bound for the Gaza Strip, two
from Iran and one from Lebanon, are expected to set sail in the next few
days, and a confrontation with the Israeli navy is likely.
These are the latest missions to break the blockade on Gaza, following an
Israeli naval raid on an aid flotilla on May 31, killing nine
people.Israel officially started an investigation into the raid after its
cabinet approved on Monday the establishment of an inquiry panel including
two foreign observers.The Jewish state is likely to meet challenge from
the nor th as the Naji Al Ali is to set sail.The ship was named after an
Arab cartoonist, a harsh criticizer of Israel, who was killed by unknown
assassins.The journey, organized by two local groups, namely Journalists
without Bounds and Free Palestine, is to ship aid and volunteers, most of
whom are women, to the enclave.Besides, there will be a heavy presence of
at least 50 journalists.Israeli officials are concerned that in addition
to genuine grassroots activists, members of organizations such as the
Lebanese-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah will also be aboard.Israel
said it will not allow any ship to dock in Gaza, and in light with an
agreement signed with the Palestinians in 1994, it will let such vessels
to stop at the Israeli port of Ashdod near Gaza for security checks, and
then transport the aid to the enclave by road.Israel would strive to avoid
incidents like last month's raid which exposed the Jewish state to
international condemnation.Ephraim Kam, principal resea rcher with the
Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said
Tuesday that to ease critics, Israel will adopt such measures as
establishing investigation committees, seek help from its allies,
particularly the U.S. and Europe, to calm the waters.The country is also
prepared to use force when necessary, he said, noting "the question is who
is sailing?Who is behind these missions?"However, Kam said Israel is
likely to adopt different military tactics when facing confrontation next
time to avoid casualties.If the flotillas carry unarmed civilians there
will be no violence, he said, citing Israel's treatment of six other
vessels accompanying the Mavi Marmara and the Rachel Corrie arriving in
the region a few days later.Avi Segal, an expert on military policy with
the country's Ben- Gurion University of the Negev, proposed to partially
ease their blockade of the Gaza Strip, a suggestion largely unpopular
among Israeli politicians."Israel needs to say ahead of time that it has
no problem in allowing the flotillas through to Gaza as long as they allow
Israel to ensure that there is no military equipment or other forbidden
items on board," he said.The first of the two Iranian ships will leave for
Gaza in the next few days, and Israel can seek some solace from the fact
that the ships will not be escorted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards,
according to Iranian officials.The ship will reportedly carry four tons of
aid."The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has no plan to escort
humanitarian aid ships to Gaza," the Iranian Mehr news agency quoted IRGC
Deputy Commander Hossein Salami as saying on Monday.On June 6, the IRGC
had said it was prepared to accompany the ships.The ship, may be named the
Convoy to Gaza, will leave Khorramshahr in Khuzestan Province in southern
Iran within days, the official Iranian news agency IRNA said.The second
ship, carrying a medical team is scheduled to sail right after the first
one from northern Iran.It will dock in Turkey before making its way
through the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, and meanwhile, several
Iranian lawmakers are expected to set foot on the Israeli-sieged
enclave.Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Sunday named 10
things that should be done against "the Zionist regime" for its way of
treating flotillas following the deadly raid.The measures he mentioned at
an executive meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference include
placing leading Israelis on trial, breaking the Gaza siege by air, land
and sea, sanctions on Israel, suspending Israeli membership from
international organizations and calling on the UN to provide more aid to
the Palestinians.Assuming Israel deals successfully with the Lebanese and
Iranian shipments, the Jewish state will only be able to breathe a sigh of
relief for the briefest period before more flotillas attempt to break
through to Gaza.At least 10 missions will be launch ed till the end of
October, according to the Hamas movement and the Hezbollah TV channel Al
Manar.The flotillas will carry people from Sudan, the United Kingdom,
Norway and Turkey.In the cases of the Lebanese, Iranian and Sudanese
missions at least, there is governmental support, Al Manar reported.Israel
is trying to persuade the European Union to forbid its citizens from
participating in the voyages, the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot reported
Monday.The request was passed to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
who is the envoy of the peace Quartet, including the UN, the United
States, the EU and Russia, to work on the Israeli- Palestinian peace
process.The maritime pressure on Israel is expected to peak in October
when Muslim-led and other missions try to dock in Gaza to bring aid in
time for the Ramadan holy month.(Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in
English -- China's official news service for English-language audiences
(New China News Agency))
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32) Back to Top
Israeli Arabic Press 11 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Israeli Arabic press on 11
June; to request additional processing, please call OSC at (800) 205-8615,
(202) 338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735. - Israel -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 13:16:04 GMT
http://hadath.co.il/ http://hadath.co.il )
Shaykh Hammad Abu-Da'abis, head of the northern branch of the Islamic
Movement, says in an 800-word commentary on page 2 of Al-Mithaq, entitled
"The World After the Freedom Flotilla Must be Very Different from Before,"
that "t he killing of Turks on board of the ships returns Turkey to its
central role vis-a-vis the Palestinian cause as it was during the regime
of Sultan Abd al-Hamid II" who refused to allow the establishment of "a
homeland for the Jews in Palestine" in the early 20th century. Abu-Da'abis
says that Israel is confronted today by "a regionally and internationally
important country (Turkey). . . that will insist on persecuting Israeli
political and military leaders. . . and will link maintaining the ties
between the two countries to lifting the siege on Gaza." Abu-Da'abis goes
on to say that it seems Turkey has abandoned the dream of joining the EU
and is instead "trying to form alternative alliances with the Islamic
world." (Al-Tirah Al-Mithaq in Arabic -- Weekly mouthpiece of the southern
branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel led by Shaykh Hammad Abu-Da'abis;
http://www.islammov.net/ http://www.islammov.net/ )
In the same vein , RA'AM-TA'AL MK Mas'ud Ghanayim claims in a 700-word
commentary on page 42 of Kull al-Arab, entitled "The Freedom Flotilla and
the Resurrection of the Palestinian Cause," that it seems "Turkey has
gradually decided, since Recep Tayyip Erdogan became prime minister, to
get rid of the strategic alliance with Israel, to take independent
positions that represent the real wishes of the Turkish public and to
follow its natural political and cultural course, the Arab and Islamic
one." The commentary concludes by saying that Erdogan, "the new Ottoman,"
has decided to turn Turkey into "a head of the East rather than a tail of
the West." (Nazareth Kull al-Arab in Arabic -- Independent Israeli Arab
weekly; URL: http://
http://www.alarab.co.il/ http://www.alarab.co.il/ ) Claims of 'Anti-Arab
Bills and Mounting Incitement' Al-Sinnarah
carries a 600-word report on page 44 on a report issued by Mossawa Center,
advocacy center for the A rab citizens in Israel, which claims that "the
recent Knesset is the worst with respect to its treatment of Israeli Arab
citizens in particular and human rights in general. The 18th Knesset is
considering more than 23 bills that discriminate against Arab citizens."
