Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiSunday, September 28, 2003
<b>Russia Will Continue Nuclear Cooperation with Iran, Says Putin</b>
• Russia will continue cooperation with Iran on the $800 million Bushehr nuclear power plant, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his joint press conference with President Bush at Camp David. He urged Iran to cooperate with the IAEA. (Leyli Arman)
• Iran will not compromise on its right to develop and utilize nuclear technology or to conduct uranium enrichment, foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said on Sunday. “Renouncing nuclear technology or uranium enrichment is not something that Iran will accept a compromise on,” he added. (Golnaz Esfandiari)
• Using its Shahab-3 medium-range missiles, Iran can deliver an atomic bomb as far as 1300 kilometers, according to Michael Levi of the Brookings Institute. (Ebrahim Biparva)
• Iran is ready to sign the additional protocol, foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi said in an interview with ABC News. He said the Islamic regime is determined and is trying to cooperate with the IAEA. However, he added that Iran would resist US pressures to give up its uranium enrichment program (Ebrahim Biparva)
• If Iran does not meet the deadline set by the IAEA board of governors, the UN Security Council's sanctions may include an oil embargo, which would be disastrous for Iran's economy, which is totally dependent on oil, Strayer University's political economy professor <b>Hadi Mehr-Sefat</b>. He tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that a nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, wastes the country's limited capital on an activity that is neither job producing, nor increases national product. (Ebrahim Biparva)
<b>Democracy and Human Rights Roundtable: Move towards Democracy Seven Years after Khatami's Election</b>
In today's roundtable, Georgetown University's sociology professor <b>Mehrdad Mashayekhi</b>, Tehran University law professors <b>Hatam Qaderi</b> and <b>Qasem Shoaleh-Saadi</b> comment on the degree of progress towards democracy in the seven years since President Khatami's election.
• The promised reforms, and among them, democracy and rule of law, failed to materialize; and the un-elected institutions of the government have gained more power, Qasem Shoaleh Saadi says. The only way for any reforms to succeed is to change the Islamic Republic constitution through a referendum.
• Those who occupied government positions under Khatami did not have the capability to carry out the promise of reforms, Hatam Qaderi says. However, the reform movement did help open the debate on, and educate the public about democracy, he adds.
• The post-reformist era has already started and calls for the formation of a widespread pro-democracy movement. Unlike the reform movement, which had limited goals within the framework of the constitution, the new movement should only focus on achieving true democracy. For the pro-Khatami reformists, reforms were a goal, a tactic and a strategy, whereas the reforms were only a means to reach democracy, Mashayekhi says.
<b>Intelligence Ministry Faults Judiciary's Investigation of Kazemi's Murder</b>
• The intelligence ministry said the judiciary's criminal investigation on the death in custody of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was misleading. The judiciary has charged an unnamed intelligence ministry interrogator in Kazemi's death. The intelligence ministry said there is no evidence to prove the interrogator was guilty of Kazemi's murder. (Ali Sajjadi)
• A Majles committee formed to investigate the judiciary asked lawyers, law enforcement personnel and other officials to provide any information they have on the conduct of the judiciary. (Ali Sajjadi)
• Tehran MP Mohsen Armin, deputy chair of the Majles national security and foreign relations committee and board member of the leftist Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), refused to appear in court to answer complaints filed against him by the Tehran prosecutor for the speech he made two months ago at the Majles in which he blamed Tehran prosecutor Said Mortazavi for Kazemi's death. (Jamshid Zand)
<b>New Reformist Grouping Hints at Pre-Election Split in Khatami's Camp</b>
• The announcement today of the formation of a new reformist grouping headed by the society of militant clerics (Jame-he Ruhaniyoon Mobarez) may split the reformists' vote in the upcoming Majles elections. The new alignmen, the Independent Reformist Front (Jebheh-ye Mostaqel-e Eslahat) will further solidify the reform camp, member of the central council of the society of the militant clerics Tehran MP Rasul Montajabnia said. However, the new alignment reflects the traditionalist clerics' reservations about the effectiveness of the methods of the largest pro-Khatami party the Participation Front (Jebheh-ye Mosharekat), [and would allow smaller reformist parties to remain in the reform camp without aligning themselves with the Participation Front.] Secretary-General of the participation Front Mohammad-Reza Khatami, brother of the President, threatened last week that his party may pull out of the upcoming elections, if its demands for free and fair election, without the conservative Guardians Council's veto power over candidates, were not be met. The new alignment may divide the reformist faction, secretary-general of the reformist Islamic labor party Bahman Yaqubi said. It appears that the society of the militant clerics aspires to take charge of the reform movement, due to the Participation Front's lack of popularity, board member of the reformist “moderation and development (Etedal and To'se'e) party Gholam-Ali Dehqan observed. (Ali Sajjadi)
