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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 33, 4 September 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
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HEADLINES:
* NO LETUP IN ELECTION CONTROVERSY
* CLERICAL BODY HOLDS FINAL MEETING BEFORE ELECTION
* SUPREME COURT CONFIRMS DEATH PENALTY FOR AHVAZ BOMBERS
* SCORE OF SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN ISFAHAN ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE
* LEGISLATOR CRITICIZES SUPPRESSION OF STRIKING WORKERS
* EDITOR RECEIVES PRISON SENTENCE, WHILE MANAGER IS ACQUITTED
* AUTHORITIES CLAMP DOWN ON STUDENTS
* FREED INTELLECTUAL CONFESSES
* SIGNATURE DRIVE TARGETS GENDER DISCRIMINATION
* NUCLEAR CRISIS LIKELY TO DOMINATE ANNAN VISIT
* AHMADINEJAD CHALLENGES U.S. COUNTERPART TO DEBATE
* IRAN TESTS SUBMERGED-LAUNCH MISSILE DURING WAR GAMES
******************************************** ****************
NO LETUP IN ELECTION CONTROVERSY. The annual celebration of
"Government Week" on August 24-30 was an opportunity for the
administration to tell Iranians how much it has done for them in the
past year -- and how much better off they will be in the coming year.
But as the week unfolded, the date was pushed back for
upcoming elections to municipal councils and the powerful Assembly of
Experts -- along with four parliamentary by-elections. And a dispute
is brewing over regulations for all national and local elections.
Interior Minister Hojatoleslam Mustafa Purmohammadi recently
confirmed that all the slated elections would be held on December 15
(Azar 24 on the Iranian calendar). The elections were previously
scheduled for November.
Elections for the Assembly -- an 86-member body of clerics
tasked with supervising the Supreme Leader's performance -- take
place every eight years; the last elections were in October 1998.
Municipal council elections take place every four years, and the last
ones took place in February 2003.
Purmohammadi said officials will be ready, and he expressed
the "hope that they will be held in a healthy atmosphere [of] serious
competition," Isfahan provincial television reported on August 25. He
also encouraged "large-scale participation by the people."
The timing of the elections is especially relevant for the
political parties as it affects campaigning. Some of the secular
parties -- like the Islamic Iran Participation Front -- do not intend
to field candidates for the Assembly of Experts, the 86-member group
of clerics that supervises Iran's supreme leader.
But the municipal-council elections are a different matter.
Party leaders recognize that the outcome of big-city contests could
significantly affect national politics. Indeed, the officials who
currently lead Iran gained their first electoral victories in 2003
council elections, and they followed up by dominating February 2004
parliamentary elections.
Enter The Basij
The Interior Ministry submitted a comprehensive election bill
at the end of July that is likely to affect these elections if it
passes the pro-government parliament. The bill would change the rules
for vetting candidates and is in many aspects controversial -- not
least in its aim of involving a reserve-like arm of the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in key steps in the electoral process.
Under current regulations, information on prospective
candidates has been provided by the election registrar, the Ministry
of Intelligence and Security, the police, and the judiciary. The new
bill proposes that the IRGC's paramilitary force, the Basij,
evaluate the information before sending it on to the committees that
supervise and run elections.
Official involvement of the Basij in elections is
controversial. There were accusations after the 2005 presidential
elections that the Basij had acted on behalf of current President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Critics suggested that because the Basij was
acting like a political party, it should change its official status
accordingly. The mobilization of the IRGC on behalf of certain
candidates also upset some observers.
When asked about the proposed role of the Basij in upcoming
elections, former Interior Minister Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari compared
it to "handing over elections to the armed forces" and filtering out
would-be candidates "who are not approved by certain political
groups," "Etemad" reported on July 29. The ex-minister noted that
military involvement in elections is illegal and contradicts the
wishes of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,
"Kargozaran" reported on July 30.
A member of the Executive of Construction party, Hussein
Marashi, warned that involving the Basij in elections was unlikely to
increase voter turnout, "Kargozaran" reported on July 30. Instead, he
advocated a greater role for political parties.
Morteza Moballeq, who was deputy interior minister for
political affairs in the reformist administration of President
Mohammad Khatami, said recently that the law makes no mention of any
Basij investigation of candidates for elected office, "Mardom Salari"
reported on August 23.
Guardians Council Supervision
Article 99 of Iran's constitution prescribes that the
Guardians Council supervises all but municipal-council elections. In
that capacity, it vets candidates and can even overturn election
results. In the past, the duty of supervising municipal-council
elections has fallen to parliament, and candidates have been vetted
locally. But under the proposed legislation, the Guardians Council
would supervise all elections -- handing it unprecedented power to
vet even municipal candidates.
A lawmaker from Bojnurd in the northeast, Ismail
Gerami-Moghaddam, has noted that significant problem with the
existing rules. He calls the fact that "members of the Guardians
Council are both candidates [for the Assembly of Experts] and
supervisors...contrary to democratic logic and to people's rule
of an Islamic kind," "Etemad" reported on August 13. Gerami-Moghaddam
recommends the involvement of religious scholars in judging the
suitability of candidates for the Assembly of Experts.
Gerami-Moghaddam adds that a former parliamentary speaker,
Hojatoleslam Mehdi Karrubi, has written a letter to the Assembly of
Experts chairman, Ayatollah Ali Meshkini, on the same topic. The
former speaker argues that handing that vetting process to religious
scholars would comply with the constitution and fulfill the wishes of
the late Ayatollah Khomeini.
The ex-speaker's letter was discussed in a number of
national newspapers on August 27. He reportedly urged the Assembly of
Experts to create a committee of its own members to supervise the
election, rather than allowing the Guardians Council to do it. He
argues that the change would eliminate fears that the Guardians
Council is limiting people's rights or violating the
constitution.
New Qualifications For President
The proposed election bill would also introduce new
qualifications for presidential aspirants. Those requirements would
be educational and formal, but would also include litmus tests on
contentious and potentially vague issues like support for religion,
morality, and Iranian independence. They would also impose
endorsement requirements from senior politicians, civil servants, and
academics.
The proposed qualifications represent a considerable
expansion on current constitutional restrictions.
New requirements include at least a master's degree,
familiarity with national and international issues and Iran's
defense policies, and support of the constitution. Candidates would
also have to support the propagation of religion, morality, and
justice, and believe in Iran's independence. Other qualifications
would include the ability to administer national affairs and to
coordinate different agencies, as well as having a program for
national political, economic, and cultural affairs.
Prospective presidential candidates must be endorsed by 50
parliamentarians from 20 different provinces and 20 Assembly of
Experts members from 10 different provinces. Moreover, endorsements
are required from ten judges, 50 people who have served as deputy
ministers or in equivalent administrative posts, and 100 members of
academic faculties.
Article 115 of the constitution already identifies
qualifications for presidential candidates. One must be of Iranian
origin and have Iranian nationality, must be a resourceful
administrator, must have a good record, must be trustworthy and
pious, and must believe in the Islamic republic system and its
fundamental principles. The president must be a religious-political
individual (rejal-i mazhabi-siasi).
Many observers criticized this aspect of the election bill. A
senior member of the centrist Executives of Construction Party,
Hedayat Aqai, says future elections would be "meaningless" because
the bill ensures that the group already in power continues to get
elected, "Kargozaran" reported on July 30. Hedayat Aqai says "the
blueprint for conditions for candidates is to make presidential
elections, and even council elections, more like Assembly of Experts
elections." He warns that the changes would mean "a specific group of
people enters a circle and the same circle keeps getting elected."
Legislator Ismail Gerami-Moghaddam argues there is no need to
restate candidate qualifications, since they are already outlined in
the constitution, "Etemad-i Melli" reported on July 30. He says the
proposal would restrict the public's right to choose and increase
government influence over the outcome of elections, "Aftab-i Yazd"
reported on July 30.