The report goes on to say that many MKs "shamelessly promote racism. . .
and belong to movements that support transfer of Israeli Arabs." (Nazareth
Al-Sinnarah in Arabic -- Independent, largest circulation Israeli Arab
weekly; URL:
http://www.sonara.net/248.php3 http://www.sonara.net/248.php3 )
In the same vein, a 500-word Kull al-Arab report quotes Imtanis Shihadah,
researcher in Mada Al-Karmil Arab centre for applied social research, who
says "Israel is becoming a country in which the tyranny of the majority is
turning into the customary system of governance." Shihadah also says that
the "current regime is "exploiting semi-democratic tools" in order &quo
t;to pass laws against the Palestinian citizens. . . and limit the
political activity of Arab parties."
The 500-word editorial on page 2 of Kull al-Arab, entitled "The
Authorities Must Stop This Incitement," says that "the foul talk against
BALAD MK Hanin Zu'abi in the Knesset this week and the incitement
demanding to withdraw Israeli citizenship of people suspected by the
minister of interior of threatening the state's security" has sent the mob
on the streets the message that "threatening Arabs' lives and property has
become legitimate." The editorial says that at a time when the White House
reprimands Helen Thomas, doyen of White House correspondents, for her
remarks on the Jews and "occupation of Palestine," the Israeli Government
does nothing to stop incitement against Arabs in Israel and even
encourages it. Reports on Hizballah Fleet to Gaza, Nasrallah Visit to
Turkey Kull al-Arab
carries a 700-word interview w ith Lebanese MP Hasan Muhammad Huballah,
Hizballah political council member, who says Hizballah will send a ship
called Naji al-Ali (named after a Palestinian cartoonist killed in London
in 1987) to Gaza in "order to break the unjust siege." As for the
invitation sent by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to
Hizballah leader Hasan Nasrallah to visit Turkey, Huballah answers that
Nasrallah is willing to accept the invitation and that "security
considerations prevent (him) from providing any further details about the
In the same vein, another report on page 4 of Kull al-Arab claims that the
invitation was sent to Nasrallah after HAMAS leader Khalid Mish'al
suggested it to Erdogan. The report also says that the Hizballah
leadership accepted the invitation on condition that Nasrallah be guarded
by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to protect him from a potential Israeli
assassination attempt. The report adds that Mish'al will also come t o
Turkey and take part in the meeting between Erdogan and Nasrallah, and
that Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad might also join them "in order
to stress the (strength of the) Iranian-Syrian-Turkish alliance with
Hizballah and HAMAS." Head of Southern Branch Calls For Unity of Islamic
In a 1,100-word interview on page 12 of Al-Mithaq, Abu-Da'abis stresses
the need for establishing a "joint council for coordination" between the
two branches of the IM as a confidence-building step on the way to unity.
Abu-Da'abis also said that he has already discussed unity between the two
branches with Shaykh Ra'id Salah, head of the northern branch, and
Muhammad Zaydan, head of the supreme Israeli Arab follow-up committee, and
that "all psychological barriers have been removed in this regard." House
Demolition in Negev Kull al-Arab
carries a 700-word report on page 28 on a new tender issued by the
Ministry of Housing and Construction a nd the Israel Land Administration
in order "to demolish more than 45 unrecognized Arab villages in the
Negev, inhabited by more than 85,000 Arabs who own one million Dunam that
Israel wishes to confiscate." The report quotes RA'AM-TA'AL MK Talab
al-Sani who warns that executing such a plan could lead to "an Intifadah"
among Arabs in the Negev and asks the government "to reconsider its
policy" in this regard.
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33) Back to Top
FYI -- Iranian President Says Obama 'Begged' for Votes at Security Council
Corrected version: updating processing time - Vision of the Islam ic
Republic of Iran Network 1
Tuesday June 15, 2010 12:26:44 GMT
(Description of Source: Tehran Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Network 1 in Persian -- state-run national television, officially
controlled by the office of the supreme leader)
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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
34) Back to Top
Turkey Hosting Regional Workshop on Fight Against Drug Trafficking
"REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING" -- AA headline -
Tuesday June 15, 2010 11:37:52 GMT
(Description of S ource: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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35) Back to Top
Sleiman, Assad To Discuss Stalled Peace Process
"Sleiman, Assad To Discuss Stalled Peace Process" -- The Daily Star
Headline - The Daily Star Online
Tuesday June 15, 2010 07:38:32 GMT
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman's talks with his Syrian counterparton
Tuesday in Damascus will not be restricted to bilateral ties and will
coverdevelopments in the region, which will constitute a top item on the
agenda.President Basha r Assad and Sleiman will discuss the stalled peace
process aswell as the growing role of Turkey and Iran in the region and
the repercussionsthis might have on the Lebanese political scene.Last
week, Lebanon, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council,abstained
from voting on a new batch of sanctions against Iran after theCabinet
failed to agree on how to vote on the issue. The Cabinet'sinability to
issue a decision on the sanctions stirred a heated debate in
thecountry.Sleiman and Assad will also tackle the 15 memorandums that were
inked over theweekend during the Lebanese-Syrian committee meetings.The
signed memorandums touched on the environment, consumer
protection,agriculture, tourism, culture, justice, education, high
education, economicsand vocational training.Minister of State Jean
Hogassapian and Syrian State Planning Minister AmerLutfi headed the
Lebanese and the Syrian committees respectively.The two-day talks between
the Lebanese and Syrian officials tackle d developingagreements signed
under the Syrian-Lebanese Brotherhood, Cooperation andCoordination Treaty
and discussed forging new agreements.A similar meeting to evaluate
Syrian-Lebanese deals was held by the jointcommittee in April.Hogassapian,
who briefed President Sleiman on Monday about his meetings inDamascus,
said a "new page" has been turned in Lebanese-Syrian ties.The two
counties' ties suffered greatly after the assassination of formerPrime
Minister Rafik Hariri, a killing many politicians in Lebanon blamed
onDamascus. Syria has denied any responsibility.In May, Prime Minister
Saad Hariri held a round of talks with President Assadthat centered on
bilateral agreements and coordination between the twocountries.In other
news, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said in
hisweekly editorial in Al-Anbaa newspaper that the circumstances in the
regionwere not appropriate to reconsider agreements between Lebanon and
Syria inlight of regional challe nges."It is time for the two countries to
ensure the appropriate politicalconditions and atmosphere for the serious
implementation of all agreements,especially the economic ones," he said. -
The Daily Star(Description of Source: Beirut The Daily Star Online in
English -- Website of the independent daily, The Daily Star; URL:
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36) Back to Top
Mitri Says Cabinet Will Meet Friday To Approve 2010 State Budget
"Mitri Says Cabinet Will Meet Friday To Approve 2010 State Budget" -- NOW
Lebanon Headline - NOW Lebanon
Tuesday June 15, 2010 06:39:32 GMT
After a lengthy meeting chaired by President Michel Sleiman at the
Presidential Palace in Baabda Monday night, Information Minister Tarek
Mitrisaid the cabinet finished discussing the provisions of the draft 2010
statebudget and will meet on Friday to approve it.Mitri said Sleiman began
the cabinet session by stressing the need to finishdebating the state
budget and approve it before the weekend.Since it was submitted by Finance
Minister Rayya al-Hassan to the cabinet lastmonth, approval of the state
budget has been held up by a widening row overpast government spending.The
