سياوش اردلان
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSaturday, May 11, 2002 - Iran's Foreign Minister denies US-Iran talks - Minsk Group Leaders brief Iran on Karabakh peace effort - Reformist MP refuses to seek pardon for his jail sentence - Majles approves bill to ban torture - International concern for Pourzand's health - Alternatives to jail sentences Iran Foreign Minister Denies Secret Talks With the US * Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, speaking at New York's New School for Social Research yesterday, denied there have been secret US-Iran talks and accused the US of threatening and insulting the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, the US plans to punish with sanctions Armenian, Moldavian, and Chinese companies for their involvement in Iran's mass destruction weapons programs. (Siavash Ardalan) Minsk Group Meets Iran Reps in Paris over Karabakh * US, French and Russian officials, who jointly head the Minsk Group, briefed Iran on their efforts to resolve the conflict over Karabakh in a meeting yesterday in Paris. The participants of last April's meeting of the Minsk group had agreed to inform Iran of their discussions. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) MP Refuses to Appeal His Jail Sentence * Mohsen Mirdamadi, head of the Majles national security and foreign affairs committee, will not appeal the jail sentence he received last week as the publisher of the reformist daily Nowruz, according to Karim Arghandepour, deputy director of Iran's press union. Mirdamadi was sentenced to six months and two days in jail and four years ban from journalism for insulting Islam and propagating western culture. US-based journalist Dariush Sajjadi says Mirdamadi hopes his jailing would result in a victory for Majles reformists if they pressure Supreme Leader Khamenei into pardoning him, repeating the scenario that unfolded after the judiciary jailed Hamadan MP Hossein Loqmanian. Sajjadi tells RFE/RL that in order to avoid yet another crisis, the conservative judiciary might not enforce the press court's sentence. (Siavash Ardalan) Guardians to Block Majles's Anti-Torture Bill * The Guardians Council is expected to reject the Majles bill to ban all forms of torture, even though the bill is based on an article of the Islamic Republic constitution. Paris-based human rights activist Ebrahim Lahiji, head of the Iranian Society to Defend Human Rights, says physical punishment, common in the sentences issued by Iranian judges, is a form of torture according to the definition of torture in the international 1984 treaty, to which Iran is not a party. He tells RFE/RL that any bill that defines individual rights cannot be implemented without the existence of an independent judiciary. (Shireen Famili) Jailed Journalist Siamak Pourzand's Wife Worries about His Health * International human rights organizations say veteran journalist Siamak Pourzand, 72, may be suffering from torture. After being kidnapped and jailed for nearly five months, Pourzand was sentenced last month to eight years in prison in a closed-door trial. Pourzand's wife, prominent human rights activist and lawyer Mehrangiz Kar, tells RFE/RL that even though the judiciary claims Pourzand's trial is over, he is still being held without visitation rights in an unknown location. She cannot confirm his expected transfer to Evin prison after sentencing. Human Rights Watch speculates that Pourzand could suffer the same fate as writer Saeedi Sirjani, who died mysteriously in prison. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian) Alternative Punishments to Prison Sentence * Lawyer and human rights activist Ahmad Bashiri, tells RFE/RL that Iran's prison officials seek to reduce the prison population by introducing programs such as rehabilitation centers presently used with relative success in juvenile delinquency cases. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian) Iran President's Critical Tone Marks New Risk-Taking Approach * President Khatami's threats to resign if he cannot implement his reforms, and his assertions that national unity cannot be achieved by suppressing the public will, suggest a new willingness to take risks, according to Washington-based sociologist and political commentator Rasool Nafisy. Previously, Khatami acted cautiously like an appointed official rather than a leader elected with a strong public mandate. (Jamshid Zand) Mohtashami-pur says Iran respects Palestinian Decisions * In an interview with Frankfurter Allegmeine's Tehran reporter, Islamic leftist MP Ali-Akbar Mohtashami-pur says Iran would respect Palestinians' decision about their future. However, Mohtashami-pur, who helped found Lebanon's Hezbollah when he was Iran's ambassador to Syria, rejects the Saudi Middle East peace plan that includes recognition of Israel by all Arab states. He denies that the Islamic Republic's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has marginalized Iran internationally. US-Russian Rivalry over Central Asia and Iran * Despite US-Russian cooperation in the war against terrorism, Russia seeks to expand its influence in Central Asia, according to Jane's Intelligence Digest editor Alex Standish. He tells RFE/RL that Iran remains a key in this region, and a sore spot for the US. The European countries and Russia, who have good relations with Iran, find US-Iran talks beneficial for the region. (Shahran Tabari) WORLD * As Israeli forces prepare for an incursion into Gaza, the heads of Syria and Egypt meet with the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at Sharm al-Sheikh. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * After Italy refused to receive them, the 13 Palestinian gunmen involved in Bethlehem's Nativity Church standoff were sent to Cyprus to wait for another European host country. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) *None of the 31 women candidates reached the final round in Bahrain's first local elections, the first of any kind there in which women could run. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * Three suspects in the Dagestan bombing which killed 41 in a parade commemorating the end of WWII were transferred to St. Petersburg. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) * Russia seeks to increase oil exports to the US. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) * Turkey ends its military ties with France over the display in a Paris metro station by Reporters sans Frontier, in which a picture of Turkey's joint chief of staff is placed among images of "enemies of the free press." (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * Weekly Middle East Magazine: Egyptian Director Yusef Shahin completes his September 11 short documentary... Cairo's international film festival ends without any ceremonies... and other news. (Farideh Rahbar, Jamsheed Chalangi, Cairo) ARTS AND IDEAS An Iranian-Armenian Introduces Iranian Culture to Italians * Herman Vahramian, an Iranian Armenian, organizer of this weekend's three-day seminar and exhibition in Milan on Iranian culture and politics, tells RFE/RL that his program focuses on modernism and traditionalism in today's Iran. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) Remembering Satirist Khosro Shahani * Hundreds attended satirist Khosrow Shahani's funeral today in Tehran. US-based writer Omran Salahi, Shahani's long-time friend and colleague, and Mohsen Baqerzadeh, Shahani's publisher in Tehran, tell RFE/RL about Shahani's work and personality. (Shireen Famili) Abbas Kiarostami's Photo Exhibition and Video Installation in Toronto * Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, in Toronto for an exhibition of a video installation and his photos of Kurdistan landscapes at Pari Nadimi Gallery, talks to RFE/RL's New York correspondent about ABC Africa, his documentary on the orphans of AIDS in Uganda, which opened to rave reviews in New York and was the opening program of a retrospective of his films at the Toronto Cinemateque. He says his latest film "Ten," which will be shown next at Cannes, uses a small digital video camera to shoot scenes without the help of a large professional film crew. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) Weekly medical advice program. (Dr. Mansur Moslehi, Los Angeles) Classical Love Stories: Khosrow va Shirin Sadreddin Ellahi begins recitation of the story of Khorow va Shirin by Nezami Ganjavi. Poetry in Iranian Music * RFE/RL's music commentator Mahmud Khoshnam discusses songs composed by Farhad Fakhreddini based on Fereydoun Moshiri's poetry. (Mahmoud Khoshnam)
كمال خرازي وزير امورخارجه جمهوري اسلامي طي ديدار خود از نيويورك، اخبار مذاكرات پنهاني مقامات جمهوري اسلامي و آمريكا را تكذيب كرد. وي آمريكا را به توهين و تحقير حكومت ايران متهم ساخت. ازسوي ديگر، آمريكا تحريم هائي عليه شركت هاي ارمني، مالدواي و چيني كه با جمهوري اسلامي همكاري تسليحاتي دارند، به مورد اجرا خواهد گذاشت.