A leader of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Party,
Jalal Jalalizadeh, says the bill is backed by the same faction that
currently backs the executive branch, and this faction seeks
political homogeneity, "Mardom Salari" reported on August 1. He
cautions that passage of the bill would eliminate many competitors
"and says that, in the long term, the president [would] be appointed
instead of being elected."
An unattributed report on August 3 in the reformist "Etemad"
daily summarizes the reformists' objection to the bill. They
reportedly think it would prove impossible for the reformist minority
to gain the approval of the required 50 legislators or 20 members of
the Assembly of Experts. They also express concern that a president
who has sought and gained the endorsement of so many people might be
indebted to those same elements.
One aspect of the proposed election bill that appears to have
won grudging approval is council and parliamentary candidates'
obligation to put down a deposit. The deposit would be returned to
parliamentary candidates who garner 5 percent of the vote and council
candidates who receive 2 percent. The proceeds from failed candidates
would go toward defraying election costs. Most observers agree that
this would limit the number of people who register on a whim, thereby
reducing government expenses.
The bill also proposes a minimum voting age of 18 years. The
current voting age is 15. It also proposes an end to extensions of
polling hours, noting that people flood the polling places shortly
before the scheduled closure because they know extensions will be
forthcoming.
The Bill's Defenders
Not everyone opposes the proposed election bill, particularly
the officials most closely involved with its creation. Deputy
Interior Minister for Political Affairs Ali Jannati insists that
every aspect of the bill is based on the constitution, "Sharq"
reported on August 15. He adds that requiring endorsements for
candidates would be unnecessary if Iran had a strong party system.
But under the current circumstances, he says it is "more necessary to
have the confirmation and approval of the members of the elite."
Jannati also emphasizes that the Basij's function in
vetting candidates would not be the same as that of the other
institutions involved in the process. He points out that the
Guardians Council already gets its information from multiple sources,
and it is authorized to supervise elections in any way it sees fit.
His argument is that the Basij can ensure that reports about
candidates get to the authorities. Jannati claims that the
Basij's "huge and pervasive popular base in society, and its
members'... [presence] in all social groups and strata in the
country" make it the right group for this "important task."
Jannati also makes the point that the election bill is not
yet finalized, "Etemad" reported on August 20. He cites "comments of
parties and elites and experts" that highlight "13 problems with the
bill, many of which have an answer." Jannati vows to "resolve
acceptable flaws at the next stage" in the legislation process.
Former parliamentary speaker Hojatoleslam Ali-Akbar
Nateq-Nuri says the bill is correct in forcing candidates to earn
endorsements to avoid frivolous candidacies, "Etemad-i Melli"
reported on August 23. Nateq-Nuri argues that "any proposal that can
lead to a set of conditions which will prevent just about everyone
from standing as election candidates and wasting time and money is a
useful proposal."
The election proposal has been the topic of considerable
commentary since its introduction in July. And while influential
cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami avoided the topic during an August
25 sermon in Tehran, he stressed that Iran's unnamed "enemy" was
trying to create a gap between the people and the government, state
radio reported. "They have continuously failed," Khatami said, adding
that "our dear people believe that the government belongs to them."
The proposed election bill's limitations on public
participation in elections -- as voters and as candidates -- threaten
to reduce that sense of ownership. Voter turnout will signal the
extent to which Iranians truly feel like stakeholders in their
government. (Bill Samii)
CLERICAL BODY HOLDS FINAL MEETING BEFORE ELECTION. The Assembly of
Experts began a two-day meeting in Tehran on August 29, the Islamic
Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. It was to be the assembly's
last meeting before the December 15 elections; the last elections
took place in October 1998. All members of the 86-member assembly are
male clerics, and the body is tasked with monitoring the performance
of the country's supreme leader. It also selects his successor.
In his opening speech to the assembly, Chairman Ayatollah Ali
Meshkini hailed Lebanese Hizballah's performance against the
Israeli military in their July-August conflict.
The assembly concluded its semi-annual meeting on August 30;
the communique it issued afterward urged Iranians to refrain from
acts that would disturb the country's unity, IRNA reported. The
communique also emphasized the perceived right to use nuclear
technology, and it addressed the recent conflict in Lebanon. "The
victory of the Lebanese nation and the champion Hezbollah in their
combat against the armed-to-teeth Zionists and their arrogant
supporters, led by the expansionist, warmonger U.S. regime, once more
proved the righteousness of the great late Leader of the Islamic
Revolution, Imam Khomeini (PBUH [peace be upon Him])," it said.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met on August 31 in
Tehran with members of the Assembly of Experts, IRNA reported.
Khamenei praised the knowledge and insight of the members, and,
noting the upcoming elections for the Assembly of Experts, urged
qualified people to sign up as candidates. Khamenei said it is a
"religious obligation" for "learned figures" to enter the contest.
(Bill Samii)
SUPREME COURT CONFIRMS DEATH PENALTY FOR AHVAZ BOMBERS. Minister of
Intelligence and Security Hojatoleslam Gholam Hussein Mohseni-Ejei
announced on August 26 that Iran's Supreme Court has approved the
death penalty for six people sentenced in connection with bombings in
the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Fars News Agency reported (see
"RFE/RL Iran Report," August 1, 2006). Mohseni-Ejei said the Supreme
Court will consider the cases of 10 other people sentenced to death
for their involvement in the Ahvaz bombings, and he added that all
the people involved in these incidents have been arrested and
sentenced. "We intend to raise the level of our intelligence
gathering with better efficiency and vigilance," he said before
advising people who "cooperate with foreign agents and are trying to
cause insecurity in Iran" to cease their activities and seek pardons.
(Bill Samii)
SCORE OF SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN ISFAHAN ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE. Isfahan
security personnel have arrested more than 20 people who were
allegedly behind a pyramid scheme, provincial television reported on
August 26. A local security official identified as Major Husseinzadeh
said that 140,000 provincial residents have lost money to such
schemes. "Such companies use psychological and scientific tactics and
produce misleading advertisements which cause enormous economic
problems for families," he said. (Bill Samii)
LEGISLATOR CRITICIZES SUPPRESSION OF STRIKING WORKERS. Sanandaj
parliamentary representative Amin Shabani criticized local police on
August 27 for their violent suppression of a protest by striking
workers at the Par-Ris textile factory, the Iranian Labor News Agency
(ILNA) reported. Shabani said workers at textile plants and other
factories in Kurdistan Province endure difficult conditions, and
thousands of them face joblessness. Unemployment in the province is
25 percent, short-term job-creation programs have not begun, and
banks are not lending money to those who want to start businesses,
Shabani added. He called the government's privatization program
haphazard. Shabani said workers at two factories (Divandareh Lime
Plant and Kurdistan Textiles) that belong to the parastatal Oppressed
and Disabled Foundation also are facing difficulties.
Earlier in the day, ILNA reported that 57 Par-Ris workers
went on strike on August 19. Labor representative Behzad Sohrabi said
management has been unable to fulfill state-imposed wage hikes and
has chosen to sack workers, and it also has hired temporary workers.
Sohrabi said the workers demand salaries of 60,000 rials ($6.80) a
day. (Bill Samii)
EDITOR RECEIVES PRISON SENTENCE, WHILE MANAGER IS ACQUITTED. Issa
Saharkhiz, managing editor of "Aftab" monthly, was sentenced to four
years in jail by the Tehran Public Court on August 28 and barred from
press-related activities for five years, the Iranian Students News
Agency (ISNA) reported. The licenses of "Aftab" and "Akhbar-i
Eqtesadi" were also revoked. Saharkhiz was found guilty of publishing
articles against the constitution and of propagandizing against the
Islamic republic's political system. He also was found guilty of
libel and publishing lies against the state broadcasting agency.
Saharkhiz told Reuters he will not appeal the sentence because he
does not think the judiciary is independent.