row began earlier this month when Speaker Nabih Berri asked to know how
$11billion in state spending had gone unaccounted for during former Prime
MinisterFouad Sinioras term. He said the Lebanese have the right to know
where theirmoney has been allocated in the last four years.Several
critics, including Future Movement figures, said that expendituresduring
the Siniora g overnment were legal.Also, the Finance Ministry said in a
statement issued on Sunday that $11billion in past state spending was
legal. However, this was disputed in astatement issued on Monday by Berris
Development and Liberation bloc.The cabinet also decided to set up a
ministerial committee headed by PrimeMinister Saad Hariri to follow up on
labor union demands, Mitri said.The cabinet move was apparently designed
to avert a general labor strikeplanned by the General Labor Confederation
on June 17.The cabinet also asked Education Minister Hassan Mneimneh to
pursue talks withpublic secondary school teachers in order to arrive at a
satisfactory solutionto their demands, Mitri said. The cabinet hopes the
teachers will uphold theirpositive stances by continuing to grade official
exams, he added.Hariri briefed the cabinet on his visit to Turkey where he
attended theArab-Turkish Forum held annually in Istanbul.The PM said the
forum participants condemned the May 31 Israeli comman do attackon a
Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed.Hariri
also briefed the cabinet on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogansintention to visit Lebanon, Mitri said.Talks are underway to set a
date for the visit, he added.-NOW LebanonRelated Articles:Development and
Liberation bloc rejects Finance Ministrys statement on paststate
spendingFinance Ministry says $11 billion in past state spending was
legal(Description of Source: Beirut NOW Lebanon in English -- A
privately-funded pro-14 March coalition, anti-Syria news website; URL:
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
37) Back to Top
Turkish Airlines Sends Plane to Bishkek To Evacuat e Citizens
AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 14:20:32 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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38) Back to Top
Turkey's Gul Comments on Kyrgyzstan Events, Trade With South Korea
SOUTH KOREA HAVE 3.1 BLN USD TRADE VOLUME" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 1 6:40:28 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
39) Back to Top
Turkish Islamist Press 15 Jun
This product lists selected reports carried in the Turkish Islamist press
on 15 June. To request further processing, please contact OSC at (800)
205-8615, (202) 338-6735, or fax (703) 613-5735. - Turkey -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 10:32:38 GMT
Immediately," Yeni Safak
publishes a front-page report which asserts that Justice Fulya
Kantarcioglu is being called on to resign as a member of the
Constitutional Court in the wake of the disclosure that she discussed
revoking the recently passed constitutional reforms on the phone with
Former Justice Minister Seyfi Oktay, who was recently placed under
detention on charges of attempting to influence the judiciary.
In a 451-word article entitled "We Did Not Board That Ship To Get
Ourselves Killed" on page 2, Yeni Safak columnist Hakan Albayrak, one of
the passengers aboard the Turkish relief vessel Mavi Marmara raided by
Israeli troops en route to the Gaza Strip, asserts that they did not set
out with the intention of "sacrificing ourselves" or hope that they would
get killed to become heroes, that they intended to show no more resistance
to Israeli soldiers than they would show to the riot police during any
street demonstration, and that they would not have resisted as they did
had they known that the Israeli troops would "pani c so easily and rain
real bullets on us." (processing)
In a 754-word article entitled "Massacre: Fergana Fire To Engulf Central
Asia" on page 9, Yeni Safak columnist Ibrahim Karagul refers to the latest
unrest in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, where Uzbeks are being
"massacred" by armed Kyrgyz rioters, as an example of how the "power
struggle among the United States, Russia, and China" in this region has
started to threaten Central Asia as a whole. He warns that the unrest is
likely to destabilize the entire region and predicts that the Fergana
Valley will become one of the bloodiest theaters of a confrontation
between global players. (Istanbul Yeni Safak (Ankara edition) in Turkish -
Daily targeting Islamic reformists; close to the ruling Justice and
Development Party - URL:
http://www.yenisafak.com http://www.yenisafak.com ) Vakit
Under the headline, "Martyrs' Rights To Be Protected," Vakit carries a f
ront-page report which quotes Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying
that the commission to be set up by Israel to investigate the incidents
involving the Gaza Flotilla will not have an international character and
that they will insist on the formation of an investigative body under UN
In a 517-word article entitled "The Office of the Prime Minister is Not a
Robot. It Can Send Back Top Court Rulings" on page 2, Vakit columnist Ali
Ihsan Karahasanoglu explains in what sense Constitutional Court Rapporteur
Osman Can is "a hundred percent right" in arguing that the Government
would be justified in refraining from implementing a Constitutional Court
ruling, issued in violation of Article 148 of the Constitution, in favor
of the main opposition Republican People's Party's appeal against the
recently passed constitutional amendment package.
In a 501-word article entitled "A Historic Test" on page 5, Vakit
columnist Yene r Donmez lauds Osman Can's "call for Parliament to resist"
a possible Constitutional Court ruling in favor of the CHP's appeal
against the constitutional reforms as a "very important" bid to prevent
the top court from "trampling on the national will." (Istanbul Anadolu'da
Vakit (Internet Version-WWW) in Turkish - Islamic fundamentalist daily -
http://www.vakit.com.tr http://www.vakit.com.tr ) Zaman
In a 504-word article entitled "Why Was the Axis Debate Started?" on page
21, Zaman columnist Ihsan Dagi argues that recent accusations that the
ruling AKP has caused a shift in Turkey's political orientation from the
West to the East are intended to "scare" the West into distancing itself
from the Erdogan government and allying itself once again with Turkey's
Kemalist-militarist establishment. He also asserts that while
pro-establishment circles are trying to use the Gaza flotilla crisis as a
means of accusing the AK P of returning to its Islamist roots, certain
"old guard" Islamists are treating the said crisis as an opportunity to
get the AKP to take on Islamist attitudes.
In a 518-word article entitled "How Would the Constitutional Court Ruling
Impact Terrorism?" on page 21, Zaman columnist Mumtazer Turkone warns that
a Constitutional Court decision to revoke the few "critical" items in the
amendment package passed by Parliament would lock the democratic system,
"restricting our ability to solve problems on the basis of law and
democracy" and causing the "scourge of terrorism" to become more
uncontrolled. He also asserts that such a ruling would place the top court
in the position of undermining public support for the Government's efforts
to address the "Kurdish issue," something that he claims the PKK is trying
to achieve through its terrorist assaults. (Istanbul Zaman (Ankara
Edition) in Turkish - moderate pro-Islamic daily supportive of Nurcu Sect
leader Fethullah Gulen - URL
http://www.zaman.com.tr http://www.zaman.com.tr ) Today's Zaman
In a 652-word article entitled "Government's Handling of Crisis With
Israel" on page 4, Today's Zaman columnist Lale Kemal asserts that the
Erdogan government has used the latest "crisis" with Israel over the Gaza
flotilla for domestic political purposes to increase popular support for
the AKP ahead of the next general elections at a time when it is suffering
from "frustration both internally and externally." (processing)
In a 680-word article entitled "Expanding Foreign Policy" on page 15,
Today's Zaman columnist Ali Bulac discusses such questions as whether
Turkey is more annoyed by the loss of lives in its struggle against PKK
terrorism or by foreign "attempts to redesign Iraq without Turkey's
involvement" and how come Israel can be so "reckless" as to kill n ine
Turkish nationals in a raid on a relief vessel bound for Gaza.
