سياوش اردلان
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceWednesday, April 17, 2002 - Breaking the taboo of talking with the US - Execution of the killer of 16 women - ISP's ask Khatami to cancel rule on internet gateways monopoly - Amnesty International protests punishment by stoning - Water management in Iran - Russian transportation minister visits Tehran Reformist MP's Seek to Break the Taboo of Talking with the US * The taboo of talking with the US must be broken, says Mohammad Naimipour, the leader of Mosharekat (Participation), the largest reformist block in the Majles during a press conference in Tehran, adding that talking with the US does mean abandoning Iran's national interests. Majles summons intelligence and foreign ministers to explain newspaper reports about secret contacts with the US. Former President Rafsanjani, now the head of the powerful Expediency Council, tells a centrist block of 45 MP's that only institutions outside the executive branch, such as the Majles and "parts of the judiciary," can have contacts with the US. (Siavash Ardalan) Iran Executes the Serial Killer of 16 Street Women * A day before his execution, the Mashhad serial killer Said Hanai tells a reporter that he feels no remorse, adding that after killing 16 women, he saw rain in the dry city as God's sign of approval. He yells insults at the judge and the prosecutor, as guards carry him in lock and chains to the hanging post. (Alireza Taheri) Iran's ISP Association Asks Khatami to Suspend New Internet Regulations * In a letter to President Khatami, the owners of Iran's internet service provider companies (ISP's), ask him to cancel a High Council of Cultural Revolution's decision to end private ownership and operation of Iran's gateways to the Internet. Mostafa Mohammadi, the head of Iranian ISP's association, who signed the letter, says private ISP's have six months to disconnect their satellite-based gateways. However, he tells RFE/RL, the ISP's have already lost a great deal of business since Iran Telecom shut down their cheap voice-over-IP long distance phone services. Mohammadi says he understands that the state-owned business had lost some long-distance business, but the Telecom's interest, he says, is not necessarily the same as the people's interest. (Jamshid Zand) Amnesty International Collects Signatures in Germany against Stoning in Iran * Kazem Hashemi, a member of the Iran action group of the Amnesty International's German branch, tells RFE/RL that so far, more than 12,000 signatures have been collected in Germany protesting the Islamic practice of punishment by stoning in Iran. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) Water's Role in Iran's Future Economy * A German-Iranian conference in Tehran on water management and waste water treatment serves as a reminder that water is becoming scarcer in Iran. Abbas Shafi, deputy minister of energy in charge of water and waste water management, says lack of incentives and guarantees prevents private sector from investing in water distribution and waste water treatment projects. (Fereydoun Khavand, Paris) Iran-Russia Cooperation in Transportation * The Russian Transportation Minister Sergei Frank meets First Deputy President Mohammad Reza Aref in Tehran. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) WORLD * Powell ends his Middle East mission. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * Review of western press articles on Powell's mission and the aftermath of violence in the Jenin refugee camp. (Fariba Mavedat) * President Musharraf of Pakistan prepares for the April 30 referendum, but he does not say what he would do if voters reject him. (Alireza Taheri) * Afghanistan's Karzai meets Italian officials in Rome. He is there to accompany the former shah, Mohammad Zaher, on his trip home after 29 years in exile. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * Kabul tightens security as it prepares for the return of the former shah. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * The Dutch cabinet resigns today over its handling of the Dutch forces' involvement in the 1995 massacre of Muslim population in Srebrenica. Veteran reporter, RFE/RL's Ahmad Ra'fat, who covered the war in Bosnia, says the Dutch peacekeepers charged by the UN with protecting the Muslims in Srebrenica, backed off and allowed Serb forces to massacre hundreds of Muslims. He and other reporters had to step on corpses to enter the town, Ra'fat adds. Dutch cabinet's resignation today may help the ruling coalition in the next election, the Iranian-born Dutch MP Farah Karimi tells RFE/RL. (Siavash Ardalan) * President Musharraf's government has done little to prevent domestic violence and abuse of women in the Pakistani society, says Amnesty International. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * Afghanistan interim foreign minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah says the former shah's return was postponed almost two months for security reasons. He tells RFE/RL that the continued presence of terrorists in parts of Afghanistan cannot stop the political process. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * UAE invites foreign companies to sell their shares in Dubai's stock exchange. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * German experts investigate last week's explosion in the ancient synagogue in Tunisia that killed 15, mostly German, tourists. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) * President Bush calls Arab states to root out terrorism. (Homayoun Majd, Washington) * Brazil arrests a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) ARTS AND IDEAS Weekly Science Show Latest Scientific Experiments in Nerve Cell Restoration * In an interview with RFE/RL, Professor Molly Shoichet, of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, explains his joint experiment with the neurosurgeons at Toronto Western Hospital, in which a plastic tube placed around the spinal cord of paralyzed rats restored some movement. * Dr. Jean Toma, of the Department of Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, tells RFE/RL about his project to make nerve cells out of adult Stem Cells. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) The Real Six-Million-Dollar Man: Microchips in the Body * Professor Kevin Warwick, of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, UK, implants a special chip in his left arm to link his nerves to a computer outside his body via a transmitter. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) 3D Atlas of Human Brain * The researchers at UCLA plan a 3D atlas of the human brain by compiling data from 7,000 scans. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) Youth, Society and Education * Said Peyvandi, Paris-based sociologist and expert on education issues in Iran, talks about textbook reform and the impact of the Cultural Revolution on Iranian education system. (Nazi Azima) Dialogue among Cultures * Ahmad Jalali, the president of UNESCO's General Assembly, talks to RFE/RL about cultural exchange on the sidelines of an international conference in Warsaw, Poland, on the subject. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) The Impact of Widespread Purges of Scientists and Government Officials * On the 22nd anniversary of the Cultural Revolution in Iran, RFE/RL interviews economist Sadeq Zibakalam, purged university professors Hosseingoli Monzavi and Javad Tabatabi, purged diplomat, the Paris-based satirical novelist Iraj Pezeshkzad and purged judge turned lawyer Ahmad Bashiri, about the impact of purges in universities and government institutions. (Jamshid Zand)
محمدنعيمي پور، رئيس جديد فراكسيون مشاركت درمجلس شوراي اسلامي، طي يك كنفرانس خبري براي انعكاص مواضع جناح اصلاح طلب در باره ارتباط با آمريكا گفت براي حفظ منافع ملي ايران، بايد تابوي مذاكره با آمريكا را شكست. بازگشت دوباره بحث رابطه ايران و آمريكا در پي انتشار چندين شايعه راجع به برقراري ارتباط هائي بين مقامات جمهوري اسلامي و آمريكا صورت مي گيرد كه از تكذيب آنها از سوي مقامات دولتي براي نمايندگان مجلس قانع كننده نبود. وزراي اطلاعات و امورخارجه براي اداي توضيحات به مجلس فراخوانده شدند. نمايندگان اصلاح طلب منافع كشور را در نزديك شدن ايران به آمريكا مي بينند. نعيمي پور گفت مذاكره به معناي گذشتن از منافع ملي نيست. علي مزروعي گفت در عرصه بين المللي ايران و آمريكا نمي توانند يكديگر را ناديده بگيرند. علي اكبر هاشمي رفسنجاني، رئيس مجمع تشخيص مصلحت نظام طي ديداري به ابتكار فراكسيون "سازندگي" با 45 نماينده مجلس، اظهار داشت: مذاكره نمايندگان مجلس و ساير نهادهاي غيردولتي با همتايان آمريكائي خود بلامانع است اما دولتي ها نبايد با آمريكا مذاكره كنند.
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceWednesday, April 17, 2002 - Breaking the taboo of talking with the US - Execution of the killer of 16 women - ISP's ask Khatami to cancel rule on internet gateways monopoly - Amnesty International protests punishment by stoning - Water management in Iran - Russian transportation minister visits Tehran Reformist MP's Seek to Break the Taboo of Talking with the US * The taboo of talking with the US must be broken, says Mohammad Naimipour, the leader of Mosharekat (Participation), the largest reformist block in the Majles during a press conference in Tehran, adding that talking with the US does mean abandoning Iran's national interests. Majles summons intelligence and foreign ministers to explain newspaper reports about secret contacts with the US. Former President Rafsanjani, now the head of the powerful Expediency Council, tells a centrist block of 45 MP's that only institutions outside the executive branch, such as the Majles and "parts of the judiciary," can have contacts with the US. (Siavash Ardalan) Iran Executes the Serial Killer of 16 Street Women * A day before his execution, the Mashhad serial killer Said Hanai tells a reporter that he feels no remorse, adding that after killing 16 women, he saw rain in the dry city as God's sign of approval. He yells insults at the judge and the prosecutor, as guards carry him in lock and chains to the hanging post. (Alireza Taheri) Iran's ISP Association Asks Khatami to Suspend New Internet Regulations * In a letter to President Khatami, the owners of Iran's internet service provider companies (ISP's), ask him to cancel a High Council of Cultural Revolution's decision to end private ownership and operation of Iran's gateways to the Internet. Mostafa Mohammadi, the head of Iranian ISP's association, who signed the letter, says private ISP's have six months to disconnect their satellite-based gateways. However, he tells RFE/RL, the ISP's have already lost a great deal of business since Iran Telecom shut down their cheap voice-over-IP long distance phone services. Mohammadi says he understands that the state-owned business had lost some long-distance business, but the Telecom's interest, he says, is not necessarily the same as the people's interest. (Jamshid Zand) Amnesty International Collects Signatures in Germany against Stoning in Iran * Kazem Hashemi, a member of the Iran action group of the Amnesty International's German branch, tells RFE/RL that so far, more than 12,000 signatures have been collected in Germany protesting the Islamic practice of punishment by stoning in Iran. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) Water's Role in Iran's Future Economy * A German-Iranian conference in Tehran on water management and waste water treatment serves as a reminder that water is becoming scarcer in Iran. Abbas Shafi, deputy minister of energy in charge of water and waste water management, says lack of incentives and guarantees prevents private sector from investing in water distribution and waste water treatment projects. (Fereydoun Khavand, Paris) Iran-Russia Cooperation in Transportation * The Russian Transportation Minister Sergei Frank meets First Deputy President Mohammad Reza Aref in Tehran. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) WORLD * Powell ends his Middle East mission. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * Review of western press articles on Powell's mission and the aftermath of violence in the Jenin refugee camp. (Fariba Mavedat) * President Musharraf of Pakistan prepares for the April 30 referendum, but he does not say what he would do if voters reject him. (Alireza Taheri) * Afghanistan's Karzai meets Italian officials in Rome. He is there to accompany the former shah, Mohammad Zaher, on his trip home after 29 years in exile. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * Kabul tightens security as it prepares for the return of the former shah. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * The Dutch cabinet resigns today over its handling of the Dutch forces' involvement in the 1995 massacre of Muslim population in Srebrenica. Veteran reporter, RFE/RL's Ahmad Ra'fat, who covered the war in Bosnia, says the Dutch peacekeepers charged by the UN with protecting the Muslims in Srebrenica, backed off and allowed Serb forces to massacre hundreds of Muslims. He and other reporters had to step on corpses to enter the town, Ra'fat adds. Dutch cabinet's resignation today may help the ruling coalition in the next election, the Iranian-born Dutch MP Farah Karimi tells RFE/RL. (Siavash Ardalan) * President Musharraf's government has done little to prevent domestic violence and abuse of women in the Pakistani society, says Amnesty International. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * Afghanistan interim foreign minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah says the former shah's return was postponed almost two months for security reasons. He tells RFE/RL that the continued presence of terrorists in parts of Afghanistan cannot stop the political process. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * UAE invites foreign companies to sell their shares in Dubai's stock exchange. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * German experts investigate last week's explosion in the ancient synagogue in Tunisia that killed 15, mostly German, tourists. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) * President Bush calls Arab states to root out terrorism. (Homayoun Majd, Washington) * Brazil arrests a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) ARTS AND IDEAS Weekly Science Show Latest Scientific Experiments in Nerve Cell Restoration * In an interview with RFE/RL, Professor Molly Shoichet, of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, explains his joint experiment with the neurosurgeons at Toronto Western Hospital, in which a plastic tube placed around the spinal cord of paralyzed rats restored some movement. * Dr. Jean Toma, of the Department of Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, tells RFE/RL about his project to make nerve cells out of adult Stem Cells. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) The Real Six-Million-Dollar Man: Microchips in the Body * Professor Kevin Warwick, of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, UK, implants a special chip in his left arm to link his nerves to a computer outside his body via a transmitter. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) 3D Atlas of Human Brain * The researchers at UCLA plan a 3D atlas of the human brain by compiling data from 7,000 scans. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) Youth, Society and Education * Said Peyvandi, Paris-based sociologist and expert on education issues in Iran, talks about textbook reform and the impact of the Cultural Revolution on Iranian education system. (Nazi Azima) Dialogue among Cultures * Ahmad Jalali, the president of UNESCO's General Assembly, talks to RFE/RL about cultural exchange on the sidelines of an international conference in Warsaw, Poland, on the subject. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) The Impact of Widespread Purges of Scientists and Government Officials * On the 22nd anniversary of the Cultural Revolution in Iran, RFE/RL interviews economist Sadeq Zibakalam, purged university professors Hosseingoli Monzavi and Javad Tabatabi, purged diplomat, the Paris-based satirical novelist Iraj Pezeshkzad and purged judge turned lawyer Ahmad Bashiri, about the impact of purges in universities and government institutions. (Jamshid Zand)
محمدنعيمي پور، رئيس جديد فراكسيون مشاركت درمجلس شوراي اسلامي، طي يك كنفرانس خبري براي انعكاص مواضع جناح اصلاح طلب در باره ارتباط با آمريكا گفت براي حفظ منافع ملي ايران، بايد تابوي مذاكره با آمريكا را شكست. بازگشت دوباره بحث رابطه ايران و آمريكا در پي انتشار چندين شايعه راجع به برقراري ارتباط هائي بين مقامات جمهوري اسلامي و آمريكا صورت مي گيرد كه از تكذيب آنها از سوي مقامات دولتي براي نمايندگان مجلس قانع كننده نبود. وزراي اطلاعات و امورخارجه براي اداي توضيحات به مجلس فراخوانده شدند. نمايندگان اصلاح طلب منافع كشور را در نزديك شدن ايران به آمريكا مي بينند. نعيمي پور گفت مذاكره به معناي گذشتن از منافع ملي نيست. علي مزروعي گفت در عرصه بين المللي ايران و آمريكا نمي توانند يكديگر را ناديده بگيرند. علي اكبر هاشمي رفسنجاني، رئيس مجمع تشخيص مصلحت نظام طي ديداري به ابتكار فراكسيون "سازندگي" با 45 نماينده مجلس، اظهار داشت: مذاكره نمايندگان مجلس و ساير نهادهاي غيردولتي با همتايان آمريكائي خود بلامانع است اما دولتي ها نبايد با آمريكا مذاكره كنند.