Also on August 28, the managing director of "Iran" was found
not guilty of insulting the country's Azeri minority, Reuters
reported. "Iran" belongs to the official Islamic Republic News Agency
(IRNA), and its late-May publication of a cartoon of an
Azeri-speaking cockroach led to riots. "I accept that we were not
careful enough in publishing that cartoon, but undoubtedly we did not
mean to insult our Azeri-speaking compatriots," Gholam Hussein
Islamifard said. The cartoonist -- Mana Neyestani -- is awaiting
trial. (Bill Samii)
AUTHORITIES CLAMP DOWN ON STUDENTS. Judiciary spokesman Jamal
Karimirad said on August 29 that student activist Ahmad Batebi was
arrested again on July 29 so he can complete a sentence at Evin
prison relating to his actions during July 1999 student unrest in
Tehran, the Aftab website reported. Karimirad said Batebi's
prison leave has ended.
In a letter to the "sources of emulation" and other leading
clerics, Batebi's father has asked for help in securing his
son's freedom, Radio Farda reported. Baqer Batebi told Radio
Farda on August 29: "We are Muslims and we have a source of
emulation; I should be able to live at peace in a Muslim nation and I
have asked these senior figures for help." He continued: "I am an
Iranian and I have a right to breathe in this country." Batebi wrote
in his letter that if he does not get help in this way his only
choice will be to turn to foreign human rights organizations.
Radio Farda reported that two former student activists from
Kermanshah -- Omran Parandakht and Alireza Moradi -- were imprisoned
during the previous week. Three other student activists -- Jamal
Zaherpur, Abolfazl Jahandar, and Kheirollah Derakhshandi -- were
arrested in the last few days, Advarnews website reported on August
29. (Bill Samii)
FREED INTELLECTUAL CONFESSES. The Iranian prison organization
confirmed on August 30 that intellectual Ramin Jahanbegloo has been
released, Radio Farda reported. He was arrested in late April on
espionage charges and was later accused of trying to bring about a
nonviolent, Velvet-type revolution in Iran.
Human rights activist Abdul Karim Lahiji told Radio Farda
that the regime's new strategy focuses on discouraging young
people's pursuit of their civil rights. The arrest of
Jahanbegloo, as well as of Mansur Osanlu of the bus drivers'
syndicate and attorney Abdolfattah Soltani, should be seen in this
context, he said. Lahiji said the security forces do not recognize
any limits when they build cases against the Iranian people.
One day after his release from prison, Jahanbegloo
voluntarily turned up at the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) and
gave an interview on his confinement, Radio Farda reported on August
31. Jahanbegloo said that he was not subjected to physical or mental
pressure during the four months he was held in the Ministry of
Intelligence and Security section of Evin prison.
Radio Farda quoted ISNA, which cited Jahanbegloo as saing
that when he had a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy
in Washington, he became acquainted with a former official in the
administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton who was associated with
the German Marshall Fund. This person allegedly encouraged
Jahanbegloo to conduct a study of East European intellectuals'
role in strengthening civil-society organizations and overthrowing
the communist regimes, and then examining how Iranian intellectuals
and nongovernmental groups could empower themselves. He said it was
in connection with this research and the alleged promotion of a
Czechoslovak-style "velvet revolution" that he was arrested.
Jahanbegloo -- who speaks five languages and earned a
doctorate at the Sorbonne -- also questioned his opportunities in
Iran, noting that the head of philosophy department at Shahid
Beheshti University does not even have a doctorate. Jahanbegloo said
this is why he pursues overseas fellowships and conducts research in
other countries. (Bill Samii)
SIGNATURE DRIVE TARGETS GENDER DISCRIMINATION. Activists in Iran have
started a petition drive calling for changes to laws that
discriminate against women. Organizers hope to attract the signature
of 1 million Iranians -- a challenge that they say public officials
could not ignore. Authorities blocked the gathering at which the
launch was supposed to take place on August 27 on a technicality. But
women's rights defenders are collecting signatures and vowing to
broaden their campaign nevertheless.
This campaign is just the latest move by women's rights
activists who argue that Iran can be Islamic and nondiscriminatory at
the same time.
Police violently dispersed a public protest two months ago
aimed at raising awareness of gender discrimination. One of the
demonstrators involved in that event -- former reformist lawmaker and
student rights activist, Ali-Akbar Musavi Khoeni -- remains in
custody.
This new initiative is aimed at pressuring lawmakers.
Organizers want to demonstrate that many Iranian citizens -- women
and men -- are unhappy with laws that treat women as second-class
citizens.
Islamic laws as applied in Iran deny women equal rights in
divorce, child custody, inheritance, and other areas.
A woman's testimony in court is worth half that of a man,
and a woman needs the permission of her father or husband to travel.
Testing Public Support
Activist Golnaz Maleki told Radio Farda that the demand that
discriminatory laws be amended has broader support than just
women's rights defenders.
"One million signatures can at least demonstrate that our
demands are not only the demands of 4,000 or 5,000 people who go to
various gatherings, are beaten up, and then go home," Maleki said.
"There is wide support for these demands."
Campaigners also argue that Iranian legislation lags behind
cultural norms and women's status in society. In Iran, more than
60 percent of university entrants are women. Iranian women actively
participate in many spheres, including in the education and NGO
sectors.
Activists believe the legal discrimination against women
negatively affects the lives of men. They say it has led to what they
describe as an unbalanced and unhealthy relationship between men and
women.
Maleki said she and other organizers hope to raise public
awareness about women's rights and create dialogue and
cooperation among different groups.
"Our main goal is to create a dialogue among citizens and
educate them about their rights," Maleki said. "And we also want
women to become sensitive to their status under the law and in
society. We also want to create a collective morale among women and
encourage collaboration."
Multi-Pronged Effort
Another campaign member, Farnaz Sayfi, told Radio Farda that
the campaign will employ a number of methods to achieve its goals.
"The main method is based on the face-to-face method --
signatures will be gathered through door-to-door contact and
conversations with women," Sayfi said. "Another method is identifying
places where women gather -- for example, in hair salons, sport
clubs, parks, on public transportation. Campaign members will go to
these places and talk to women. Another method is organizing seminars
and meetings that promote dialogue; in these places, signatures will
be collected from participants."
Activists insist that collecting signatures against
discriminatory laws is only "the first phase" of the campaign. They
say the next phase includes proposing new laws.
Maleki said the current campaign is modeled on a similar
effort that was launched in Morocco in 1992 and led to changes in the
law.
But she said she suspects that campaigners in Iran have a
more difficult task ahead of them than their colleagues in Morocco.
"[Collecting] 1 million signatures is in fact one of the
goals -- we've set June 19, 2007, as the deadline," Maleki said.
"But I'm personally not very hopeful that, by that day, 1 million
signatures will have been collected. From what I know from Morocco,
[Moroccan activists] collected 1 million signatures in three years.
[But] they had different conditions -- their king [supported them],
and they had a volunteer force of 9,000."
Authorities prevented the event on August 27 at which the
campaign was supposed to kick off -- a seminar on "the Impact of laws
on women's rights." But organizers began collecting signatures
from those who turned up nevertheless.
Campaigners have also launched a website to further their
cause, called we-change.org.
Several prominent intellectuals, lawyers, and literary
figures have publicly backed the campaign, including Nobel Peace
Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, poet Simin Behbehani, and film director
Jafar Panahi. (By RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari; Radio
Farda broadcaster Parnaz Azima contributed to this report.)
NUCLEAR CRISIS LIKELY TO DOMINATE ANNAN VISIT. United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Iran during his
current Middle East tour to promote peace. Iran is currently involved
in several issues of considerable international significance,
including the war in Lebanon and Iranian weapons reaching Hizballah.
The other outstanding international issue that involves Iran at the
moment is its nuclear program, which is likely to be the focus of
Annan's talks in Tehran.