• The nuclear crisis has further divided the two ruling factions. The reformist faction recommends signing the additional protocol of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but the conservatives believe that Iran must exit NPT. (Ali Sajjadi)
• Before attacking Iraq, the US had said that it will deal with Iran afterwards, but the hard-liners continued their divisive and provocative policies, charged Abadan reformist MP Abdollah Ka'abi, in a speech at the first Majles meeting after the two-week summer holidays. (Arash Qavidel, Tehran)
<b>Anti-Regime Demonstrations in Cologne, San Francisco</b>
• In a protest rally against the detention of political activists and journalists, organized by the Cologne-based committee to support the Iranian youth movement, participants asked the EU governments to end their economic ties with the Islamic regime, <b>Azadeh</b>, an organizer, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. The demonstrators want to make the voice of Iranian political prisoners heard in the world, and strive to keep alive the memory of the thousands of victims of the 1988 mass executions in the Islamic regime's prisons, she adds. (Shahram Mirian)
• Hundreds of activists today in San Francisco demonstrated against the death in custody of Canadian-Iranian photo journalist Zahra Kazemi. A demonstrator tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that the participants support freedom of Iran, but condemn any foreign military intervention against the regime. (Amir Armin)
<b>Police Confiscate 14,000 Satellite Dish Antennas</b>
• In a raid on a workshop in Shahriar, 20 miles south of Tehran, forces of the voluntary paramilitary unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confiscated 14,000 satellite dish antennas and arrested 15. In raids on warehouses and workshops, more than 70,000 dish antennas have been confiscated by the police since March 2003, while 3 million households reportedly watch satellite TV programs. (Mahdieh Javid)
<b>Germany to Release Convicted Killers of the Iranian Kurdish Democratic Party</b>
• In a prisoners' swap deal brokered by Germany between Israel and the Iran-supported Lebanese Hezbollah, Germany has agreed to release two convicted killers, who took part in the 1992 assassination of the secretary-general of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran and two of his aids in Munich. Kazem Darabai, an Iranian, and Abbas Rael, a Lebanese, have been serving life sentences in Germany, reports <i>Berliner Zeitung</i>. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)
<b>Judiciary Orders Reformist Newspaper Closed for Ten Days</b>
• The press court ordered the reformist newspaper <i>Yaas Now</i>, published by President Khatami's press advisor, to suspend operations for ten days. The newspaper was punished for refusing to carry a 120-page response to one of its articles by the Tehran judiciary's public relations office. (Ali Sajjadi)
<b>Challenging the Islamic Revolution</b>
* By forming a broad based parliament in exile, anti-regime Iranians can organize and focus their activities, and obtain financial assistance from their compatriots and foreign governments, including the US, activist Manouchehr Ganji, former education minister under the Shah, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. Ganji, who recently published a book on the ways to challenge the Islamic regime, says the factions within the regime are united in their support for the regime, its constitution and the autocratic role of the Supreme Leader. (Ebrahim Biparva)
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در ايران، جبهه مستقل اصلاحات اعلام موجوديت کرده است. اين جبهه که ائتلافي از بعضي از گروه هاي دوم خردادي است، عمدتا طيف روحانيون مبارز را در بر مي گيرد. رسول منتجب نيا، از مجمع روحانيون مبارز، درباره جبهه جديد مي گويد: جبهه اصلاحات از جبهه دوم خرداد جدا نيست و هدف از ايجاد آن، منسجم تر کردن جبهه دوم خرداد است.
خبر تشکيل جبهه مستقل اصلاحات، واکنش هايي را در ميان جامعه سياسي ايران برانگيخته است. در اکثر واکنش ها، نوعي نگراني از ايجاد دو دستگي در جبهه اصلاحات موسوم به دوم خرداد به چشم مي خورد. مثلا بهمن يعقوبي، دبير سياسي حزب اسلامي کار، در عين حال که مي گويد: اگر اين جبهه در راستاي تقويت آرمان هاي اصلاحات حرکت کند، شرکت و فعاليت ما در آن قطعي است، اما تاکيد مي کند که اگر تشکيل اين جبهه در جهت تضعيف جبهه دوم خرداد باشد و يا موجب دو دستگي و دوگانگي در آن شود، مورد حمايت ما نخواهد بود.
حجت الاسلام رسول منتجب نيا، عضو شوراي مرکزي مجمع روحانيون مبارز، مي گويد: جبهه اصلاحات جداي از جبهه دوم خرداد نيست و هدف از تشکيل آن، قوي تر و منسجم تر ساختن جبهه دوم خرداد است. وي افزوده است که طرح شکل دهي اين جبهه، ابتدا در مجمع روحانيون مبارز مطرح شده و بر اساس آن، مجمع رايزني هايي را با گروه هاي دوم خردادي در مسير متعهد کردن آنها نسبت به رعايت محورهاي اين جبهه انجام داده است.
به عبارت ديگر، به نظر مي رسد که هدف از تشکيل جبهه مستقل اصلاحات، منسجم کردن آن بخش از گروه هاي درون جبهه دوم خرداد است که معتقدند بايد با فشار از پايين، به چانه زني از بالا پرداخت. ترديد بنيانگذاران جبهه مستقل اصلاحات نسبت به توانايي جبهه مشارکت ايران اسلامي در انجام اين خواست گروه هاي درون جبهه، عامل اعلام جبهه مستقل اصلاحات گرديد.
