مهدي خلجي، مصاحبه با احمد سلامتيان (پاريس)
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSunday, May 26, 2002 - Guardians Council gathers intelligence on citizens - US, Russia disagree on Iran - MPs protest ban on discussion of US relations - Trial of alleged prostitute smugglers - Iran bans religious book on martyrdom - Expediency council approves foreign investment bill - Iran slashes research budgets Interior Ministry Opposes Guardians' Collecting Information on Citizens * Through permanent elections supervision offices in provincial centers, the Guardians Council has begun collecting information on people who may apply for candidacy in the parliamentary elections of 2004. Deputy interior minister Morteza Mobaleq said yesterday that the work of these offices is illegal and unauthorized. However, Mohammad-Reza Mohseni, general director of the Guardians Council's election supervision office, said establishing provincial offices is within the constitutional rights of the Guardians Council as the supervisor of elections. Paris-based political analyst Mohsen Sazegara says the Guardians Council is setting up an intelligence gathering operation parallel to the intelligence ministry. He tells RFE/RL that the work of these offices in gathering intelligence on the citizens who have not and may not apply for candidacy in the parliamentary elections resembles the work of election committees in the former Soviet Union. (Mehdi Khalaji) US and Russia Continue to Differ on Iran * As the US President ends his trip to Russia, differences between the two countries on relations with Iran remain unresolved. Nevertheless, the Russia trip produced, among other things, a US pledge to invest in Russia's Caspian Sea oil and gas projects. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) * US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a press conference in St. Petersburg that the US and Russia disagree on the nature of Iran's nuclear activities. Washington is concerned about the Bushehr nuclear power plant Russia is building in Iran. (Fariba Mavedat) MPs Protest Judiciary's Ban on Discussion of US-Iran Contacts * In a speech at the Majles, MP Elaheh Kulai said discussion of Iran-US contacts cannot be considered a crime, despite the Tehran judiciary's recent ban. Majles legislation defines all punishable crimes and the judiciary cannot invent new categories of crimes, she added. Mohsen Mirdamadi, head of the Majles commission on national security and foreign relations also voiced his opposition to the judiciary's announcement that any discussion of talks with the US will be prosecuted. (Siavash Ardalan and Shahran Tabari) Iran Tries 57 for Exporting Prostitutes * Tehran judiciary's moral corruption court began the trial of 57 men and women accused of membership in prostitution smuggling rings. The defendants, arrested last week by a unit of the revolutionary guards, arranged the transfer of young Iranian girls to the UK, France, Turkey and the Persian Gulf Arab countries for prostitution. (Golnaz Esfandiari) Culture Ministry Bans Book on Martyrdom * "Moses's Cane, or Curing the Exaggeration Disease" by Ayatollah Nematollah Salehi Najafabadi is the third book this month to be banned in Iran after publication. Unlike the first two, however, this one was banned by the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, which is under pressure from conservative religious circles to take a harder line against books that question orthodox Islamic views. Salehi Najafabadi wrote this book to answer religious critics of his earlier book, "The Eternal Martyr," which attempted to demythologize the martyrdom of Hossein bin Ali, the third Shiite Imam. (Mehdi Khalaji) Russian Iranian Studies Scholars Meet in Moscow * Iran's role in regional security was a topic of discussion during a meeting of the Russian Society of Iranian Studies, held yesterday in Moscow. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) Iran Slashes Majles and Planning Organization's Research Budget * Sharif University physics professor Reza Mansuri, deputy higher education minister for research, said the budget for research in the present fiscal year is 13 percent less than the past year. He called the cuts a major blow to the future of scientific research in Iran. Of the total 3,560 billion rials ($400 million), 800 million rials are earmarked for research in information technology. The Majles and the country's budget and planning organization lost their entire budgets for social research, he added. Tehran University political science professor Ahmad Naqibzadeh says cuts in research budgets may be a blessing, since they will help stop the growth of corruption in research institutes and universities. He tells RFE/RL that since no real research is being conducted anywhere in Iran, slashing research