Tehran made it abundantly clear before the UN Security
Council's August 31 deadline that it had no intention of
complying with the demand for a nuclear suspension. Supreme National
Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani responded last week to an
international proposal meant to resolve the current crisis with a
counterproposal that included a willingness to have further talks but
a refusal to suspend enrichment-related activities.
If Iranian officials' remarks were not clear enough,
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a heavy-water production
facility in Arak on August 26. The International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) governing board had urged Iran to reconsider building a
heavy-water reactor in early February, and a later report from the
IAEA called on Iran to halt plans to build a heavy-water reactor. The
facility engenders concern because it is easier to extract bomb-grade
plutonium from fuel rods used in a heavy-water reactor than from a
light-water reactor.
IAEA Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei delivered his
confidential report on August 31 on the Iranian nuclear program to
members of the nuclear watchdog's governing board, the IAEA
website reported. The report notes that Iran has provided the IAEA
with access to nuclear materials and facilities but denied access to
its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz, according to leaked copies
obtained by Reuters and dpa.
El-Baradei reportedly says Iran has been insufficiently
transparent or cooperative on some subjects -- for example,
inspectors were allowed to take notes on a document about uranium
metal but Iranian officials then confiscated the notes. The report
adds that Iran will begin operating another 164-centrifuge cascade
for enriching uranium in September. Cameras are in place to monitor
the cascade, but Tehran reportedly has not granted permission for
their operation. "Iran has not suspended its enrichment related
activities; nor has Iran acted in accordance with the provisions of
the Additional Protocol," the report adds.
Tehran's Position
Amid concerns that Iran's nuclear program has military
applications, UN Security Council Resolution 1696 demands that Iran
cease the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. Iranian officials
have consistently denied that their nuclear program has military
applications. Larijani said during an August 29 briefing in Tehran
that Iran is willing to provide guarantees that its nuclear program
is purely civilian in nature. He claimed that these guarantees will
demonstrate that no aspect of the program is being diverted for
military use. Larijani also complained that some countries simply do
not want Iran to have access to nuclear power.
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization official Mohammad Saidi
said when the Arak facility was inaugurated that heavy-water reactors
are used for electricity production and for agricultural, medical,
and other forms of research.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said during an August 30 meeting
in Tehran with Felipe Gonzales, the former prime minister of Spain,
that some Western countries are discriminating against Iran's
possession of a nuclear program, state television reported.
Ahmadinejad went on to dismiss the possible imposition of
sanctions, saying, "Sanctions cannot dissuade the Iranian nation from
its decision to pursue the heights of honor and progress; therefore,
it is better for the European countries to be independent in their
decisions and to settle issues through negotiations."
Tehran reacted similarly after U.S. Ambassador to the UN John
Bolton mentioned the possibility of unilaterally imposed sanctions on
August 26. Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hussein Elham
countered that "[these] remarks show that such officials are not
competent to be members of the UN and the Security Council," IRNA
reported.
The Atomic Energy Organization's Saidi suggested on
August 31 that the latest IAEA report on Iran shows that the country
is cooperating fully, IRNA reported. He also said Resolution
1696's demand that the country cease aspects of the nuclear fuel
cycle contravene the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). "There is
no justification in terms of international law and NPT regulations to
stop the fuel cycle when all Iranian nuclear sites are under
supervision of the IAEA," Saidi said.
Disagreements Persist
Under such circumstances, it would seem that there is little
room left for diplomacy or for Secretary-General Annan's calming
influence. But there is disunity in the UN, as Security Council
members disagree on how to proceed. Moscow and Beijing are likely to
oppose the imposition of sanctions against Iran, in part because they
fear the damage to their financial and economic interests.
Geopolitically, too, they see themselves as Washington's
competitors for global influence.
U.S. officials have suggested the White House wants economic
sanctions to be imposed following the expiration of the Security
Council deadline. They have also suggested that they might be willing
to act unilaterally -- in the form of sanctions -- other if other
countries are unwilling to act. U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton
reminded reporters on August 30 of the approaching deadline for Iran
to suspend its nuclear activities, RFE/RL reported. "We've said
repeatedly that we expect that no later than August 31, pursuant to
Security Council Resolution 1696, that the Iranians will suspend all
uranium enrichment-related activity," he said. Bolton added that the
five permanent members of the Security Council, plus Germany, will
seek the imposition of sanctions if Tehran does not meet the
deadline.
Bolton told reporters in New York on August 31 that
Iran's behavior as described on the public record shows that the
country seeks nuclear weapons, RFE/RL reported. "There is simply no
explanation for the range of Iranian behavior, which we've seen
over the years, other than that they are pursuing a weapons
capability," Bolton said. As for the meaning of the IAEA report,
Bolton said, "The report makes clear that not only has Iran not
suspended uranium enrichment activities as required by Resolution
1696, it is accelerating them."
Speaking on August 31 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Salt
Lake City, Utah, President George W. Bush also addressed the nuclear
issue, whitehouse.gov reported. "It is time for Iran to make a
choice," Bush said. "There must be consequences for Iran's
defiance, and we must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon."
But a well-connected "Washington Times" reporter and analyst,
Bill Getz, has claimed there is disunity within the U.S. government,
too. He wrote that the State Department, White House, and Pentagon
disagree on how much leeway to give Iran.
Gertz wrote that there is pressure on Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice from within her State Department -- the report names
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns -- to
concur with a British, French, and German plan to send EU
foreign-policy representative Javier Solana to make another pitch to
Iranian officials. "The Washington Times" report also says officials
within Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office and the office
of Vice President Dick Cheney oppose further concessions to Iran.
If this is the case, UN Secretary-General Annan may try to
persuade Tehran to go along with Solana's pitch before it is too
late. (Bill Samii)
AHMADINEJAD CHALLENGES U.S. COUNTERPART TO DEBATE. President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad on August 29challenged U.S. President George Bush to
debate him, state television reported. "I propose holding a live,
televised debate with Mr. Bush, the U.S. president, so that we talk
about world's issues and ways to solve the world's problems,"
Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran. "We will announce
our views and they would do the same, but under the condition that it
will not be censored, especially for the American people."
This appears to be Ahmadinejad's second attempt to
communicate directly with the American people; the first was his
mid-August interview with CBS television's "60 Minutes."
Ahmadinejad tried to communicate directly with Bush in May, when he
sent him a lengthy letter that addressed issues ranging from theology
to Iraq and Israel.
In the more recent case, however, Ahmadinejad made it clear
that he is not calling for bilateral talks. "We will negotiate with
those who scowl upon our nation every day under different
conditions," he said according to state television. "If the
conditions are met, then why not [hold talks with the U.S.]?"
Ahmadinejad said at the August 29 press conference that
Israel is the cause of violence in the region, state television
reported. "The Zionist regime has deprived the Palestinian and other
nations in the region of the chance of living in peace," he said. He
added, "During 60 years, the Zionist regime has imposed tens of wars
on neighboring countries, the last one of which was the savage
invasion of Lebanon." (Bill Samii)
IRAN TESTS SUBMERGED-LAUNCH MISSILE DURING WAR GAMES. A Saqeb missile
was fired from a submerged Iranian submarine on August 27, state
television reported. The test took place during the Zarbat-i Zolfaqar
war games that began one week ago. The missile reportedly can be
fired from surface units as well. Iranian navy Admiral Sajjad Kuchaki
described the missile's characteristics: "It is a long-range
missile. It is smart. It makes a very small impact on radar and can
avoid radar detection. It has a very high degree of precision and is
very fast, taking the enemy by surprise. The missile has a massive
destructive power." The missile is reportedly manufactured
domestically. Other aspects of the exercises involved maneuvers by
marines (tofangdaran-i daryai) and submarine raids in the Gulf and
Sea of Oman. (Bill Samii)
****************************************** ***************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
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RAD IO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 33, 4 September 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
******************************************** ****************
HEADLINES:
* NO LETUP IN ELECTION CONTROVERSY
* CLERICAL BODY HOLDS FINAL MEETING BEFORE ELECTION
* SUPREME COURT CONFIRMS DEATH PENALTY FOR AHVAZ BOMBERS
* SCORE OF SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN ISFAHAN ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE
* LEGISLATOR CRITICIZES SUPPRESSION OF STRIKING WORKERS
* EDITOR RECEIVES PRISON SENTENCE, WHILE MANAGER IS ACQUITTED
* AUTHORITIES CLAMP DOWN ON STUDENTS
* FREED INTELLECTUAL CONFESSES
* SIGNATURE DRIVE TARGETS GENDER DISCRIMINATION
* NUCLEAR CRISIS LIKELY TO DOMINATE ANNAN VISIT
* AHMADINEJAD CHALLENGES U.S. COUNTERPART TO DEBATE
* IRAN TESTS SUBMERGED-LAUNCH MISSILE DURING WAR GAMES
******************************************** ****************
NO LETUP IN ELECTION CONTROVERSY. The annual celebration of
"Government Week" on August 24-30 was an opportunity for the
administration to tell Iranians how much it has done for them in the
past year -- and how much better off they will be in the coming year.
