مهدي خلجي
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSunday, September 29, 2002 - Pasdaran and politics - Iraqi and Kuwaiti foreign ministers in Tehran - Tehran hangs five - Press court jury - Tehran rejects UK's human rights report - Women's right to seek divorce - Women's right to sing - Women video makers - Economic points in Ganji's manifesto Revolutionary Guards' Political Role * Brigader-general Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' ground forces, told the Tehran daily Hayat-e Now (New Life) that the IRGC is a political-military organ that would act if it senses political threat. He said despite Ayatollah Khomeini's advice in his will against IRGC involvement in political affairs, the law requires its involvment in politics. In a widely distributed statement two months ago, the IRGC threatened to act against "a secular current" within the regime. Majles Speaker Mehdi Karrubi and defense minister Vice Admiral Ali Shamkhani both asked it to stay out of politics. (Mehdi Khalaji) Iraqi Foreign Minister in Tehran * Some Iranian reformists criticized the government for receiving Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri in Tehran. Ardabil MP found the visit contrary to Iran's national interest and said its coincidence with the week-long anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war was distasteful. Daily Iran News headline warned: "Do Not Invest on the Losers." But foreign minister Kamal Karrazi called for good neighborly relations between the two countries, and said the region cannot stand another war, which would bring instability to the entire region. Kharrazi is due at the Majles later this week to respond to the MPs' questions about the progress of the implementation of the 1975 Algeria accord between Iran and Iraq. (Siavash Ardalan) * London-based Persian Gulf expert Parviz Mojtahedzadeh says Iran should not have allowed Naji Sabri's trip to take place. He tells RFE/RL that the trip was another attempt by Saddam to deceive Iranians. Based on its belief in Islamic unity and to show its opposition to possible US military action against the Iraqi regime, a small circle within Iran's government approved the trip in order to show a mild support for Iraq. He adds that in return for diplomatic support, Iran should pressure Iraq to resolve their 40-year old territorial disputes and relinquish its claim on the Khuzestan province. He says a pro-western democratic government in a post-Saddam Iraq would undoubtedly try to resolve all conflicts with Iran and would respect any treaty signed now with Iran by Saddam. (Siavash Ardalan) Kuwaiti Defense Minister in Iran * Kuwaiti defense minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah said in his Tehran visit he would not meet with Iraq's foreign minister Naji Sabri. He also said Kuwait has no plans to purchase arms from Iran, despite reports in Iranian newspapers following defense minister Shamkhani's trip to Kuwait two months ago. Sheikh Jaber said in his talks with Tehran officials he will focus on Iraq. Kuwait and Iran both oppose "unilateral" US military action against Iraq. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) Tehran Hangs Five Members of a Violent Gang * The Judiciary hanged from construction cranes at two busy Tehran crossroads five gang members accused of kidnapping, raping and robbing women. London-based dissident Hossein Baqerzadeh tells RFE/RL that executions only prolong the culture of violence. He says the executions of political activists did not turn people into the regime's supporters and the executions of drug traffickers did not slow down the spread of drug addiction in the country. (Golnaz Esfandiari) Reformists Criticize the New Press Court Jury * Reformists are criticizing the new appointments to the press court jury as too much like their predecessors. (Mehdi Khalaji) Guardians Council Returns Divorce Bill to Majles * The conservative Guardians Council rejected a Majles-approved bill to give women the right to seek divorce "under certain conditions." The Guardians argued that if the conditions were the same as those spelled out in the civil code, a new bill would be redundant. Surveys show that women's lack of the right to seek divorce has been a main factor in domestic violence. More than 2.5 million women were sent by courts last year to the judiciary's medical examiner's office to be examined for signs of physical violence. But experts say the number of battered women is much higher, since many domestic violence cases remain unreported. Tehran-based lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh tells RFE/RL that due to its traditional view of the Islamic code, the Guardians Council rejects any bill seeking equal rights for women. (Mahmonir Rahimi) Tehran Rejects Britain's Report on Human Right Violations in Iran * Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi called Britain's foreign office report on human rights violations in Iran "mere allegations." (Golnaz Esfandiari) Videos by Young Iranian Women in Cologne's Video Festival * Nilufar Baizai, videomaker, who gave a talk on Iranian women video makers at the women's night in the Cologne's first festival of Iranian videos, tells RFE/RL that the work of Iranians abroad was shown along side domestic artists. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) Iranian Women and Music * Horvash Khalili, the first woman to issue an album of songs in post revolutionary Iran, says there are official restrictions against solo singing by women in public. Tehran-based journalist Banafsheh Samgis says post-revolutionary generations think no women singers appeared after the revolution, because the singers were not permitted to perform in public or issue albums. (Mahmonir Rahimi) Civil Society and Human Rights * In advance of a trip to Iran by an EU delegation to talk about violations of human rights with Iranian officials, Washington-based lawyer and human rights activist Mehrangiz Kar reviews the reasons international human rights organizations have condemned the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic. Economic Points of Akbar Ganji' Manifesto * The manifesto issued last week by jailed prisoner Akbar Ganji, in which he renounced his past religious modernist stance in favor of secular democracy, also contains strong support for a market-based economy. Ganji says free economy creates civil society independent of government and criticizes left-leaning intellectuals who reject liberal democracy in the name of fair distribution of wealth. (Fereydoun Khavand, Paris) RFE/RL Roundtable: Presidential Powers * Tehran-based lawyer Nemat Haqiqi, Tehran MP Mohammad Shahi-Arablu and Paris-based lawyer and human rights activist Abdolkarim Lahiji discuss President Khatami's bill to expand presidential powers to include suspension of court orders. (Fereydoun Zarnegar) ARTS AND IDEAS Daily Internet Report * Three bilingual poetry sites. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) Daily medical advice (Dr. Mansur Moslehi, Los Angeles) Daily Book Review * RFE/RL's Tehran-based book critic reviews Tehran: A City Without Sky, a new novel in Persian by Amir-Hasan Cheltan, from Negah publishers. Daily Science Report * Johns Hopkins University professor Dr. Mahnaz Motevali tells RFE/RL that she looks for genetic clues on heart attacks in her research on India's Hindus and Parsis, the descendants of Persians in India. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) Song: Eshq (Love) by Fereydoun Farrokhzad * RFE/RL's music critic plays Eshq by 1970's popular singer on the 10th anniversary of his murder in Bonn. (Mahmud Khoshnam) Interview: Jamshid Asadi, Sociologist * Paris-based sociologist Ehsan Naraghi interviews the American University of Paris sociology professor Jamshid Asadi about globalism and Iran-US relations. He says the relations of Iran with the greatest country of the world cannot be a subject of personal feelings and preservation political power. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) WORLD * US and Britain Seek a UN Resolution against Iraq. (Mina Baharmast) * Berlin marathon. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) * US President brings his argument for toughness against Saddam to radio, as anti-war activists stage demonstrations in London, Rome and Sydney. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian) * Iraq intensifies its diplomatic efforts to gain support from its neighbors. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * US and France cooperate on evacuating foreigners from the Ivory Coast. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * Israel ends the siege of Arafat's compound in Ramallah. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * Italian mountain soldiers prepare for a mission at Afghanistan. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * Karzai asks Saudi Arabia for payment of promised aid. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * More than 6.5 million will vote in Serbia and Kosovo's first Presidential elections since the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * Participants of the two-day water resources conference in Kazakhstan's capital approve Iran's participation in next year's conference. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow)
سرتيپ محمدعلي جعفري، فرمانده نيروي زميني سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامي در مصاحبه با روزنامه «حيات نو» گفت سپاه، ارگاني سياسي نظامي است و با ارتش تفاوت دارد. وي افزود: اگر سپاه در مسائل مهم كشور احساس خطر كند، اقدام مي كند. سپاه پاسداران پس از صدور بيانيه اي در باره وضعيت فرهنگي، سياسي و اقتصادي كشور، با انتقاد شديد اصلاح طلبان مجلس و دولت روبرو شده بود كه آن را مغاير قانون و خطرناك دانستند. سپاه پاسداران در آن بيانيه نوشت جرياني عرفي گرا در بدنه نظام نفوذ كرده به حذف ولايت فقيه مي انديشد و آماده است با مخالفان جمهوري اسلامي براي جدائي دين از سياست همكاري كند. رئيس مجلس و وزير دفاع از پاسداران خواستند در سياست دخالت نكنند. در محافل سياسي گفته مي شود كه محافظه كاران از امكان سركوب داخلي در صورت حمله نظامي آمريكا به منطقه، به عنوان اهرمي براي فشاربر اصلاح طلبان استفاده مي كنند.