In a 630-word article entitled "Israel is Losing Its PR Battle" on page
15, Today's Zaman columnist Emre Uslu calls attention to the problems" in
the "language of (Israel's) PR campaign" intended to justify its raid on
the Gaza flotilla. He asserts that Israel's portrayal of the Humanitarian
Aid Foundation, IHH, the organizer of the relief effort intercepted by
Israel, as a terrorist group is serving to blur the definition of
terrorism and terrorists in a way that could only help al-Qa'ida justify
its actions and undermine the US war on terror. (processing) (Istanbul
Today's Zaman (Ankara Edition) in English - moderate pro-Islamic daily
supportive of Nurcu Sect leader Fethullah Gulen - Root URL:
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web )
Milli Gazete
In a 466-word article entitled "New US Strategy: Leadership of the W orld"
on page 9, Milli Gazete columnist Abdullah Ozkan criticizes the new US
National Security Strategy as one that defines "virtually" the same goals
as the Bush administration tried to achieve and is distinguished from the
former US government's "gross and clumsy" policies only by virtue of its
"more sophisticated" use of "public diplomacy" tools as a means of
accomplishing the same aims. Ozkan notes that the new document replaces
"Bush's dream of an American Empire" with the purpose of "global
leadership" rather than calling for the establishment of global peace.
(Istanbul Milli Gazete (Internet Version-WWW) in Turkish - Mouthpiece of
the Felicity Party (SP), affiliated with Necmettin Erbakan's National View
Organization - URL:
http://www.milligazete.com http://www.milligazete.com )
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
40) Back to Top
Philippine Agriculture Department Lifts Ban on Poultry From Turkey
Report by KAM: "Agriculture dept lifts ban on poultry from Turkey" -
BusinessWorld Online
Tuesday June 15, 2010 07:31:24 GMT
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture has lifted the ban on the importation of
poultry products from Turkey following the latter's report to the World
Organization for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties, or
OIE) that it is free from the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain.
The department's Memorandum Order No. 17, dated June 7, said that,
according to that report, "stamping out, including disinfection of all
affected establishments, was completed on March 22, 2008."
The department said the Bureau of Animal Industry has ascertained that the
risk of contamination from imported poultry and poultry products from that
country "is negligible."
Hence, Turkey can now export to the Philippines domestic and wild birds,
as well as products like poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen, as
long as they pass regular requirements, the memo said.
Since 2003, Turkey has had the sixth biggest number of reported cases of
H5N1 infection at 291, data from the OIE Web site showed. Vietnam has had
the highest number of reported cases at 2,575, followed by Thailand with
1,141 and Egypt with 1,084.
The Philippines, along with Brunei and Singapore, has remained the only
H5N1-free countries in Southeast Asia, according to the same OIE data.
Since January, the department has ordered the temporary ban on the entry
of poultry and poultry products from Naevstved in Denmark, Bhutan, Taiwan
and South Korea.
It has also lifted the temporary ban on the entry of same commodities from
Germany, France and Spain, since that month.
(Description of Source: Quezon City BusinessWorld Online in English --
Website of the privately owned weekday newspaper with a circulation of
65,000. Widely read by businessmen. Good source for business and economic
stories; URL: http://www.bworldonline.com)
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41) Back to Top
Turkey, Senegal Sign Investment Agreement
"TURKEY AND SENEGAL SIGN AGREEMENT TO BOOST INVESTMENTS" -- AA headline -
Tuesday June 15, 2010 10:48:52 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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Egyptian Press 15 Jun 10
The following lists selected items from the Egyptian press on 15 Jun. To
request additional processing, please call OSC at (800) 205-8615, (202)
338-6735; or fax (703) 613-5735. - Egypt -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 09:17:15 GMT
http://www.ahram.org.eg/ http://www.ahram.org.eg/
1.Editorial points to growing regional and international pressure on
Israel to lift th e siege on Gaza.The European and US positions must be
coupled with effective measures to deny Israel the chance to evade
pressure, the paper stresses. (p 11; 250 words)
2. Article by Makram Muhammad Ahmad says HAMAS does not expect Amr Musa's
visit to make a real achievement that steps up conciliatory efforts or
eliminates the obstacles standing in the way of conciliation.The writer
believes that Musa was careful to avoid any interpretation of the visit as
admission of the fait accompli which HAMAS forced on the sector.HAMAS is
careful to refuse any talk about conciliation, hoping that reconstruction
efforts would enhance its popularity.However, HAMAS knows that
reconstruction is bound to limit chances of using rockets against Israeli
towns, since the people of Gaza will not let their homes be destroyed once
again in an Israeli retaliatory strike, the writer says. (p 10; 550 words)
3. Article by Dr Mustafa al-Fiqi recognizes the right of the opposition to
criti cize the mistakes of the ruling party.However, the writer detects a
tendency to confuse the political opposition with undermining Egypt's
status and esteem, especially in terms of its foreign role and the future
of its political regime.He notes that the talk about Egypt always focuses
on the negative and overlooks the positive.He observes that Al-Jazirah
"seeks to transfer the Arab centers of power from the center to the
tips."He states that blaming Egypt for all the sins of the Middle East is
absolutely unfair, because it undermines its historic accomplishments.He
points out that attacking a certain political system does not justify
attacks on the state to which that system belongs.He believes that the
Iranian and Turkish roles, as well as the South African role, come at the
expense of the Egyptian role.He says Israel spares no effort to
"embarrass" Egypt.He believes in the conspiracy theory in that regard and
urges political powers to watch out for atte mpts to turn the problems
facing the Egyptian people into another issue that downplays the Egyptian
role. (p 10; 2,000 words)
4. Article by Dr Wahid Abd-al-Majid reviews a book issued by Al-Ahram
Center for Political and Strategic Studies, by Tal'at Rumayh, under the
title "The predicament of the Egyptian communist movement." (p 101,400
Cairo Al-Akhbar --state-owned daily; root URL:
http://www.elakhbar.org.eg http://www.elakhbar.org.eg
1.Article by Chief Editor Muhammad Barakat hopes lawyers and judges will
act wisely and realize that the problem is not about a dispute that erupts
here or there between individuals that may be right or wrong.The issue is
about searching for the truth, defending victims of injustice and serving
justice, the writer says. (pp 1, 5; 1,000 words)
2. Article by Halah al-Isawi sums up the state of the world in the phrase
"the principles of justice are collapsing in favor of interests" ami d an
international consensus on punishing Iran and an equal consensus on
refraining from punishing Israel for its crimes.The writer views the UN
resolution that imposes sanctions on Iran as "unprecedented success for
Obama's soft-power policy."The writer says Washington's "passive
neutrality" on the crisis between Israel and Turkey encourages Israel to
create side battles instead of focusing on the central issue. (p 19; 800
3. Article by Amal al-Maghrabi examines the feasibility of sanctions
against Iran.The writer states that the US insistence on sanctions
confirms that this is "part of a US strategy to shrink the Iranian
influence in the region, place Iran under economic siege, and try to
destroy Iran from the inside by backing the opposition."Washington knows
that sancti ons will not stop Iran's nuclear ambitions.Hence, the US
strategy proceeds in various directions, including efforts to contain Iran
militarily through the brain -drain policy that pulls nuclear experts away
from Iran to destroy the nuclear infrastructure from
within.Diplomatically, the United States takes advantage of Israeli
threats to strike Iran, the writer says. (p 19; 850 words)
Cairo Al-Jumhuriyah -- state-owned daily; root URL:
http://www.gom.net.eg http://www.gom.net.eg
1. Article by Chief Editor Muhammad Ali Ibrahim is critical of attempts to
disfigure the image of the police in connection with the case of the young
"addict" who died after swallowing a "joint".The writer explains that the
diseased was dismissed from military service after he was sentenced to
three months in jail. He defends the position of the Ministry of Interior
in the case. (p 3; 1,000 words)
2. Editorial says the United States welcomed the formation of an Israeli
fact-finding committee to investigate into the crime against humanitarian
workers to evade demands to set up an international committee.The inno
cent blood of the victim will stick to the hands of Israeli extremists and
all those who justify the crime, the paper says. (p 8; 150 words)
Cairo Al-Wafd -- opposition New Wafd Party daily; root URL:
http://www.alwafd.org http://www.alwafd.org
1. Report on a decision by Wafd Chairman al-Sayyid al-Badawi appointing a
number of aides, including Baha-al-Din Abu-Shuqqah, Mahmud al-Saqqa, Ali
al-Salami, Tahir Huzayyin, and Wahid Fawzi. (p 1; 600 words)
Cairo Nahdat Misr --Independent daily; root URL:
http://www.gn4nahdetmisr.com http://www.gn4nahdetmisr.com
1. Report says Ayman Nur's health condition is stable after he had a heart
attack during a protest organized in front of the ministry of the
Interior. (p 2; 300 words)
2. First part of a two-part interview with Dr Mufid Shihab, minister of
legal and parliamentary affairs, on his view of Egypt's future, the
relationship between the NDP and the opposition, the NDP's preparation f
or presidential elections and the suitable electoral system to be adopted.
