Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiMonday, March 22, 2004
<b>IAEA Chief Urges Iran To Be Transparent with the UN Nuclear Inspectors</b>
• The Islamic government should be completely transparent with UN nuclear inspectors to clear its name and prove the country's nuclear program is solely for civilian use, head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei said on Sunday in a CNN interview. “Transparency is an absolute key if they want to clear their name and for us to be able to conclude that the program is completely for peaceful purposes," ElBaradei said, adding that inspections showed that Iran's nuclear program “is a sophisticated program, it's an extensive program and it's a program that has been undeclared for over 15 years.”
• Iran and Russia are working on finalizing the protocol on returning spent Bushehr nuclear fuel to Russia, Iran's ambassador to Russia Gholamhossein Shafei said in an interview with the official news agency IRNA. He noted that the two countries have continued their regular political discussions. “Talks held by the presidents of the two states in Malaysia and their telephone conversations, the meeting between Iran's and Russia's foreign ministers, visit of secretary of supreme national security council to Moscow and signing of the additional protocol to the NPT by Iran are among the developments in bilateral relations,” he told IRNA. (Shahran Tabari, London)
<b>Mandela to Visit Iran</b>
• All those involved with Human Rights organizations in Iran should contact Nelson Mandela during his upcoming trip to Tehran, <b>Elaheh Sharifpour Hicks</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. (Behruz Nikzat)
<b>Iranian Asylum Seekers Stage Protest in Brussels</b>
• In protest against some European countries' plan to extradite to Iran the asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected, a group of Iranians held a demonstration in front of the EU headquarters in Brussels. In his speech to the demonstrators, Los Angeles-based pop singer Dariush Eqbali condemned the European countries' new anti-immigration policies, and called for the unity of Iranian political groups in support of the asylum seekers. Today, we are witnessing that the European countries, because of their economic interests, are supporting the Islamic Republic, head of Iranian scholars' society Hossein Ladjervardi said in his speech. However, he added, shouting slogans will not suffice. “We have to act within the legal system of the European countries and the US in order to push our goals forward,” he added. Immigration expert <b>Anvar Mirsattari</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that the gathering is to protest against the decision of some European countries, including Belgium and Netherlands, to extradite rejected asylum seekers to Iran. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)
• In the Brussels demonstration today, the participants protested against “racism” in Europe and “religious dictatorship” in Iran. “I was happy to see people from various political groups, from right and left and center, participated in the demonstration,” pop singer <b>Dariush Eqbali</b>, who spoke at the event, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. We plan to challenge the EU and the individual European countries in international courts, in a bid to reverse the decision on returning Iranian asylum seekers to Iran, organizer <b>Hossein Ladjervardi</b>, head of the Iranian scholars society, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. We have to show that those who are seeking asylum in Europe have no security in Iran. The lack of personal security, educational security and job security has forced more than 4 million to leave their country in the past 25 years, he adds. Using the facts about Iran, we have to prove to the European countries that the Islamic Republic cannot be allowed to stay in power, he adds. (Behruz Nikzat)
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كانداليزا رايس، مشاور امنيت ملي آمريكا، تلويحا از اقدام اسرائيل در ترور شيخ ياسين دفاع كرد. وي گفت: به ياد داشته باشيم كه حماس سازماني تروريستي است و به نظر ما شيخ ياسين خودش شخصا در برنامه ريزيهاي تروريستي مشاركت داشت. وي افزود آمريكا از حمله به شيخ احمد ياسين پيشاپيش خبر نداشت. اما در تضاد با اظهارات مشاور امنيت ملي آمريكا، دومينيك دو ويلپن، وزير امور خارجه فرانسه، ترور ياسين توسط اسرائيل را به سختي تقبيح كرد. آقاي دو ويلپن گفت: فرانسه اقدام بر ضد شيخ ياسين را محكوم مي كند، در زماني كه بسيج ما براي تجديد روند صلح در خاورميانه تا اين اندازه اهميت دارد، چنين اقداماتي صرفا بر كوره دور تسلسل خشونتها مي دمد.