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSunday, September 29, 2002 - Pasdaran and politics - Iraqi and Kuwaiti foreign ministers in Tehran - Tehran hangs five - Press court jury - Tehran rejects UK's human rights report - Women's right to seek divorce - Women's right to sing - Women video makers - Economic points in Ganji's manifesto Revolutionary Guards' Political Role * Brigader-general Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' ground forces, told the Tehran daily Hayat-e Now (New Life) that the IRGC is a political-military organ that would act if it senses political threat. He said despite Ayatollah Khomeini's advice in his will against IRGC involvement in political affairs, the law requires its involvment in politics. In a widely distributed statement two months ago, the IRGC threatened to act against "a secular current" within the regime. Majles Speaker Mehdi Karrubi and defense minister Vice Admiral Ali Shamkhani both asked it to stay out of politics. (Mehdi Khalaji) Iraqi Foreign Minister in Tehran * Some Iranian reformists criticized the government for receiving Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri in Tehran. Ardabil MP found the visit contrary to Iran's national interest and said its coincidence with the week-long anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war was distasteful. Daily Iran News headline warned: "Do Not Invest on the Losers." But foreign minister Kamal Karrazi called for good neighborly relations between the two countries, and said the region cannot stand another war, which would bring instability to the entire region. Kharrazi is due at the Majles later this week to respond to the MPs' questions about the progress of the implementation of the 1975 Algeria accord between Iran and Iraq. (Siavash Ardalan) * London-based Persian Gulf expert Parviz Mojtahedzadeh says Iran should not have allowed Naji Sabri's trip to take place. He tells RFE/RL that the trip was another attempt by Saddam to deceive Iranians. Based on its belief in Islamic unity and to show its opposition to possible US military action against the Iraqi regime, a small circle within Iran's government approved the trip in order to show a mild support for Iraq. He adds that in return for diplomatic support, Iran should pressure Iraq to resolve their 40-year old territorial disputes and relinquish its claim on the Khuzestan province. He says a pro-western democratic government in a post-Saddam Iraq would undoubtedly try to resolve all conflicts with Iran and would respect any treaty signed now with Iran by Saddam. (Siavash Ardalan) Kuwaiti Defense Minister in Iran * Kuwaiti defense minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah said in his Tehran visit he would not meet with Iraq's foreign minister Naji Sabri. He also said Kuwait has no plans to purchase arms from Iran, despite reports in Iranian newspapers following defense minister Shamkhani's trip to Kuwait two months ago. Sheikh Jaber said in his talks with Tehran officials he will focus on Iraq. Kuwait and Iran both oppose "unilateral" US military action against Iraq. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) Tehran Hangs Five Members of a Violent Gang * The Judiciary hanged from construction cranes at two busy Tehran crossroads five gang members accused of kidnapping, raping and robbing women. London-based dissident Hossein Baqerzadeh tells RFE/RL that executions only prolong the culture of violence. He says the executions of political activists did not turn people into the regime's supporters and the executions of drug traffickers did not slow down the spread of drug addiction in the country. (Golnaz Esfandiari) Reformists Criticize the New Press Court Jury * Reformists are criticizing the new appointments to the press court jury as too much like their predecessors. (Mehdi Khalaji) Guardians Council Returns Divorce Bill to Majles * The conservative Guardians Council rejected a Majles-approved bill to give women the right to seek divorce "under certain conditions." The Guardians argued that if the conditions were the same as those spelled out in the civil code, a new bill would be redundant. Surveys show that women's lack of the right to seek divorce has been a main factor in domestic violence. More than 2.5 million women were sent by courts last year to the judiciary's medical examiner's office to be examined for signs of physical violence. But experts say the number of battered women is much higher, since many domestic violence cases remain unreported. Tehran-based lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh tells RFE/RL that due to its traditional view of the Islamic code, the Guardians Council rejects any bill seeking equal rights for women. (Mahmonir Rahimi) Tehran Rejects Britain's Report on Human Right Violations in Iran * Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi called Britain's foreign office report on human rights violations in Iran "mere allegations." (Golnaz Esfandiari) Videos by Young Iranian Women in Cologne's Video Festival * Nilufar Baizai, videomaker, who gave a talk on Iranian women video makers at the women's night in the Cologne's first festival of Iranian videos, tells RFE/RL that the work of Iranians abroad was shown along side domestic artists. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) Iranian Women and Music * Horvash Khalili, the first woman to issue an album of songs in post revolutionary Iran, says there are official restrictions against solo singing by women in public. Tehran-based journalist Banafsheh Samgis says post-revolutionary generations think no women singers appeared after the revolution, because the singers were not permitted to perform in public or issue albums. (Mahmonir Rahimi) Civil Society and Human Rights * In advance of a trip to Iran by an EU delegation to talk about violations of human rights with Iranian officials, Washington-based lawyer and human rights activist Mehrangiz Kar reviews the reasons international human rights organizations have condemned the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic. Economic Points of Akbar Ganji' Manifesto * The manifesto issued last week by jailed prisoner Akbar Ganji, in which he renounced his past religious modernist stance in favor of secular democracy, also contains strong support for a market-based economy. Ganji says free economy creates civil society independent of government and criticizes left-leaning intellectuals who reject liberal democracy in the name of fair distribution of wealth. (Fereydoun Khavand, Paris) RFE/RL Roundtable: Presidential Powers * Tehran-based lawyer Nemat Haqiqi, Tehran MP Mohammad Shahi-Arablu and Paris-based lawyer and human rights activist Abdolkarim Lahiji discuss President Khatami's bill to expand presidential powers to include suspension of court orders. (Fereydoun Zarnegar) ARTS AND IDEAS Daily Internet Report * Three bilingual poetry sites. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) Daily medical advice (Dr. Mansur Moslehi, Los Angeles) Daily Book Review * RFE/RL's Tehran-based book critic reviews Tehran: A City Without Sky, a new novel in Persian by Amir-Hasan Cheltan, from Negah publishers. Daily Science Report * Johns Hopkins University professor Dr. Mahnaz Motevali tells RFE/RL that she looks for genetic clues on heart attacks in her research on India's Hindus and Parsis, the descendants of Persians in India. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington) Song: Eshq (Love) by Fereydoun Farrokhzad * RFE/RL's music critic plays Eshq by 1970's popular singer on the 10th anniversary of his murder in Bonn. (Mahmud Khoshnam) Interview: Jamshid Asadi, Sociologist * Paris-based sociologist Ehsan Naraghi interviews the American University of Paris sociology professor Jamshid Asadi about globalism and Iran-US relations. He says the relations of Iran with the greatest country of the world cannot be a subject of personal feelings and preservation political power. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) WORLD * US and Britain Seek a UN Resolution against Iraq. (Mina Baharmast) * Berlin marathon. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne) * US President brings his argument for toughness against Saddam to radio, as anti-war activists stage demonstrations in London, Rome and Sydney. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian) * Iraq intensifies its diplomatic efforts to gain support from its neighbors. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * US and France cooperate on evacuating foreigners from the Ivory Coast. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * Israel ends the siege of Arafat's compound in Ramallah. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * Italian mountain soldiers prepare for a mission at Afghanistan. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * Karzai asks Saudi Arabia for payment of promised aid. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * More than 6.5 million will vote in Serbia and Kosovo's first Presidential elections since the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) * Participants of the two-day water resources conference in Kazakhstan's capital approve Iran's participation in next year's conference. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow)
سرتيپ محمدعلي جعفري، فرمانده نيروي زميني سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامي در مصاحبه با روزنامه «حيات نو» گفت سپاه، ارگاني سياسي نظامي است و با ارتش تفاوت دارد. وي افزود: اگر سپاه در مسائل مهم كشور احساس خطر كند، اقدام مي كند. سپاه پاسداران پس از صدور بيانيه اي در باره وضعيت فرهنگي، سياسي و اقتصادي كشور، با انتقاد شديد اصلاح طلبان مجلس و دولت روبرو شده بود كه آن را مغاير قانون و خطرناك دانستند. سپاه پاسداران در آن بيانيه نوشت جرياني عرفي گرا در بدنه نظام نفوذ كرده به حذف ولايت فقيه مي انديشد و آماده است با مخالفان جمهوري اسلامي براي جدائي دين از سياست همكاري كند. رئيس مجلس و وزير دفاع از پاسداران خواستند در سياست دخالت نكنند. در محافل سياسي گفته مي شود كه محافظه كاران از امكان سركوب داخلي در صورت حمله نظامي آمريكا به منطقه، به عنوان اهرمي براي فشاربر اصلاح طلبان استفاده مي كنند.