(p 5; 3,000 words)
3. Report reviews the guarantees demanded by political powers to ensure
clean parliamentary elections. (p 7; 3,000 words)
4. Article by Chief Editor Muhammad al-Shabbah expects "big heads to roll"
in the events reports about "alliance between Wafd Party and the Muslim
Brotherhood" prove true.The writer expects Wafd to be the biggest loser in
such an alliance.He wonders how a liberal party can ally with a current
adopting the slogan "Islam is the solution." (p 16; 450 words; processing)
Cairo Al-Misri Al-Yawm --Yawm--Independent daily focusing on domestic
1. Report by Yusri al-Badri says the Supreme Judicial Council took the
side of the judiciary against lawyers. (p 1; 300 words)
2.Report by Adil al-Darjali cites participants in the meeting that was
held between the general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood and sev eral
political figures on disagreement on the principle of boycotting
elections. (p 1; 400 words)
3. Report by team of correspondents on a meeting of the ad hoc committee
in charge of preparing the family law for non-Muslims.The meeting was held
in the absence of Anglicans and Catholics, the report notes. (p 1; 300
Cairo Al-Dustur -- Independent anti-regime daily newspaper
1. Report on continued demonstrations in Alexandria to protest the killing
of a young man by the police. (p 1; 300 words)
2. The third and last episode of an interview with Dr Muhammad ElBaradei
by Chief Editor Ibrahim Isa, in which he insists on his terms for running
in presidential elections, talks about his relationship with Iran and
about his meeting with Muslim Brothers an d the need for the group to be
involved in the political scene, his disagreements with the people who
supported him in the first place, among other things. (pp 4-5; 5,000
Cairo Rose A l-Yusuf --State-run daily newspaper
1. Article by Chief Editor Abdallah Kamal examines the debate surrounding
the death of a young man in Alexandria.The writer points to contradictions
between the statement of the Ministry of the Interior and the testimonies
of eyewitnesses.He stresses that the criminal record of any person does
not justify illegal treatment by the police. (p 1; 1,400 words)
2. Article by Abd-al-Qadir Shuhayb refutes Israeli press reports targeting
the Egyptian position on lifting the siege on Gaza and the Saudi position
on an Israeli strike against Iran. (p 2; 750 words)
3.Interview with Businessman Rami Lakah in which he explains why he joined
Wafd Party, his view of the political scene, differences between Coptic
sects, and his tendency to engage in dialogue with all political powers,
including the Muslim Brotherhood. (p 4; 1,600 words)
4. Article by Board Chairman Karam Jabr ridicules ElBaradei for saying he
can change the Egy ptian regime overnight. (p 20; 800 words)
5. Second part of article by Chief Editor Abdallah Kamal in which he
accuses "unbridled media" of deliberately destroying morale, spreading
frustration and working against the interest of the society. (p 20; 1,200
Cairo Al-Shuruq Al-Jadid -- Independent pro-reform liberal daily,
moderately critical of the government
1. Report by Ayah Aman cites a Ugandan paper as saying Democratic Congo
and Burundi plan to sign the framework agreement of the Nile Basin in the
next two weeks despite Cairo refusal to recognize the agreement.(p 1; 600
2. Report on continuing protests in Alexandria over the killing of a young
man on the hands of the police. (p 1; 500 words)
3. Report by Mustafa Singer says Sinai tribes inmates observed a hunger
strike to protest against the authorities' failure to apply the amended
articles of the emergency law that secure their release. (p 2; 200 words)
4 .Article by Wa'il Qandil examines the "futile war" between lawyers and
judges, where all came out as losers, with the exception of the regime. (p
2; 600 words)
5. Report by Muhammad Khayyal and Riham Sa'ud cites Labor Federation
figures and intellectuals as they voice their disappointment with
ElBaradei.Dr Hasan Nafi'ah told Al-Shuruq that "ElBaradei works on his own
without consulting anybody".(p 3; 600 words)
6. Report by Ranya Rabia says the US ambassador is to pay a visit to Wafd
Party headquarters in what seems to be an effort to "open new channels of
communication" with the biggest opposition party. (p 3; 120 words)
7. Report by Ahmad Ulaybah cites a high-ranking Arab diplomatic source on
a "deal" that may open the door for accepting an internal Israeli
investigation into the attack on the aid flotilla in exchange for easing
the siege on Gaza.The deal has been coordinated with the PA and some Arab
countries, the source says, adding that Tony Blair is in charge of the
file.The rest of the report cites news agencies on the Israeli
fact-finding committee and the Turkish rejection of the idea. (p 8; 750
8. Report by Saniyah Mahmud cites Isma'il Haniyah as he says the opening
of the Rafah crossing does not constitute a step on the road to breaking
the siege.Haniyah does not think that the relationship between HAMAS and
Egypt has reached a dead end.We only have disagreements on the
conciliatory paper, he says.Haniyah hopes HAMAS will reach understanding
with Egypt, pointing out that a meeting between the Egyptian leadership
and the movement's leading figures inside and outside is enough to open
the door wide to conciliation.He denies that Egypt is pressuring the
movement to sign the paper. "Conciliation is a national strat egic
choice.However, it is necessary to eliminate the obstacles standing in its
way; primarily be avoiding a US veto on that conciliation," Haniyah says.
