Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiTuesday, June 08, 2004
<b>EU Big 3 Fault Iran on Nuclear Cooperation in Draft IAEA Resolution</b>
• The big three European powers on Tuesday introduced to fellow IAEA board members a draft resolution criticizing the Islamic Republic's lack of cooperation with the UN's investigation of Iran's suspected nuclear activities. The draft “deplores” the fact that Iran's “cooperation has not been complete, timely and proactive,” a diplomat said, quoting parts of the text. At the same time, it “acknowledges Iranian cooperation” in granting agency inspectors access to sites and locations in their investigation, the diplomat said.
• The most recent report by the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei adds new items to the list of unanswered questions about Iran's nuclear program, US envoy to IAEA ambassador <b>Kenneth Brill</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. He rejects recent assertions by foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi, who said there was no new information in ElBaradei's report. There were a number of important new and worrisome issues in the report, including the P2 uranium enrichment equipment, highly enriched uranium traces and a previously undisclosed plutonium extraction program, Brill adds. He predicts that the IAEA board of governors will pass a resolution to endorse the efforts of the IAEA inspectors, and will call for the IAEA's work to continue. “A lot more work needs to be done,” he adds, pointing out that the US concerns about Iran's nuclear program are shared by the EU governments, as well as the non-aligned members of the IAEA board of governors. (Amir Armin)
<b> Abuses Continue, Despite EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue, HRW Report Says</b>
• There has been “no tangible improvements in human rights in Iran” as a result of the EU's dialogues with the authorities, New York-based Human Rights Watch said yesterday in a report based on interviews with former political prisoners. The HRW's report, along with those of the Amnesty International and UN special reporter Ambeyi Ligabo inform the world community and the Iranian society about the continuation of abuses, particularly torture, <b>Elaheh Hicks</b>, Iran expert at the advocacy group Partnership for Human Rights, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>.
• Despite promises made by judiciary officials to EU negotiators last October, improvements in human rights conditions have stopped, <b>Christina Gallach</b>, spokesperson for EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. However, she adds, the EU will continue its dialogue on human rights with the Islamic Republic authorities, and will pressure them on human rights. The Iranian officials are well aware that their cooperation on fighting international terrorism, the nuclear issue and peace in the Middle East, as well as human rights, remain EU's main conditions for resumption of talks on comprehensive economic and trade cooperation treaty, she says. (Fariba Mavedat)
• EU foreign ministers said they will postpone trade negotiations with Iran until after the June 14 meeting of the IAEA board of governors. Meanwhile, the EU has agreed to continue human rights talks with the Islamic Republic authorities.
<b>New Privatization Chief Speaks of Selling Airline and Shipping Enterprises</b>
• New head of the privatization organization Abdollah Pouri-Hosseini talked of the need to privatize large state enterprises, such as the national airline and shipping companies. In its three years of existence, the privatization organization has had three chiefs so far and little success. Each new boss spoke of high-minded projects, but faced a mountain of obstacles, particularly from of the powerful managers of state enterprises, who resist privatization. Also, a majority of the stocks of the enterprises which were “privatized,” were sold, not to the public, but the state-owned or state-run entities, such as insurance companies and social security organization. The privatization organization's new boss, Pouri-Hosseini is a member of pro-reform party the Participation Front, who lost his Majles seat in February 20 elections. Like his processors, he has begun his tenure with great promises, hoping to attract foreign investment in order to privatize large enterprises, such as the national airline and shipping companies. His first obstacle in this task is the constitution, which limits access to foreign investment, especially for major industries. Under these conditions, it is unlikely that Pouri-Hosseini can achieve anything greater than his two predecessors in the privatization organization. (Fereydoun Khavand)
<b>Bam Earthquake Left 5000 Orphans, Kerman Governor Says</b>
• Last November's earthquake, which killed 45,000, or more than half of Bam's population, and leveled 90 percent of the city's structures, has left nearly 5000 orphaned children and 3000 disabled people, according to the Kerman provincial governor. The national welfare organization (Sazeman-e Behzisti) has identified the orphaned children. The children whose parents were not found, and could not be placed with their relatives, are being put up for adoption, Kerman-based journalist <b>Mohammad Sadeq Taheri</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. (Fereydoun Zarnegar)
<b>Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Cites Progress on Rights</b>
• “The situation of human rights in Iran compared with 24 or 25 years ago is much better,” Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi said on Monday in a speech at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. “This does not mean in Iran from the point of view of human rights we don't have problems. We do have problems,” she added. “The people of Iran deeply believe in democracy, and the laws are not suitable… The people of Iran want more acceleration of legal reform and hope that the government will respect all its international obligations concerning human rights,” she said through a translator.
<b>Khatami Sends Privacy Bill to the Majles</b>
• The Khatami administration drafted a bill aimed at protecting the citizens' privacy. The constitution clearly protects the citizens' privacy, but the problem is a lack of respect for the laws, Tehran-based lawyer <b>Mohammad Jedari-Foroughi</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>.