But as the week unfolded, the date was pushed back for
upcoming elections to municipal councils and the powerful Assembly of
Experts -- along with four parliamentary by-elections. And a dispute
is brewing over regulations for all national and local elections.
Interior Minister Hojatoleslam Mustafa Purmohammadi recently
confirmed that all the slated elections would be held on December 15
(Azar 24 on the Iranian calendar). The elections were previously
scheduled for November.
Elections for the Assembly -- an 86-member body of clerics
tasked with supervising the Supreme Leader's performance -- take
place every eight years; the last elections were in October 1998.
Municipal council elections take place every four years, and the last
ones took place in February 2003.
Purmohammadi said officials will be ready, and he expressed
the "hope that they will be held in a healthy atmosphere [of] serious
competition," Isfahan provincial television reported on August 25. He
also encouraged "large-scale participation by the people."
The timing of the elections is especially relevant for the
political parties as it affects campaigning. Some of the secular
parties -- like the Islamic Iran Participation Front -- do not intend
to field candidates for the Assembly of Experts, the 86-member group
of clerics that supervises Iran's supreme leader.
But the municipal-council elections are a different matter.
Party leaders recognize that the outcome of big-city contests could
significantly affect national politics. Indeed, the officials who
currently lead Iran gained their first electoral victories in 2003
council elections, and they followed up by dominating February 2004
parliamentary elections.
Enter The Basij
The Interior Ministry submitted a comprehensive election bill
at the end of July that is likely to affect these elections if it
passes the pro-government parliament. The bill would change the rules
for vetting candidates and is in many aspects controversial -- not
least in its aim of involving a reserve-like arm of the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in key steps in the electoral process.
Under current regulations, information on prospective
candidates has been provided by the election registrar, the Ministry
of Intelligence and Security, the police, and the judiciary. The new
bill proposes that the IRGC's paramilitary force, the Basij,
evaluate the information before sending it on to the committees that
supervise and run elections.
Official involvement of the Basij in elections is
controversial. There were accusations after the 2005 presidential
elections that the Basij had acted on behalf of current President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Critics suggested that because the Basij was
acting like a political party, it should change its official status
accordingly. The mobilization of the IRGC on behalf of certain
candidates also upset some observers.
When asked about the proposed role of the Basij in upcoming
elections, former Interior Minister Abdolvahed Musavi-Lari compared
it to "handing over elections to the armed forces" and filtering out
would-be candidates "who are not approved by certain political
groups," "Etemad" reported on July 29. The ex-minister noted that
military involvement in elections is illegal and contradicts the
wishes of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,
"Kargozaran" reported on July 30.
A member of the Executive of Construction party, Hussein
Marashi, warned that involving the Basij in elections was unlikely to
increase voter turnout, "Kargozaran" reported on July 30. Instead, he
advocated a greater role for political parties.
Morteza Moballeq, who was deputy interior minister for
political affairs in the reformist administration of President
Mohammad Khatami, said recently that the law makes no mention of any
Basij investigation of candidates for elected office, "Mardom Salari"
reported on August 23.
Guardians Council Supervision
Article 99 of Iran's constitution prescribes that the
Guardians Council supervises all but municipal-council elections. In
that capacity, it vets candidates and can even overturn election
results. In the past, the duty of supervising municipal-council
elections has fallen to parliament, and candidates have been vetted
locally. But under the proposed legislation, the Guardians Council
would supervise all elections -- handing it unprecedented power to
vet even municipal candidates.
A lawmaker from Bojnurd in the northeast, Ismail
Gerami-Moghaddam, has noted that significant problem with the
existing rules. He calls the fact that "members of the Guardians
Council are both candidates [for the Assembly of Experts] and
supervisors...contrary to democratic logic and to people's rule
of an Islamic kind," "Etemad" reported on August 13. Gerami-Moghaddam
recommends the involvement of religious scholars in judging the
suitability of candidates for the Assembly of Experts.
Gerami-Moghaddam adds that a former parliamentary speaker,
Hojatoleslam Mehdi Karrubi, has written a letter to the Assembly of
Experts chairman, Ayatollah Ali Meshkini, on the same topic. The
former speaker argues that handing that vetting process to religious
scholars would comply with the constitution and fulfill the wishes of
the late Ayatollah Khomeini.
The ex-speaker's letter was discussed in a number of
national newspapers on August 27. He reportedly urged the Assembly of
Experts to create a committee of its own members to supervise the
election, rather than allowing the Guardians Council to do it. He
argues that the change would eliminate fears that the Guardians
Council is limiting people's rights or violating the
constitution.
New Qualifications For President
The proposed election bill would also introduce new
qualifications for presidential aspirants. Those requirements would
be educational and formal, but would also include litmus tests on
contentious and potentially vague issues like support for religion,
morality, and Iranian independence. They would also impose
endorsement requirements from senior politicians, civil servants, and
academics.
The proposed qualifications represent a considerable
expansion on current constitutional restrictions.
New requirements include at least a master's degree,
familiarity with national and international issues and Iran's
defense policies, and support of the constitution. Candidates would
also have to support the propagation of religion, morality, and
justice, and believe in Iran's independence. Other qualifications
would include the ability to administer national affairs and to
coordinate different agencies, as well as having a program for
national political, economic, and cultural affairs.
Prospective presidential candidates must be endorsed by 50
parliamentarians from 20 different provinces and 20 Assembly of
Experts members from 10 different provinces. Moreover, endorsements
are required from ten judges, 50 people who have served as deputy
ministers or in equivalent administrative posts, and 100 members of
academic faculties.
Article 115 of the constitution already identifies
qualifications for presidential candidates. One must be of Iranian
origin and have Iranian nationality, must be a resourceful
administrator, must have a good record, must be trustworthy and
pious, and must believe in the Islamic republic system and its
fundamental principles. The president must be a religious-political
individual (rejal-i mazhabi-siasi).
Many observers criticized this aspect of the election bill. A
senior member of the centrist Executives of Construction Party,
Hedayat Aqai, says future elections would be "meaningless" because
the bill ensures that the group already in power continues to get
elected, "Kargozaran" reported on July 30. Hedayat Aqai says "the
blueprint for conditions for candidates is to make presidential
elections, and even council elections, more like Assembly of Experts
elections." He warns that the changes would mean "a specific group of
people enters a circle and the same circle keeps getting elected."
Legislator Ismail Gerami-Moghaddam argues there is no need to
restate candidate qualifications, since they are already outlined in
the constitution, "Etemad-i Melli" reported on July 30. He says the
proposal would restrict the public's right to choose and increase
government influence over the outcome of elections, "Aftab-i Yazd"
reported on July 30.