(p 8; 500 words)
Cairo Al-Yawm Al-Sabi --Independent weekly focusing on domestic issues
1. Article by Chief Editor Khalid Salah resents attacks against Pope
Shanudah over the issue of second marriages for Copts.He explains that the
Pope is standing against a legislation that deprives him of the right to
live according to Coptic biblical beliefs.He recognizes Copts' right to
demand a legislation that respects their creed. (p 3; 850 words)
2. Report publishes evidence acquitting Khalid Sa'id from the charges of
dealing in drugs and defecting from the army. (p 4; 2,000 words)
3. Article by Muhammad al-Dusuqi Rushdi says Pope Shanudah's defiance of
the judiciary and the state in connection with the issue of second
marriages represented a real turn against the nature of his relationship
with President Mubarak over the past three decades.That relationship was
marked by support all the way for the president, even against the will of
most Or thodox Copts, the writer explains.The Pope always avoided direct
clash with Mubarak, even in the event of excesses against his people.He
resorted to silence and solitude to avoid such a clash, the writer says.He
believes that the Pope decided to not leave his place until he leaves a
clear fingerprint that puts him in the heroes rank and erases all the
charges that were made against him over the years. (p 4; 600 words;
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UK Arabic Press 15 Jun 10 - United Kingdom -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 07:28:23 GMT
1. Interview with Muhamma d al-Rashid, the former Saudi education
minister, on the problems he faced and the death threats he received while
changing the education curricula. (3,000 words, processing)
2. Article by Hasan Bin-Salim on the role Saudi schools are playing in the
spread of extremism ideology through the activities of the various
Islamist trends. (600 words, processing)
London Al-Sharq al-Awsat Online in Arabic 15 Jun 10 (Website of
influential London-based pan-Arab Saudi daily; editorial line reflects
Saudi official stance. URL:
http://www.asharqalawsat.com/ http://www.asharqalawsat.com/)
1. Report on statement by INA leader saying that nomination of Adil
Abd-al-Mahdi to form next government is now certain and will be announced
very soon. (300 words, processing)
2. Report on statement by Al-Iraqiyah List's Usamah al-Nujayfi stressing
that situation in Iraq will stabilize only when his list forms strong
government. (700 words, processing)
3. R eport on Palestinian President Abbas's talks with French leaders and
citing Palestinian sources as saying that Abbas and his delegation did not
hear talk about new US plan for peace from either Obama or Clinton during
their visit to Washington. (800 words, processing)
4. Report citing unidentified Libyan official as saying that normalization
of relations with Switzerland will not be implemented until its
implementation of the bilateral agreement has been confirmed. (700 words,
5. Article by Abd-al-Rahman al-Rashid arguing that a price has to be paid
for making Israel lift the Gaza blockade and which HAMAS has to pay. (500
words, processing)
6. Article by A'id al-Qarni asserting that Iran will acquire the nuclear
weapon but will not fight Israel and wondering what the Arabs are doing as
they face a nuclear Iran and a nuclear Israel. (600 words, processing)
7. Interview with dismissed Palestinian Government's Health Minister Basim
Na 'im on his pessimistic view of official Arab stand on Gaza blockade and
mocking US support for Israel's decision to allow the import of products
like mayonnaise. (1,000 words, processing)
London Al-Quds al-Arabi Online in Arabic 15 Jun 10 (Website of
London-based independent Arab nationalist daily with strong anti-US bias.
http://www.alquds.co.uk/ http://www.alquds.co.uk/
1. Report on statements by Syrian ambassador to Turkey saying Ankara is
reviewing seriously its relations with Israel and stressing that Israeli
Government is not a partner willing to negotiate peace. (800 words,
2. Editorial welcoming negative Turkish reaction to US-backed Israeli
decision to form committee to investigate the Freedom Flotilla attack
calling it an attempt to circumvent international legitimacy. (600 words,
3. Article by Chief Editor Abd-al-Bari Atwan commenting on calls by
Kuwaiti writer Abdallah al-Nufaysi for merger of s mall Gulf states with
Saudi Arabia and voicing support for it as these countries and their
region are facing many dangers and threats to their existence and
stability. (1,200 words, no processing planned) Negative selection: London
Ilaf.com in Arabic 15 Jun 10 (Saudi-owned, independent Internet daily with
pan-Arab, liberal line. URL:
http://www.elaph.com/ http://www.elaph.com/)
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Istanbul Mayor Meets Officials After Turkish Airlines First Flight
"ISTANBUL MAYOR MEETS TANZANIAN PRESIDENT" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 08:16:08 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
Material in the World News Connection is generally copyrighted by the
source cited.Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder.Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
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Brazil Political Issues 14 Jun 10
For assistance with multimedia elements, contact OSC at 1-800-205-8615 or
email@example.com. - Brazil -- OSC Summary
Tuesday June 15, 2010 18:11:02 GMT
- Patricia Campos Mello reports in the 12 June edition of Sao Paulo O
Estado de Sao Paulo that the Foreign Ministry does not consider the UN
Security Council sanctions against to apply to potential Brazilian ethanol
exports. A governm ent source said: "We are going to export wherever we
wish, our priority is opening markets." "The UN sanctions do not prohibit
the sale of ethanol, so I don't know why there would be a problem. Brazil
will not impose voluntary sanctions on itself," the source added. (Sao
Paulo O Estado de S. Paulo digital in Portuguese -- Website of
conservative, influential daily, critical of the government; URL:
http://www.estadao.com.br/ http://www.estadao.com.br ) (OSC is translating
this item as LAP20100612032001) Security Council Diplomats Say Vote
Against Sanctions All But Sinks Bid for Permanent Brazilian Seat
--Gustavo Chacra reports in Sao Paulo O Estado de Sao Paulo that Security
Council diplomats believe Brazil's decision to vote against the Iran
sanctions package makes the bid by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to
secure a permanent seat on the body virtually impossible. According to a
French diplomat, "the Middle East has nothing to d o with Brazil. They do
not know the topic well and are just now entering into the debate - while
France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have tried to negotiate with the
Iranians for years." Russia is said to be among the council members most
irritated with Brazil because a push by Planalto Palace to play a greater
role on the world stage, in the eyes of Moscow, could conceivably
constitute another geopolitical rivalry with which the economically
weakened post-Soviet state would have to grapple. Meanwhile, a senior US
diplomatic source said that as a self-proclaimed country aspiring to
global leadership, Brazil "should defend the international system and its
rules, not those who violate them." Ambassador Defends Vote Against
- In a guest article appearing in the 13 June edition of Sao Paulo O
Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazilian Ambassador to the UN Maria Luiza Ribeiro
Viotti defends her vote against the UN sanctions and describes the 17 May
agreeme nt that Brazil and Turkey helped broker with Tehran as a watershed
moment. "In light of this new situation," she writes, "insisting on the
sanctions route seemed to us neither reasonable nor productive. The Tehran
Declaration did not address issues like Iran's enrichment of uranium,
which was also not a focus of the previous proposal set forth by the IAEA
in October (2009). But it did constitute an important step toward a
negotiated solution, which would need time to bear fruit. Adoption of
sanctions under such circumstances sends the wrong signal on what could be
the beginning of a constructive engagement with Iran. The vote by Brazil
was not a vote in favor of Iran or against the United States, but in favor
of a negotiated solution. And they both know that. We voted against the
sanctions for a reason that is as simple as it is powerful: we do not
believe that they will achieve the objective that we, and all Security
Council members, are seeking: obtaining the necessary cooperation from
Iran to resolve existing doubts about the nature of its nuclear program.