budgets will not affect anything. (Mehdi Khalaji) Expediency Council Approves another Clause in Foreign Investment Bill * In its on-going arbitration between the Majles and the Guardians Council over the Majles bill to encourage foreign investment in Iran, the Expediency council approved a clause that makes the Iranian government liable for foreign investors' losses due to future Majles legislation or government actions. This and other provisions of the foreign investment bill, even after approval by the Expediency Council, will not increase foreign investors' interest in Iran, according to RFE/RL's Paris-based economic commentator Fereydoun Khavand. He says the bill's vague language adds to the present legal confusion, and the political atmosphere in Iran coupled with tensions in Iran's foreign relations continue to inhibit foreign investments, regardless of the Majles bill. (Fereydoun Khavand, Paris) WORLD * Indian prime minister says Pakistan's recent missile test does not intimidate India. (Shahran Tabari, London) * US General John M. Keane, the Army's second-in-command, says Afghanistan is no longer a haven for al-Qaeda terrorists. (Golnaz Esfandiari) * President Bush to discuss the international war against terrorism in his upcoming meeting with French President Chirac. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * A Hong Kong-bound China Airlines jet crashed into the Taiwan Strait with 206 people on board. (Fariba Mavedat) * United Arab Emirates extends voluntary departure deadline for illegal immigrants. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * In an interview with the German weekly 'Wertheimer Zeitung' foreign minister Joschka Fischer says EU secret agents have rendered a great service monitoring the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire. (Shahram Miryan) * Russian communist party dismisses Speaker of the Russian Duma Gennady Zyugonov from his position as the first secretary of the central committee due to his reluctance to follow the party's instructions. (Mani Kasravi) * Saddam Hussein claims Iraq has successfully rebuilt the weapons systems destroyed by the US during the Persian Gulf war. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * Five days before the start of World Cup soccer matches in South Korea and Japan, as the 32 participating teams are busy practicing, the scandal over corruption in FIFA is on everyone's mind, reports RFE/RL's soccer commentator Mehrdad Masoudi from Seoul. ARTS AND IDEAS New Political Thought in Contemporary Iran * As an introduction to the series' new topic, Haji Baba-ye Esfahani, by James Morier, Paris-based scholar Javad Tabatabai reviews the life and times of the book's translator, Mirza Habib Esfahani. (Nazi Azima) History of the European Renaissance: Blossoming of Political Thought in Europe * In the series on the aftermath of the Renaissance, a Tehran-based political science professor discusses the ideas of John Locke. (Nazi Azima) The Story of Progressive Music: Loris Cheknavarian * RFE/RL's music critic Mahmud Khoshnam reviews the work of Iranian-Armenian composer Loris Cheknavarian and his epic opera Rostam and Sohrab, based on Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. (Mahmud Khoshnam) Classic Love Stories: Khosrow va Shirin * Sadredin Elahi continues his recitation of the story of Khosrow va Shirin based on Nezami Ganjavi. Poetry in Persian Music * RFE/RL music critic Masud Khoshnam discusses the use of poetry by Majdedin Mirfakhrai (Golchin Gilani) in the music of composer and master santur player Faramarz Paivar. Kayhan Kalhur in Cologne * Master kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhur discusses his music in an interview with RFE/RL. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)
دفاتر نظارتي شوراي نگهبان در استان ها به تحقيق در باره اشخاصي كه "احتمال" دارد بخواهند براي نامزدي در انتخابات دوسال آينده مجلس شوراي اسلامي داوطلب شوند، مي پردازند. ايجاد زودهنگام اين دفاتر، آن هم پيش از تعيين هيات هاي اجرائي انتخابات، مورد اعتراض مرتضي مبلغ، معاون سياسي وزارت كشور، واقع شد كه كار اين دفاتر را بي معني و غيرقانوني و فعاليت غير مجاز اطلاعاتي - امنيتي دانست. محمدرضا محسني، مديركل نظارت و بازررسي بر انتخابات در شوراي نگهبان تاسيس اين دفاتر را قانوني خواند. احمد سلامتيان، نماينده سابق مجلس شوراي اسلامي و تحليلگر سياسي مقيم پاريس، در مصاحبه با راديوآزادي مي گويد: برگزاري انتخابات برعهده وزارت كشور است، ولي از انتخابات مجلس ششم به اين سو، شوراي نگهبان نقش خود را عملا جايگزين نقش اجرائي وزارت كشور تبديل كرد و براي خود وظيفه دائمي نظارتي قائل شد. سلامتيان افزود تحقيق در باره داوطلبان احتمالي نامزدي در انتخابات مجلس نشانه فعاليت امنيتي اطلاعاتي موازي با دولت، شبيه فعاليت كميسيون هاي كانديداتور در احزاب كمونيست قبل از فروپاشي شوروي است. وي مي افزايد شوراي نگهبان مطابق قانون نمي تواند بدون موافقت دولت كارمند دائمي براي خود استخدام كند.
Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceSunday, May 26, 2002 - Guardians Council gathers intelligence on citizens - US, Russia disagree on Iran - MPs protest ban on discussion of US relations - Trial of alleged prostitute smugglers - Iran bans religious book on martyrdom - Expediency council approves foreign investment bill - Iran slashes research budgets Interior Ministry Opposes Guardians' Collecting Information on Citizens * Through permanent elections supervision offices in provincial centers, the Guardians Council has begun collecting information on people who may apply for candidacy in the parliamentary elections of 2004. Deputy interior minister Morteza Mobaleq said yesterday that the work of these offices is illegal and unauthorized. However, Mohammad-Reza Mohseni, general director of the Guardians Council's election supervision office, said establishing provincial offices is within the constitutional rights of the Guardians Council as the supervisor of elections. Paris-based political analyst Mohsen Sazegara says the Guardians Council is setting up an intelligence gathering operation parallel to the intelligence ministry. He tells RFE/RL that the work of these offices in gathering intelligence on the citizens who have not and may not apply for candidacy in the parliamentary elections resembles the work of election committees in the former Soviet Union. (Mehdi Khalaji) US and Russia Continue to Differ on Iran * As the US President ends his trip to Russia, differences between the two countries on relations with Iran remain unresolved. Nevertheless, the Russia trip produced, among other things, a US pledge to invest in Russia's Caspian Sea oil and gas projects. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) * US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a press conference in St. Petersburg that the US and Russia disagree on the nature of Iran's nuclear activities. Washington is concerned about the Bushehr nuclear power plant Russia is building in Iran. (Fariba Mavedat) MPs Protest Judiciary's Ban on Discussion of US-Iran Contacts * In a speech at the Majles, MP Elaheh Kulai said discussion of Iran-US contacts cannot be considered a crime, despite the Tehran judiciary's recent ban. Majles legislation defines all punishable crimes and the judiciary cannot invent new categories of crimes, she added. Mohsen Mirdamadi, head of the Majles commission on national security and foreign relations also voiced his opposition to the judiciary's announcement that any discussion of talks with the US will be prosecuted. (Siavash Ardalan and Shahran Tabari) Iran Tries 57 for Exporting Prostitutes * Tehran judiciary's moral corruption court began the trial of 57 men and women accused of membership in prostitution smuggling rings. The defendants, arrested last week by a unit of the revolutionary guards, arranged the transfer of young Iranian girls to the UK, France, Turkey and the Persian Gulf Arab countries for prostitution. (Golnaz Esfandiari) Culture Ministry Bans Book on Martyrdom * "Moses's Cane, or Curing the Exaggeration Disease" by Ayatollah Nematollah Salehi Najafabadi is the third book this month to be banned in Iran after publication. Unlike the first two, however, this one was banned by the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, which is under pressure from conservative religious circles to take a harder line against books that question orthodox Islamic views. Salehi Najafabadi wrote this book to answer religious critics of his earlier book, "The Eternal Martyr," which attempted to demythologize the martyrdom of Hossein bin Ali, the third Shiite Imam. (Mehdi Khalaji) Russian Iranian Studies Scholars Meet in Moscow * Iran's role in regional security was a topic of discussion during a meeting of the Russian Society of Iranian Studies, held yesterday in Moscow. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow) Iran Slashes Majles and Planning Organization's Research Budget * Sharif University physics professor Reza Mansuri, deputy higher education minister for research, said the budget for research in the present fiscal year is 13 percent less than the past year. He called the cuts a major blow to the future of scientific research in Iran. Of the total 3,560 billion rials ($400 million), 800 million rials are earmarked for research in information technology. The Majles and the country's budget and planning organization lost their entire budgets for social research, he added. Tehran University political science professor Ahmad Naqibzadeh says cuts in research budgets may be a blessing, since they will help stop the growth of corruption in research institutes and universities. He tells RFE/RL that since no real research is being conducted anywhere in Iran, slashing research budgets