A leader of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Party,
Jalal Jalalizadeh, says the bill is backed by the same faction that
currently backs the executive branch, and this faction seeks
political homogeneity, "Mardom Salari" reported on August 1. He
cautions that passage of the bill would eliminate many competitors
"and says that, in the long term, the president [would] be appointed
instead of being elected."
An unattributed report on August 3 in the reformist "Etemad"
daily summarizes the reformists' objection to the bill. They
reportedly think it would prove impossible for the reformist minority
to gain the approval of the required 50 legislators or 20 members of
the Assembly of Experts. They also express concern that a president
who has sought and gained the endorsement of so many people might be
indebted to those same elements.
One aspect of the proposed election bill that appears to have
won grudging approval is council and parliamentary candidates'
obligation to put down a deposit. The deposit would be returned to
parliamentary candidates who garner 5 percent of the vote and council
candidates who receive 2 percent. The proceeds from failed candidates
would go toward defraying election costs. Most observers agree that
this would limit the number of people who register on a whim, thereby
reducing government expenses.
The bill also proposes a minimum voting age of 18 years. The
current voting age is 15. It also proposes an end to extensions of
polling hours, noting that people flood the polling places shortly
before the scheduled closure because they know extensions will be
forthcoming.
The Bill's Defenders
Not everyone opposes the proposed election bill, particularly
the officials most closely involved with its creation. Deputy
Interior Minister for Political Affairs Ali Jannati insists that
every aspect of the bill is based on the constitution, "Sharq"
reported on August 15. He adds that requiring endorsements for
candidates would be unnecessary if Iran had a strong party system.
But under the current circumstances, he says it is "more necessary to
have the confirmation and approval of the members of the elite."
Jannati also emphasizes that the Basij's function in
vetting candidates would not be the same as that of the other
institutions involved in the process. He points out that the
Guardians Council already gets its information from multiple sources,
and it is authorized to supervise elections in any way it sees fit.
His argument is that the Basij can ensure that reports about
candidates get to the authorities. Jannati claims that the
Basij's "huge and pervasive popular base in society, and its
members'... [presence] in all social groups and strata in the
country" make it the right group for this "important task."
Jannati also makes the point that the election bill is not
yet finalized, "Etemad" reported on August 20. He cites "comments of
parties and elites and experts" that highlight "13 problems with the
bill, many of which have an answer." Jannati vows to "resolve
acceptable flaws at the next stage" in the legislation process.
Former parliamentary speaker Hojatoleslam Ali-Akbar
Nateq-Nuri says the bill is correct in forcing candidates to earn
endorsements to avoid frivolous candidacies, "Etemad-i Melli"
reported on August 23. Nateq-Nuri argues that "any proposal that can
lead to a set of conditions which will prevent just about everyone
from standing as election candidates and wasting time and money is a
useful proposal."
The election proposal has been the topic of considerable
commentary since its introduction in July. And while influential
cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami avoided the topic during an August
25 sermon in Tehran, he stressed that Iran's unnamed "enemy" was
trying to create a gap between the people and the government, state
radio reported. "They have continuously failed," Khatami said, adding
that "our dear people believe that the government belongs to them."
The proposed election bill's limitations on public
participation in elections -- as voters and as candidates -- threaten
to reduce that sense of ownership. Voter turnout will signal the
extent to which Iranians truly feel like stakeholders in their
government. (Bill Samii)
CLERICAL BODY HOLDS FINAL MEETING BEFORE ELECTION. The Assembly of
Experts began a two-day meeting in Tehran on August 29, the Islamic
Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. It was to be the assembly's
last meeting before the December 15 elections; the last elections
took place in October 1998. All members of the 86-member assembly are
male clerics, and the body is tasked with monitoring the performance
of the country's supreme leader. It also selects his successor.
In his opening speech to the assembly, Chairman Ayatollah Ali
Meshkini hailed Lebanese Hizballah's performance against the
Israeli military in their July-August conflict.
The assembly concluded its semi-annual meeting on August 30;
the communique it issued afterward urged Iranians to refrain from
acts that would disturb the country's unity, IRNA reported. The
communique also emphasized the perceived right to use nuclear
technology, and it addressed the recent conflict in Lebanon. "The
victory of the Lebanese nation and the champion Hezbollah in their
combat against the armed-to-teeth Zionists and their arrogant
supporters, led by the expansionist, warmonger U.S. regime, once more
proved the righteousness of the great late Leader of the Islamic
Revolution, Imam Khomeini (PBUH [peace be upon Him])," it said.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met on August 31 in
Tehran with members of the Assembly of Experts, IRNA reported.
Khamenei praised the knowledge and insight of the members, and,
noting the upcoming elections for the Assembly of Experts, urged
qualified people to sign up as candidates. Khamenei said it is a
"religious obligation" for "learned figures" to enter the contest.
(Bill Samii)
SUPREME COURT CONFIRMS DEATH PENALTY FOR AHVAZ BOMBERS. Minister of
Intelligence and Security Hojatoleslam Gholam Hussein Mohseni-Ejei
announced on August 26 that Iran's Supreme Court has approved the
death penalty for six people sentenced in connection with bombings in
the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Fars News Agency reported (see
"RFE/RL Iran Report," August 1, 2006). Mohseni-Ejei said the Supreme
Court will consider the cases of 10 other people sentenced to death
for their involvement in the Ahvaz bombings, and he added that all
the people involved in these incidents have been arrested and
sentenced. "We intend to raise the level of our intelligence
gathering with better efficiency and vigilance," he said before
advising people who "cooperate with foreign agents and are trying to
cause insecurity in Iran" to cease their activities and seek pardons.
(Bill Samii)
SCORE OF SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN ISFAHAN ANTICORRUPTION DRIVE. Isfahan
security personnel have arrested more than 20 people who were
allegedly behind a pyramid scheme, provincial television reported on
August 26. A local security official identified as Major Husseinzadeh
said that 140,000 provincial residents have lost money to such
schemes. "Such companies use psychological and scientific tactics and
produce misleading advertisements which cause enormous economic
problems for families," he said. (Bill Samii)
LEGISLATOR CRITICIZES SUPPRESSION OF STRIKING WORKERS. Sanandaj
parliamentary representative Amin Shabani criticized local police on
August 27 for their violent suppression of a protest by striking
workers at the Par-Ris textile factory, the Iranian Labor News Agency
(ILNA) reported. Shabani said workers at textile plants and other
factories in Kurdistan Province endure difficult conditions, and
thousands of them face joblessness. Unemployment in the province is
25 percent, short-term job-creation programs have not begun, and
banks are not lending money to those who want to start businesses,
Shabani added. He called the government's privatization program
haphazard. Shabani said workers at two factories (Divandareh Lime
Plant and Kurdistan Textiles) that belong to the parastatal Oppressed
and Disabled Foundation also are facing difficulties.
Earlier in the day, ILNA reported that 57 Par-Ris workers
went on strike on August 19. Labor representative Behzad Sohrabi said
management has been unable to fulfill state-imposed wage hikes and
has chosen to sack workers, and it also has hired temporary workers.
Sohrabi said the workers demand salaries of 60,000 rials ($6.80) a
day. (Bill Samii)
EDITOR RECEIVES PRISON SENTENCE, WHILE MANAGER IS ACQUITTED. Issa
Saharkhiz, managing editor of "Aftab" monthly, was sentenced to four
years in jail by the Tehran Public Court on August 28 and barred from
press-related activities for five years, the Iranian Students News
Agency (ISNA) reported. The licenses of "Aftab" and "Akhbar-i
Eqtesadi" were also revoked. Saharkhiz was found guilty of publishing
articles against the constitution and of propagandizing against the
Islamic republic's political system. He also was found guilty of
libel and publishing lies against the state broadcasting agency.
Saharkhiz told Reuters he will not appeal the sentence because he
does not think the judiciary is independent.