Five Security Council resolutions in less than four years did not make
Iran cooperate. Why would a new resolution do so now?" (OSC is translating
this item as LAP20100614032001) Veteran Diplomat Attributes Sanctions
Episode to 'Serious Failure' by Diplomatic Corps
- Former Brazilian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and France Sergio
Amaral, writing in the 12 June edition of Sao Paulo O Estado de Sao Paulo,
argues that the Brazilian "adventure" in Iran is "incomprehensible" ,
especially given "the various disputes closer to us" such as the spat
between Uruguay and Argentina over cellulose processing plants near their
common border, the "virtual paralysis" of the Mercosur trading bloc", and
what he views as the hamstringing of the Latin American integration
process "on account of the misunderstandings among severa l of our
neighbors." Amaral maintains that the Security Council's approval of the
sanctions by the lopsided margin of 12 votes to 2 was due to one of two
things: "either the disingenuousness foreign policy crafters, or the lack
of information on the stance of key players (like China). Either of these
scenarios represents a serious failure for a skilled diplomacy." (OSC is
translating this item as LAP20100614032002) Editorial Rebuts 'Lofty'
Itamaraty Argument Opposing Sanctions
- The lead editorial in the 12 June edition of Sao Paulo O Estado de Sao
Paulo offers the following view: "Foreign Minister Celso Amorim uses the
loftiness argument to explain the Brazilian vote opposing the sanctions
the UN Security Council approved against Iran. 'Our position was
independent, it was not Quixotic. Saying no rather than abstaining was the
only honorable, honest, and fair position. Had we voted otherwise we would
have completely lost credibility,' he said. T he problem is that two
wrongs don't make a right. And the original mistake was for the Brazilian
government, consumed by an absurd hubris, to have judged that it could
lead Iran to abandon its nuclear program by negotiation, and that the
international community - obliged and grateful - would start believing in
Tehran's noble motives. From there came the agreement sponsored by Brazil
and Turkey - the latter coming on board for the adventure at the 11th hour
-- on exchanging lightly-enriched uranium which Itamaraty touted as the
beginning of good faith dialogue between the great powers of the world and
Iran; said powers, grizzled in dealing with the Islamic Republic,
considered the deal to be just one more device to win time." The editors
assert that advisers to President Lula "let him into a mistake" by not
warning him that "the IAEA offer (on which the accord was based) made
sense when laid out but not one year later - when Iran had practically
doubled it s stock of enriched uranium." "Besides that," the editorial
continues, "the agreement does not contain a word suggesting that Iran
will readily submit itself to IAEA inspections - and without that, the
suspicions surrounding the objective of the nuclear program and the
building of the Bomb will not dissipate." The editors go on to state:
"Lulaist diplomacy made another serious mistake in evaluation when it
tried to involve itself in the affairs of the Middle East. First, Lula
offered his good offices to secure peace between the Israelis and the
Palestinians - an offer which was turned down with scathing irony by both
sides. Next it was, let's say, time for the Iranian mistake." The
editorial blames "these and other fiascos" on what it calls the "visceral
anti-Americanism" of "Lula's international advisers", who "believe that
the (US) superpower is in decline, that the world is experiencing a
multi-polar p hase, and that emerging countries - with heavy emphasis
placed on Brazil - are part of that multi-polar directorate, and that
these transformations are occurring at a dizzying pace. It just so happens
that, if the general outlines of that scenario are true, the speed of the
transformations - as with nearly everything else in history -- is slow."
The editors also make clear that, in their view, "Brazil does not have the
objective conditions to act in regions outside its direct sphere of
influence" and that the traditional skill of Foreign Ministry diplomats
coupled with President Lula's "undeniable popularity overseas" are not
enough to make the country into an "international peacemaker." Like A
mbassador Sergio Amaral in the above column, the O Estado editorial cites
the inability of Brazil to solve regional conflicts such as the paper mill
dispute or the long-running armed conflict in Colombia. The editors
conclude: "The (Brazilian) interference in the Israeli-Palestinian matter
was strictly pathetic. Now, getting involved with Iran is dangerous
because it affects critical international security issues which Brazil is
not equipped to face." Scholars Weigh In on Vote
- An article appearing in the 11 June edition of Brasilia Correio
Braziliense compiles opinions on the UN sanctions vote from respected
specialists in the field of international relations. Former UN Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero
supports the Brazilian "no" vote, stating that such a position was
necessary in order to insure the country's capacity as a potential
mediator. "Brazil had no choice - the same with Turkey - but to disagree
with the sanctions. Otherwise, it would have come out demoralized. The
conduct of our representative, Ambassador Maria Luiz Viotti, was
dignified, without provocation. Recalling the tragic consequences of
sanctions in the case of Iraq, her statements were irrefutable," Ricupero
said. Carlos Eduardo Vidigal, a historian at the University of Brasilia
(UnB), points out that Foreign Minister Celso Amorim "always favored
dialogue". Despite the fact that "the game had already been won," Vidigal
says, "Brazil maintained its position." For his part, Center for
Geopolitical Studies and International Relations Director-General Charles
Pennaforte believes that the incipient dialogue between Mahmud
Ahmadinezhad and President Lula served as an affirmation that allowed
Brazil "to project itself even more on the international arena."
Pennaforte adds: "Many try to take it to a more domestic political level
and only see the negative side; but, with Turkey, we managed to show that
there are opportunities for negotiation. We earned knowledge and
bargaining power. Everybody can question the president, but he managed to
build strong international credibility." Nevertheless, the scholar
anticipates that the Ahmadinezhad government will become more isolated as
a result of the sanctions and will ultimately announce a military nuclear
capability. (Brasilia Correio Braziliense Online in Portuguese -- Website
of pro-government daily generally differs from printed version, which is
available on site to subscribers; URL:
http://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/ http://www.correiobraziliense.com.br
) Editorial: Planalto Policy Borders on 'Insane'
- An editorial in the 13 June edition of Ribeirao Preto Gazeta do Ribeirao
argues that the "recent intervention involving negotiations with Iran's
Ahmadinezhad place the genuine intentions of Brazilian foreign policy in
check." The editors describe the 17 May accord as "bogus", given that Iran
"discredited" the document "the day after the official announcement" by
proclaiming "its intention to keep the uranium enrichment process on its
soil - to the surpr ise of Lula himself." "The consequences," the
editorial continues, "resulted in the sanctions imposed on the Islamic
country by the UN Security Council this week - with only two votes
opposing: Brazil and Turkey, who thus isolated themselves from the
international community to line up with a government that shreds accords
and harbors active terrorist groups. For all foreign analysts and
diplomats, the Brazilian action was a disaster. And Lula himself, with his
verbal excess, aggravated the Brazilian situation by deeming the council
decision 'stubbornness' - minimally mindful of his responsibility as head
of state and in a clear disconnect with the resolutions embraced by all
free countries. This is the same principle that has propelled Brazilian
foreign policy - led by Celso Amorim and (senior Planal to Palace foreign
policy adviser) Marco Aurelio Garcia, who have favored a rapprochement
with the most heinous dictators in history as well as proto-dictato rs
like Hugo Chavez." The editors add: "Imagining that the decades-long
conflict in the Middle East could be resolved with his (Lula's) dandified
visit borders on the insane. The myopia of the president's remarks ignores
the historical weight of nations which today openly combat terrorism -a
clear and present danger - and trips on the irresponsibility of imagining
that an innocuous gesture of peace overcomes millennia of differences and
hate. It is clear that Lula's self-worship overtakes his qualifications to
be president of Brazil; to what extent the Brazilian nation shares that
vision remains to be seen." (Riberao Preto, Gazeta do Riberao in
Portuguese -- Regional daily from Sao Paulo State that belongs to the RAC,
Rede Anhanguera de Comunicacao, Publishing Group) Presidential Campaign PT
Formally Launches Rousseff Candidacy
- Carol Pires and Rodrigo Alvares report in an item released by Sao Paulo
O Estado de Sao Paulo Online on 13 June that the Wor ker's Party (PT)
launched former Civilian Household Chief Dilma Rousseff as its
presidential candidate at the national party convention held in Brasilia.