جبهه مشارکت ايران اسلامي، به رهبري محمدرضا خاتمي که کنترل مجلس شوراي اسلامي را نيز در دست دارد، با موضعگيري هايي که در چند سال اخير براي متعهد ساختن و پاسخگو کردن صاحبان اصلي قدرت در مقابل نمايندگان مردم انجام داده، از يکسو باعث نگراني و عدم اعتماد جناح محافظه کار به خود گرديده و از سوي ديگر، با عدم توفيق در برنامه هاي اعلام شده اش، از وجهه اش در ميان مردم به شدت کاسته شده و محبوبيت خود را از دست داده است، پس جبهه مستقل اصلاحات قصد دارد از پراکندگي بيشتر نيروهاي موسوم به دوم خرداد جلوگيري کند و با جلب آراء مردم، نقش مهمي در مجلس آينده که قرار است انتخابات آن روز اول اسفند برگزار شود، بر عهده گيرد.
سعيد شريعتي، عضو شوراي مرکزي جبهه مشارکت اسلامي، در گفتگويي با خبرگزاري دانشجويي ايران، ايسنا، ضمن اظهار بي اطلاعي از تشکيل جبهه مستقل اصلاحات و تاکيد بر اينکه اصلاحات اهداف پيچيده اي ندارد و صرفا دنبال تمکين حاکميت و مجموعه ساختار سياسي به خواست و اراده مردم است، درباره اهداف تشکيل جبهه جديد مي گويد: چنانچه هدف از تشکيل چنين جبهه اي، اداره امور کشور بر مبناي خواست و اراده مردم باشد، مشروط بر اينک بيش از حد يک شعار با رنگ و لعاب باشد و توان عملي تجميع حاکميت، ملت و نيروهاي سياسي حول اين هدف را داشته باشد، تشکيل آن را بايد به فال نيک گرفت، ولي اگر تشکيل آن در راستاي ايجاد مرزبندي هاي جديد در ميان اصلاح طلبان باشد، همچنان که محافظه کاران از آن سخن مي گويند، فقط چند صباحي در رسانه ها مطرح مي شود و هيچ فايده اي هم نخواهد داشت، چرا که از هيچگونه استراتژي و اجماعي ميان گروه هاي سياسي برخوردار نيست.
سعيد شريعتي مي گويد: براي تلاش در راه اصلاحات و تمکين حاکميت به خواست مردم، نيازي به آرايش جديد سياسي نيست و با ترديد نسبت به سرنوشت جبهه جديد اصلاحات، مي افزايد: نگاهي به سرنوشت جبهه دوم خرداد و تحليل آن، روشن خواهد شد که آيا اصولا امکان حرکت جبه اي وجود دارد يا نه.
احتمالا واقع بينانه ترين تحليل را از چرايي برپايي جبهه مستقل اصلاحات، غلامعلي دهقان، عضو دفتر سياسي حزب اعتدال و توسعه ارائه داده است که مي گويد: با توجه به اينکه در شرايط کنوني کشور، جبهه مشارکت اسلامي وجهه مناسبي در سياست داخلي ندارد و از آن طرف مجمع روحانيون مبارز، به کليت نظام نزديکتر است و مي تواند از فيلتر شوراي نگهبان رد شود، به نظر مي رسد که اين مجمع قصد دارد در فقدان محبوبيت مشارکت، پرچمداري جبهه دوم خرداد را در دست گيرد. در ايران، جبهه مستقل اصلاحات اعلام موجوديت کرد. اين جبهه که ائتلافي از بعضي از گروه هاي دوم خردادي است، عمدتا طيف روحانيون مبارز را در بر مي گيرد. رسول منتجب نيا، از مجمع روحانيون مبارز، درباره جبهه جديد گفت که جبهه اصلاحات از جبهه دوم خرداد جدا نيست و هدف از ايجاد آن، منسجم تر کردن جبهه دوم خرداد است. خبر تشکيل جبهه مستقل اصلاحات، واکنش هايي را در ميان جامعه سياسي ايران برانگيخت و نوعي نگراني از ايجاد دو دستگي در جبهه اصلاحات موسوم به دوم خرداد به چشم مي خورد. حجت الاسلام رسول منتجب نيا، عضو شوراي مرکزي مجمع روحانيون مبارز، گفت که جبهه اصلاحات جداي از جبهه دوم خرداد نيست و هدف از تشکيل آن، قوي تر و منسجم تر ساختن جبهه دوم خرداد است. غلامعلي دهقان، عضو دفتر سياسي حزب اعتدال و توسعه گفت که با توجه به اينکه در شرايط کنوني کشور، جبهه مشارکت اسلامي وجهه مناسبي در سياست داخلي ندارد و از آن طرف مجمع روحانيون مبارز، به کليت نظام نزديکتر است و مي تواند از فيلتر شوراي نگهبان رد شود، به نظر مي رسد که اين مجمع قصد دارد در فقدان محبوبيت مشارکت، پرچمداري جبهه دوم خرداد را در دست گيرد.