Also on August 28, the managing director of "Iran" was found
not guilty of insulting the country's Azeri minority, Reuters
reported. "Iran" belongs to the official Islamic Republic News Agency
(IRNA), and its late-May publication of a cartoon of an
Azeri-speaking cockroach led to riots. "I accept that we were not
careful enough in publishing that cartoon, but undoubtedly we did not
mean to insult our Azeri-speaking compatriots," Gholam Hussein
Islamifard said. The cartoonist -- Mana Neyestani -- is awaiting
trial. (Bill Samii)
AUTHORITIES CLAMP DOWN ON STUDENTS. Judiciary spokesman Jamal
Karimirad said on August 29 that student activist Ahmad Batebi was
arrested again on July 29 so he can complete a sentence at Evin
prison relating to his actions during July 1999 student unrest in
Tehran, the Aftab website reported. Karimirad said Batebi's
prison leave has ended.
In a letter to the "sources of emulation" and other leading
clerics, Batebi's father has asked for help in securing his
son's freedom, Radio Farda reported. Baqer Batebi told Radio
Farda on August 29: "We are Muslims and we have a source of
emulation; I should be able to live at peace in a Muslim nation and I
have asked these senior figures for help." He continued: "I am an
Iranian and I have a right to breathe in this country." Batebi wrote
in his letter that if he does not get help in this way his only
choice will be to turn to foreign human rights organizations.
Radio Farda reported that two former student activists from
Kermanshah -- Omran Parandakht and Alireza Moradi -- were imprisoned
during the previous week. Three other student activists -- Jamal
Zaherpur, Abolfazl Jahandar, and Kheirollah Derakhshandi -- were
arrested in the last few days, Advarnews website reported on August
29. (Bill Samii)
FREED INTELLECTUAL CONFESSES. The Iranian prison organization
confirmed on August 30 that intellectual Ramin Jahanbegloo has been
released, Radio Farda reported. He was arrested in late April on
espionage charges and was later accused of trying to bring about a
nonviolent, Velvet-type revolution in Iran.
Human rights activist Abdul Karim Lahiji told Radio Farda
that the regime's new strategy focuses on discouraging young
people's pursuit of their civil rights. The arrest of
Jahanbegloo, as well as of Mansur Osanlu of the bus drivers'
syndicate and attorney Abdolfattah Soltani, should be seen in this
context, he said. Lahiji said the security forces do not recognize
any limits when they build cases against the Iranian people.
One day after his release from prison, Jahanbegloo
voluntarily turned up at the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) and
gave an interview on his confinement, Radio Farda reported on August
31. Jahanbegloo said that he was not subjected to physical or mental
pressure during the four months he was held in the Ministry of
Intelligence and Security section of Evin prison.
Radio Farda quoted ISNA, which cited Jahanbegloo as saing
that when he had a fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy
in Washington, he became acquainted with a former official in the
administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton who was associated with
the German Marshall Fund. This person allegedly encouraged
Jahanbegloo to conduct a study of East European intellectuals'
role in strengthening civil-society organizations and overthrowing
the communist regimes, and then examining how Iranian intellectuals
and nongovernmental groups could empower themselves. He said it was
in connection with this research and the alleged promotion of a
Czechoslovak-style "velvet revolution" that he was arrested.
Jahanbegloo -- who speaks five languages and earned a
doctorate at the Sorbonne -- also questioned his opportunities in
Iran, noting that the head of philosophy department at Shahid
Beheshti University does not even have a doctorate. Jahanbegloo said
this is why he pursues overseas fellowships and conducts research in
other countries. (Bill Samii)
SIGNATURE DRIVE TARGETS GENDER DISCRIMINATION. Activists in Iran have
started a petition drive calling for changes to laws that
discriminate against women. Organizers hope to attract the signature
of 1 million Iranians -- a challenge that they say public officials
could not ignore. Authorities blocked the gathering at which the
launch was supposed to take place on August 27 on a technicality. But
women's rights defenders are collecting signatures and vowing to
broaden their campaign nevertheless.
This campaign is just the latest move by women's rights
activists who argue that Iran can be Islamic and nondiscriminatory at
the same time.
Police violently dispersed a public protest two months ago
aimed at raising awareness of gender discrimination. One of the
demonstrators involved in that event -- former reformist lawmaker and
student rights activist, Ali-Akbar Musavi Khoeni -- remains in
custody.
This new initiative is aimed at pressuring lawmakers.
Organizers want to demonstrate that many Iranian citizens -- women
and men -- are unhappy with laws that treat women as second-class
citizens.
Islamic laws as applied in Iran deny women equal rights in
divorce, child custody, inheritance, and other areas.
A woman's testimony in court is worth half that of a man,
and a woman needs the permission of her father or husband to travel.
Testing Public Support
Activist Golnaz Maleki told Radio Farda that the demand that
discriminatory laws be amended has broader support than just
women's rights defenders.
"One million signatures can at least demonstrate that our
demands are not only the demands of 4,000 or 5,000 people who go to
various gatherings, are beaten up, and then go home," Maleki said.
"There is wide support for these demands."
Campaigners also argue that Iranian legislation lags behind
cultural norms and women's status in society. In Iran, more than
60 percent of university entrants are women. Iranian women actively
participate in many spheres, including in the education and NGO
sectors.
Activists believe the legal discrimination against women
negatively affects the lives of men. They say it has led to what they
describe as an unbalanced and unhealthy relationship between men and
women.
Maleki said she and other organizers hope to raise public
awareness about women's rights and create dialogue and
cooperation among different groups.
"Our main goal is to create a dialogue among citizens and
educate them about their rights," Maleki said. "And we also want
women to become sensitive to their status under the law and in
society. We also want to create a collective morale among women and
encourage collaboration."
Multi-Pronged Effort
Another campaign member, Farnaz Sayfi, told Radio Farda that
the campaign will employ a number of methods to achieve its goals.
"The main method is based on the face-to-face method --
signatures will be gathered through door-to-door contact and
conversations with women," Sayfi said. "Another method is identifying
places where women gather -- for example, in hair salons, sport
clubs, parks, on public transportation. Campaign members will go to
these places and talk to women. Another method is organizing seminars
and meetings that promote dialogue; in these places, signatures will
be collected from participants."
Activists insist that collecting signatures against
discriminatory laws is only "the first phase" of the campaign. They
say the next phase includes proposing new laws.
Maleki said the current campaign is modeled on a similar
effort that was launched in Morocco in 1992 and led to changes in the
law.
But she said she suspects that campaigners in Iran have a
more difficult task ahead of them than their colleagues in Morocco.
"[Collecting] 1 million signatures is in fact one of the
goals -- we've set June 19, 2007, as the deadline," Maleki said.
"But I'm personally not very hopeful that, by that day, 1 million
signatures will have been collected. From what I know from Morocco,
[Moroccan activists] collected 1 million signatures in three years.
[But] they had different conditions -- their king [supported them],
and they had a volunteer force of 9,000."
Authorities prevented the event on August 27 at which the
campaign was supposed to kick off -- a seminar on "the Impact of laws
on women's rights." But organizers began collecting signatures
from those who turned up nevertheless.
Campaigners have also launched a website to further their
cause, called we-change.org.
Several prominent intellectuals, lawyers, and literary
figures have publicly backed the campaign, including Nobel Peace
Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, poet Simin Behbehani, and film director
Jafar Panahi. (By RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari; Radio
Farda broadcaster Parnaz Azima contributed to this report.)
NUCLEAR CRISIS LIKELY TO DOMINATE ANNAN VISIT. United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Iran during his
current Middle East tour to promote peace. Iran is currently involved
in several issues of considerable international significance,
including the war in Lebanon and Iranian weapons reaching Hizballah.
The other outstanding international issue that involves Iran at the
moment is its nuclear program, which is likely to be the focus of
Annan's talks in Tehran.