In her acceptance speech, Rousseff said "it is time for a woman to lead
the country". President Lula, who spoke prior to the PT presidential
contender, acknowledged his strategy of aiming to get her elected through
a "coattails" strategy. He also called on the opposition to run a campaign
free of political mud-slinging. (OSC is translating this item as
LAP20100613049009) President Lula presents Dilma Rousseff at PT national
convention (Folha de Sao Paulo, 14 June) Columnist Highlights 'Soporific'
Rousseff Acceptance Speech
- Sao Paulo Folha de Sao Paulo columnist Valdo Cruz writes that President
Lula "stole the show" at the "predictable" PT national convention that
nominated Dilma Rousseff. Cruz quotes Presidential Chief of Staff Gilberto
Carvalho, who said that after the World Cup ends, the president plans on
"being available to the Dilma camp at night and on weekends; he will not
rest." "In other words," Cruz states, "Lula will now more than ever stick
his image onto that of Dilma. So much so that voters will be able to vote
for the PT candidate thinking that they are giving the president a third
term. Those who followed the convention will understand Lula's reasoning
quite well. Besides his desire to anoint his successor, he knows that his
creation - despite having improved a lot - is far from electrifying." The
columnist adds: "Her speech was long and still monotone, leaving
supporters in a soporific state." "While Dilma spoke," Cruz notes, "Lula
chatted with his wife Marisa Leticia; he went as far as yawning."
According to Cruz, "Dilma's tiresome tone will get some airs of
enthusiasm" for political advertising to be broadcast on TV and radio
"thanks to some good editi ng." (Sao Paulo Folha de Sao Paulo Online in
Portuguese - Website of generally critical of the government,
top-circulation newspaper; URL: http:www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp) Serra
Launches Campaign With Attacks on 'Neocorrupt' Politicians
- Julia Duailibi, Luciana Nunes Leal, Christiane Samarco, and Tiago Decimo
report in Sao Paulo O Estado de Sao Paulo that Brazilian Social Democracy
Party (PSDB) presidential candidate Jose Serra launched his quest for
Planalto Palace at his party's national convention in Salvador (Bahia
State) with criticism of what he called "neocorrupt" politicians respon
sible for the politicization of government regulatory agencies and
"squadrons of militants paid with public monies." (OSC is translating this
item as LAP20100615032001) Serra sports Brazilian national soccer team
jersey at PSDB convention in Salvador (O Estado, 13 Jun)
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46) Back to Top
Pan-Arab Editor Argues Iran's Missed Opportunities Jeopardizes Regional
Editorial by Ghassan Sharbil: "The Year of Wasted Opportunities" -
Al-Hayah Online
Tuesday June 15, 2010 13:59:12 GMT
(Description of Source: London Al-Hayah Online in English -- Website of
influential Saudi-owned London pan-Arab daily.URL:
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holder.Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
47) Back to Top
Gul Says Turkey Has Road Map for Ties With Israel, Declines To Elaborate
"GUL SAYS TURKEY HAS A ROAD MAP FOR RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL" -- AA headline
- Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 16:44:32 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited. Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
48) Back to Top
Turkey's Erdogan Addresses Parliament Faction on Ties With US, Mideast
BY EQUATING TURKEY WITH OTHER COUNTRIES'" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 15:04:09 GMT
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israel made a very
serious mistake by equating Turkey with other countries.Erdogan said at
the parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development (AK) Party,
"Israel attacked the six-ship flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian
aid to Gaza on May 31 by expecting that its state terror, unlawfulness and
piracy in the region would be tolerated, ignored and forgotten once again.
But Israel made a very serious mistake by equating Turkey with other
countries. It is paying for it now and will continue to pay.""In the same
period, the United Nations Security Council decided to impose a new round
of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Turkey, toget her with
Brazil, voted against the resolution to defend a diplomatic solution," he
said."U.S. President Barack Obama sent letters to me and to President Luiz
Lula de Silva of Brazil. We signed the Tehran Agreement based on the
content of those letters. We said that the problem should be resolved
diplomatically since our region is tired of wars and clashes. We all saw
what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of people
died. Hundreds of thousands of others lost their beloved ones. They talk
about democracy. Then, they carry out anti-democratic actions," he
said."Recently, there has been a defaming campaign against Turkey's axis.
Turkey's axis did not change just because it signed the Tehran Agreement.
Actually, it was your axis which has changed," he said.
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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49) Back to Top
Turkish Foreign Minister Meets With Norwegian President, Foreign Minister
FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN OSLO" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 15:29:35 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
50) Back to Top
Turkish Energy Minister Cites Problems on Nuclear Accord With South Korea
MINISTER" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 18:16:36 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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51) Back to Top
Turkish President Delivers Toast at Banquet Hosted by South Korean
"TURKISH PRESIDENT IN SOUTH KOREA&quo t; -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 14:30:42 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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52) Back to Top
Turkish Foreign Minister Denies Ankara's Disinterest in Central Asia
ASIA" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 14:14:27 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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53) Back to Top
Turkey's Citizens Evacuated From Rebellious Southern Kyrgyzstan -
Tuesday June 15, 2010 09:23:21 GMT
ANKARA, June 15 (Itar-Tass) -- Over 150 Turkey citizens were evacuated
from rebellious Kyrgyzstan to Istanbul by plane, Turkey's TV said on
Tuesday.On Monday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry made the decision to organise
the evacuation.The plane that took Turkish citizens had brought some 15
tonnes of medications and food products to Kyrgyzstan.The second plane to
evacuate the remaining citi zens is expected to come to Kyrgyzstan on
Wednesday, CNN Turk said.Initially, the plane was planned to take Turks
from Osh and Jalal-Abad.Many Turkey's citizens have left the southern
regions and stay in Bishkek.On Tuesday morning, a freighter of the Turkish
Red Crescent Society left for Osh to deliver medicines, food products,
kitchen sets and blankets.(Description of Source: Moscow ITAR-TASS in
English -- Main government information agency)
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Turkish Red Crescent Sends Aid to Kyrgyzstan
"TURKISH RED CRESCENT SENDS AID TO KYRGYZSTAN" -- AA headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 08 :42:41 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited.Permission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder.Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of
55) Back to Top
Turks Evacuated From Kyrgyzstan Arrive in Istanbul
headline - Anatolia
Tuesday June 15, 2010 10:27:31 GMT
(Description of Source: Ankara Anatolia in English -- Semi-official news
agency; independent in content)
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source cited. Perm ission for use must be obtained from the copyright
holder. Inquiries regarding use may be directed to NTIS, US Dept. of