<b>Judiciary Fines Lawyer for Criticizing Bill Limiting Bar Association's Power</b>
• A Tehran court fined lawyer <b>Nemat Ahmadi</b> for criticizing the Guardians Council for approving a judiciary's bill which ended the bar association's sole authority over law licenses. Lawyers who receive their license from the judiciary lack the independence needed for standing up to judges on behalf of defendants, Ahmadi tells <b>Radio Farda</b>, noting that the new law, which he had criticized, calls for annual renewal of law licenses issued by the judiciary. The Guardians Council's approval of judiciary's bill was good for law experts at the Guardians Council, who can now apply for law licenses through the judiciary, instead of going to the bar association, he says.
.
ليلي صدر (راديوفردا): نمايندگان فرانسه، آلمان و بريتانيا در سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي، پيشنويس قطعنامه اي را توزيع کرده اند که در آن از کامل نبودن همکاري ايران با سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي انتقاد شده است.
مريم احمدي (راديوفردا): در قطعنامه اي که متن آن در اختيار خبرگزاري رويتر قرار گرفته است، خواسته شده که بازرسي هاي سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي ادامه داشته باشد. همچنين از ايران خواسته شده تا تمامي اقدمات لازم را، هر چه سريعتر، براي روشن شدن پاسخ سوال هاي مطرح به عمل آورد. گرچه لحن قطعنامه تند است، اما به اقدامات تنبيهي، از جمله ارجاع مساله ايران به شوراي امنيت سازمان ملل متحد اشاره اي نشده است. اين در حالي است که ايالات متحده معتقد است که 18 سال مخفي کاري درباره برنامه هاي غني سازي اورانيم، ارجاع پرونده ايران به شوراي امنيت را توجيه مي کند.
ديپلمات هاي غربي در هيات مديره سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي مي گويند که احتمالا اکثريت اعضاي هيات مديره، از جمله ايالات متحده، قطعنامه را خواهند پذيرفت. مقامات ايران هنوز درباره پيشنويس اين قطعنامه اظهار نظر نکرده اند. قطعنامه پيشنهادي پس از بررسي، براي تصويب در هفته آينده تسليم هيات مديره سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي مي شود. روز يکشنبه وزارت امور خارجه ايران گفت: ايران همه اقدامات لازم را براي رفع نگراني جامعه بين المللي درباره برنامه هاي هسته اي اين کشور به عمل آورده است، بنابراين از سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي مي خواهد که به بازرسي ها پايان دهد و پرونده ايران را ببندد. اما يک ديپلمات مي گويد که نکته اصلي قطعنامه، تاکيد بر تداوم بازرسي ها تا زماني است که سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي شناخت کاملي نسبت به برنامه هاي هسته اي ايران پيدا کند.
در قطعنامه پيشنهادي هيات مديره سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي، از همکاري ايران در پاسخ دادن به خواست هاي سازمان براي دسترسي به تاسيسات هسته اي، از جمله تاسيسات نظامي، قدرداني شده است، اما از اين واقعيت انتقاد مي کند که همکاري ايران کامل، به موقع و فعالانه نبوده است. به ويژه از تصميم ايران در مورد به تاخير انداختن بازرسي هايي که قرار بود در ماه مارس گذشته انجام گيرد، انتقاد شده است. همينطور از اين مساله که ايران در گزارش ماه اکتبر خود، تصوير کاملي از برنامه هاي هسته اي ارائه نکرده بود.
سه قدرت بزرگ اروپايي، فرانسه، آلمان و بريتانيا، از اين مساله هم ابراز نگراني کردند که بازرسي هاي سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي، نشاني داده که ايران مساله دستگاه هاي گريز از مرکز P2 را هم مخفي کرده بود. محمد البرادعي، رئيس سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي، هفته گذشته در گزارش خود گفته بود که ايران داستان خود را در مورد دستگاه هاي گريز از مرکزي P2 که مي گفت در داخل ايران ساخته شده، تغيير داده است، و همين مساله از اعتبار گفته هاي ايران مي کاهد.
در مجموع، به گزارش خبرگزاري رويتر، لحن قطعنامه عمدتا انتقادي است. يک مقام آمريکايي مي گويد که تصور مي کند قطعنامه مورد توافق هيات مديره قرار بگيرد. در قطعنامه همچنين از ايران خواسته شده تا برنامه راه اندازي تاسيسات غني سازي اورانيم و ساخت يک رآکتور پژوهشي آب سنگين را متوقف کند، ضمن اينکه سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي از اينکه ايران تمامي فعاليت هاي غني سازي اورانيم را، چنانکه سال پيش قول داده، متوقف نکرده، عميقا ابراز تاسف کرده است. نمايندگان فرانسه، آلمان و بريتانيا در سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي، پيشنويس قطعنامه اي را توزيع کردند که در آن از کامل نبودن همکاري جمهوري اسلامي با سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي انتقاد شده است. اين قطعنامه خواهان آن شده است که بازرسي هاي سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي ادامه داشته باشد. همچنين از ايران خواسته شده تا تمامي اقدمات لازم را، هر چه سريعتر، براي روشن شدن پاسخ سوال هاي مطرح به عمل آورد. گرچه لحن قطعنامه تند است، اما به اقدامات تنبيهي، از جمله ارجاع مساله ايران به شوراي امنيت سازمان ملل متحد اشاره اي نشده است. در عين حال در قطعنامه پيشنهادي، از همکاري ايران در پاسخ دادن به خواست هاي سازمان براي دسترسي به تاسيسات هسته اي، از جمله تاسيسات نظامي، قدرداني شده است،