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSaturday, May 11, 2002 - Iran's Foreign Minister denies US-Iran talks - Minsk Group Leaders brief Iran on Karabakh peace effort - Reformist MP refuses to seek pardon for his jail sentence - Majles approves bill to ban torture - International concern for Pourzand's health - Alternatives to jail sentences Iran Foreign Minister Denies Secret Talks With the US * Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, speaking at New York's New School for Social Research yesterday, denied there have been secret US-Iran talks and accused the US of threatening and insulting the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, the US plans to punish with sanctions Armenian, Moldavian, and Chinese companies for their involvement in Iran's mass destruction weapons programs. (Siavash Ardalan) Minsk Group Meets Iran Reps in Paris over Karabakh * US, French and Russian officials, who jointly head the Minsk Group, briefed Iran on their efforts to resolve the conflict over Karabakh in a meeting yesterday in Paris. The participants of last April's meeting of the Minsk group had agreed to inform Iran of their discussions. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) MP Refuses to Appeal His Jail Sentence * Mohsen Mirdamadi, head of the Majles national security and foreign affairs committee, will not appeal the jail sentence he received last week as the publisher of the reformist daily Nowruz, according to Karim Arghandepour, deputy director of Iran's press union. Mirdamadi was sentenced to six months and two days in jail and four years ban from journalism for insulting Islam and propagating western culture. US-based journalist Dariush Sajjadi says Mirdamadi hopes his jailing would result in a victory for Majles reformists if they pressure Supreme Leader Khamenei into pardoning him, repeating the scenario that unfolded after the judiciary jailed Hamadan MP Hossein Loqmanian. Sajjadi tells RFE/RL that in order to avoid yet another crisis, the conservative judiciary might not enforce the press court's sentence. (Siavash Ardalan) Guardians to Block Majles's Anti-Torture Bill * The Guardians Council is expected to reject the Majles bill to ban all forms of torture, even though the bill is based on an article of the Islamic Republic constitution. Paris-based human rights activist Ebrahim Lahiji, head of the Iranian Society to Defend Human Rights, says physical punishment, common in the sentences issued by Iranian judges, is a form of torture according to the definition of torture in the international 1984 treaty, to which Iran is not a party. He tells RFE/RL that any bill that defines individual rights cannot be implemented without the existence of an independent judiciary. (Shireen Famili) Jailed Journalist Siamak Pourzand's Wife Worries about His Health * International human rights organizations say veteran journalist Siamak Pourzand, 72, may be suffering from torture. After being kidnapped and jailed for nearly five months, Pourzand was sentenced last month to eight years in prison in a closed-door trial. Pourzand's wife, prominent human rights activist and lawyer Mehrangiz Kar, tells RFE/RL that even though the judiciary claims Pourzand's trial is over, he is still being held without visitation rights in an unknown location. She cannot confirm his expected transfer to Evin prison after sentencing. Human Rights Watch speculates that Pourzand could suffer the same fate as writer Saeedi Sirjani, who died mysteriously in prison. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian) Alternative Punishments to Prison Sentence * Lawyer and human rights activist Ahmad Bashiri, tells RFE/RL that Iran's prison officials seek to reduce the prison population by introducing programs such as rehabilitation centers presently used with relative success in juvenile delinquency cases. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian) Iran President's Critical Tone Marks New Risk-Taking Approach * President Khatami's threats to resign if he cannot implement his reforms, and his assertions that national unity cannot be achieved by suppressing the public will, suggest a new willingness to take risks, according to Washington-based sociologist and political commentator Rasool Nafisy. Previously, Khatami acted cautiously like an appointed official rather than a leader elected with a strong public mandate. (Jamshid Zand) Mohtashami-pur says Iran respects Palestinian Decisions * In an interview with Frankfurter Allegmeine's Tehran reporter, Islamic leftist MP Ali-Akbar Mohtashami-pur says Iran would respect Palestinians' decision about their future. However, Mohtashami-pur, who helped found Lebanon's Hezbollah when he was Iran's ambassador to Syria, rejects the Saudi Middle East peace plan that includes recognition of Israel by all Arab states. He denies that the Islamic Republic's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has marginalized Iran internationally. US-Russian Rivalry over Central Asia and Iran * Despite US-Russian cooperation in the war against terrorism, Russia seeks to expand its influence in Central Asia, according to Jane's Intelligence Digest editor Alex Standish. He tells RFE/RL that Iran remains a key in this region, and a sore spot for the US. The European countries and Russia, who have good relations with Iran, find US-Iran talks beneficial for the region. (Shahran Tabari) WORLD * As Israeli forces prepare for an incursion into Gaza, the heads of Syria and Egypt meet with the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at Sharm al-Sheikh. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * After Italy refused to receive them, the 13 Palestinian gunmen involved in Bethlehem's Nativity Church standoff were sent to Cyprus to wait for another European host country. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) *None of the 31 women candidates reached the final round in Bahrain's first local elections, the first of any kind there in which women could run. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * Three suspects in the Dagestan bombing which killed 41 in a parade commemorating the end of WWII were transferred to St. Petersburg. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) * Russia seeks to increase oil exports to the US. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) * Turkey ends its military ties with France over the display in a Paris metro station by Reporters sans Frontier, in which a picture of Turkey's joint chief of staff is placed among images of "enemies of the free press." (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * Weekly Middle East Magazine: Egyptian Director Yusef Shahin completes his September 11 short documentary... Cairo's international film festival ends without any ceremonies... and other news. (Farideh Rahbar, Jamsheed Chalangi, Cairo) ARTS AND IDEAS An Iranian-Armenian Introduces Iranian Culture to Italians * Herman Vahramian, an Iranian Armenian, organizer of this weekend's three-day seminar and exhibition in Milan on Iranian culture and politics, tells RFE/RL that his program focuses on modernism and traditionalism in today's Iran. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome) Remembering Satirist Khosro Shahani * Hundreds attended satirist Khosrow Shahani's funeral today in Tehran. US-based writer Omran Salahi, Shahani's long-time friend and colleague, and Mohsen Baqerzadeh, Shahani's publisher in Tehran, tell RFE/RL about Shahani's work and personality. (Shireen Famili) Abbas Kiarostami's Photo Exhibition and Video Installation in Toronto * Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, in Toronto for an exhibition of a video installation and his photos of Kurdistan landscapes at Pari Nadimi Gallery, talks to RFE/RL's New York correspondent about ABC Africa, his documentary on the orphans of AIDS in Uganda, which opened to rave reviews in New York and was the opening program of a retrospective of his films at the Toronto Cinemateque. He says his latest film "Ten," which will be shown next at Cannes, uses a small digital video camera to shoot scenes without the help of a large professional film crew. (Behnam Nateghi, New York) Weekly medical advice program. (Dr. Mansur Moslehi, Los Angeles) Classical Love Stories: Khosrow va Shirin Sadreddin Ellahi begins recitation of the story of Khorow va Shirin by Nezami Ganjavi. Poetry in Iranian Music * RFE/RL's music commentator Mahmud Khoshnam discusses songs composed by Farhad Fakhreddini based on Fereydoun Moshiri's poetry. (Mahmoud Khoshnam)
كمال خرازي وزير امورخارجه جمهوري اسلامي طي ديدار خود از نيويورك، اخبار مذاكرات پنهاني مقامات جمهوري اسلامي و آمريكا را تكذيب كرد. وي آمريكا را به توهين و تحقير حكومت ايران متهم ساخت. ازسوي ديگر، آمريكا تحريم هائي عليه شركت هاي ارمني، مالدواي و چيني كه با جمهوري اسلامي همكاري تسليحاتي دارند، به مورد اجرا خواهد گذاشت.