will not affect anything. (Mehdi Khalaji) Expediency Council Approves another Clause in Foreign Investment Bill * In its on-going arbitration between the Majles and the Guardians Council over the Majles bill to encourage foreign investment in Iran, the Expediency council approved a clause that makes the Iranian government liable for foreign investors' losses due to future Majles legislation or government actions. This and other provisions of the foreign investment bill, even after approval by the Expediency Council, will not increase foreign investors' interest in Iran, according to RFE/RL's Paris-based economic commentator Fereydoun Khavand. He says the bill's vague language adds to the present legal confusion, and the political atmosphere in Iran coupled with tensions in Iran's foreign relations continue to inhibit foreign investments, regardless of the Majles bill. (Fereydoun Khavand, Paris) WORLD * Indian prime minister says Pakistan's recent missile test does not intimidate India. (Shahran Tabari, London) * US General John M. Keane, the Army's second-in-command, says Afghanistan is no longer a haven for al-Qaeda terrorists. (Golnaz Esfandiari) * President Bush to discuss the international war against terrorism in his upcoming meeting with French President Chirac. (Jean Khakzad, Paris) * A Hong Kong-bound China Airlines jet crashed into the Taiwan Strait with 206 people on board. (Fariba Mavedat) * United Arab Emirates extends voluntary departure deadline for illegal immigrants. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo) * In an interview with the German weekly 'Wertheimer Zeitung' foreign minister Joschka Fischer says EU secret agents have rendered a great service monitoring the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire. (Shahram Miryan) * Russian communist party dismisses Speaker of the Russian Duma Gennady Zyugonov from his position as the first secretary of the central committee due to his reluctance to follow the party's instructions. (Mani Kasravi) * Saddam Hussein claims Iraq has successfully rebuilt the weapons systems destroyed by the US during the Persian Gulf war. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo) * Five days before the start of World Cup soccer matches in South Korea and Japan, as the 32 participating teams are busy practicing, the scandal over corruption in FIFA is on everyone's mind, reports RFE/RL's soccer commentator Mehrdad Masoudi from Seoul. ARTS AND IDEAS New Political Thought in Contemporary Iran * As an introduction to the series' new topic, Haji Baba-ye Esfahani, by James Morier, Paris-based scholar Javad Tabatabai reviews the life and times of the book's translator, Mirza Habib Esfahani. (Nazi Azima) History of the European Renaissance: Blossoming of Political Thought in Europe * In the series on the aftermath of the Renaissance, a Tehran-based political science professor discusses the ideas of John Locke. (Nazi Azima) The Story of Progressive Music: Loris Cheknavarian * RFE/RL's music critic Mahmud Khoshnam reviews the work of Iranian-Armenian composer Loris Cheknavarian and his epic opera Rostam and Sohrab, based on Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. (Mahmud Khoshnam) Classic Love Stories: Khosrow va Shirin * Sadredin Elahi continues his recitation of the story of Khosrow va Shirin based on Nezami Ganjavi. Poetry in Persian Music * RFE/RL music critic Masud Khoshnam discusses the use of poetry by Majdedin Mirfakhrai (Golchin Gilani) in the music of composer and master santur player Faramarz Paivar. Kayhan Kalhur in Cologne * Master kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhur discusses his music in an interview with RFE/RL. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)
دفاتر نظارتي شوراي نگهبان در استان ها به تحقيق در باره اشخاصي كه "احتمال" دارد بخواهند براي نامزدي در انتخابات دوسال آينده مجلس شوراي اسلامي داوطلب شوند، مي پردازند. ايجاد زودهنگام اين دفاتر، آن هم پيش از تعيين هيات هاي اجرائي انتخابات، مورد اعتراض مرتضي مبلغ، معاون سياسي وزارت كشور، واقع شد كه كار اين دفاتر را بي معني و غيرقانوني و فعاليت غير مجاز اطلاعاتي - امنيتي دانست. محمدرضا محسني، مديركل نظارت و بازررسي بر انتخابات در شوراي نگهبان تاسيس اين دفاتر را قانوني خواند. احمد سلامتيان، نماينده سابق مجلس شوراي اسلامي و تحليلگر سياسي مقيم پاريس، در مصاحبه با راديوآزادي مي گويد: برگزاري انتخابات برعهده وزارت كشور است، ولي از انتخابات مجلس ششم به اين سو، شوراي نگهبان نقش خود را عملا جايگزين نقش اجرائي وزارت كشور تبديل كرد و براي خود وظيفه دائمي نظارتي قائل شد. سلامتيان افزود تحقيق در باره داوطلبان احتمالي نامزدي در انتخابات مجلس نشانه فعاليت امنيتي اطلاعاتي موازي با دولت، شبيه فعاليت كميسيون هاي كانديداتور در احزاب كمونيست قبل از فروپاشي شوروي است. وي مي افزايد شوراي نگهبان مطابق قانون نمي تواند بدون موافقت دولت كارمند دائمي براي خود استخدام كند.