Tehran made it abundantly clear before the UN Security
Council's August 31 deadline that it had no intention of
complying with the demand for a nuclear suspension. Supreme National
Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani responded last week to an
international proposal meant to resolve the current crisis with a
counterproposal that included a willingness to have further talks but
a refusal to suspend enrichment-related activities.
If Iranian officials' remarks were not clear enough,
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a heavy-water production
facility in Arak on August 26. The International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) governing board had urged Iran to reconsider building a
heavy-water reactor in early February, and a later report from the
IAEA called on Iran to halt plans to build a heavy-water reactor. The
facility engenders concern because it is easier to extract bomb-grade
plutonium from fuel rods used in a heavy-water reactor than from a
light-water reactor.
IAEA Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei delivered his
confidential report on August 31 on the Iranian nuclear program to
members of the nuclear watchdog's governing board, the IAEA
website reported. The report notes that Iran has provided the IAEA
with access to nuclear materials and facilities but denied access to
its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz, according to leaked copies
obtained by Reuters and dpa.
El-Baradei reportedly says Iran has been insufficiently
transparent or cooperative on some subjects -- for example,
inspectors were allowed to take notes on a document about uranium
metal but Iranian officials then confiscated the notes. The report
adds that Iran will begin operating another 164-centrifuge cascade
for enriching uranium in September. Cameras are in place to monitor
the cascade, but Tehran reportedly has not granted permission for
their operation. "Iran has not suspended its enrichment related
activities; nor has Iran acted in accordance with the provisions of
the Additional Protocol," the report adds.
Tehran's Position
Amid concerns that Iran's nuclear program has military
applications, UN Security Council Resolution 1696 demands that Iran
cease the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. Iranian officials
have consistently denied that their nuclear program has military
applications. Larijani said during an August 29 briefing in Tehran
that Iran is willing to provide guarantees that its nuclear program
is purely civilian in nature. He claimed that these guarantees will
demonstrate that no aspect of the program is being diverted for
military use. Larijani also complained that some countries simply do
not want Iran to have access to nuclear power.
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization official Mohammad Saidi
said when the Arak facility was inaugurated that heavy-water reactors
are used for electricity production and for agricultural, medical,
and other forms of research.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said during an August 30 meeting
in Tehran with Felipe Gonzales, the former prime minister of Spain,
that some Western countries are discriminating against Iran's
possession of a nuclear program, state television reported.
Ahmadinejad went on to dismiss the possible imposition of
sanctions, saying, "Sanctions cannot dissuade the Iranian nation from
its decision to pursue the heights of honor and progress; therefore,
it is better for the European countries to be independent in their
decisions and to settle issues through negotiations."
Tehran reacted similarly after U.S. Ambassador to the UN John
Bolton mentioned the possibility of unilaterally imposed sanctions on
August 26. Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hussein Elham
countered that "[these] remarks show that such officials are not
competent to be members of the UN and the Security Council," IRNA
reported.
The Atomic Energy Organization's Saidi suggested on
August 31 that the latest IAEA report on Iran shows that the country
is cooperating fully, IRNA reported. He also said Resolution
1696's demand that the country cease aspects of the nuclear fuel
cycle contravene the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). "There is
no justification in terms of international law and NPT regulations to
stop the fuel cycle when all Iranian nuclear sites are under
supervision of the IAEA," Saidi said.
Disagreements Persist
Under such circumstances, it would seem that there is little
room left for diplomacy or for Secretary-General Annan's calming
influence. But there is disunity in the UN, as Security Council
members disagree on how to proceed. Moscow and Beijing are likely to
oppose the imposition of sanctions against Iran, in part because they
fear the damage to their financial and economic interests.
Geopolitically, too, they see themselves as Washington's
competitors for global influence.
U.S. officials have suggested the White House wants economic
sanctions to be imposed following the expiration of the Security
Council deadline. They have also suggested that they might be willing
to act unilaterally -- in the form of sanctions -- other if other
countries are unwilling to act. U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton
reminded reporters on August 30 of the approaching deadline for Iran
to suspend its nuclear activities, RFE/RL reported. "We've said
repeatedly that we expect that no later than August 31, pursuant to
Security Council Resolution 1696, that the Iranians will suspend all
uranium enrichment-related activity," he said. Bolton added that the
five permanent members of the Security Council, plus Germany, will
seek the imposition of sanctions if Tehran does not meet the
deadline.
Bolton told reporters in New York on August 31 that
Iran's behavior as described on the public record shows that the
country seeks nuclear weapons, RFE/RL reported. "There is simply no
explanation for the range of Iranian behavior, which we've seen
over the years, other than that they are pursuing a weapons
capability," Bolton said. As for the meaning of the IAEA report,
Bolton said, "The report makes clear that not only has Iran not
suspended uranium enrichment activities as required by Resolution
1696, it is accelerating them."
Speaking on August 31 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Salt
Lake City, Utah, President George W. Bush also addressed the nuclear
issue, whitehouse.gov reported. "It is time for Iran to make a
choice," Bush said. "There must be consequences for Iran's
defiance, and we must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon."
But a well-connected "Washington Times" reporter and analyst,
Bill Getz, has claimed there is disunity within the U.S. government,
too. He wrote that the State Department, White House, and Pentagon
disagree on how much leeway to give Iran.
Gertz wrote that there is pressure on Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice from within her State Department -- the report names
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns -- to
concur with a British, French, and German plan to send EU
foreign-policy representative Javier Solana to make another pitch to
Iranian officials. "The Washington Times" report also says officials
within Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office and the office
of Vice President Dick Cheney oppose further concessions to Iran.
If this is the case, UN Secretary-General Annan may try to
persuade Tehran to go along with Solana's pitch before it is too
late. (Bill Samii)
AHMADINEJAD CHALLENGES U.S. COUNTERPART TO DEBATE. President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad on August 29challenged U.S. President George Bush to
debate him, state television reported. "I propose holding a live,
televised debate with Mr. Bush, the U.S. president, so that we talk
about world's issues and ways to solve the world's problems,"
Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran. "We will announce
our views and they would do the same, but under the condition that it
will not be censored, especially for the American people."
This appears to be Ahmadinejad's second attempt to
communicate directly with the American people; the first was his
mid-August interview with CBS television's "60 Minutes."
Ahmadinejad tried to communicate directly with Bush in May, when he
sent him a lengthy letter that addressed issues ranging from theology
to Iraq and Israel.
In the more recent case, however, Ahmadinejad made it clear
that he is not calling for bilateral talks. "We will negotiate with
those who scowl upon our nation every day under different
conditions," he said according to state television. "If the
conditions are met, then why not [hold talks with the U.S.]?"
Ahmadinejad said at the August 29 press conference that
Israel is the cause of violence in the region, state television
reported. "The Zionist regime has deprived the Palestinian and other
nations in the region of the chance of living in peace," he said. He
added, "During 60 years, the Zionist regime has imposed tens of wars
on neighboring countries, the last one of which was the savage
invasion of Lebanon." (Bill Samii)
IRAN TESTS SUBMERGED-LAUNCH MISSILE DURING WAR GAMES. A Saqeb missile
was fired from a submerged Iranian submarine on August 27, state
television reported. The test took place during the Zarbat-i Zolfaqar
war games that began one week ago. The missile reportedly can be
fired from surface units as well. Iranian navy Admiral Sajjad Kuchaki
described the missile's characteristics: "It is a long-range
missile. It is smart. It makes a very small impact on radar and can
avoid radar detection. It has a very high degree of precision and is
very fast, taking the enemy by surprise. The missile has a massive
destructive power." The missile is reportedly manufactured
domestically. Other aspects of the exercises involved maneuvers by
marines (tofangdaran-i daryai) and submarine raids in the Gulf and
Sea of Oman. (Bill Samii)
****************************************** ***************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The "RFE/RL Iran Report" is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
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