Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiThursday, November 13, 2003
<b>US Finds IAEA Report on Iran “Impossible to Believe”</b>
• It is “simply impossible to believe” that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, US Undersecretary of State John Bolton said on Wednesday, in the Bush administration's first reaction to the International Atomic Energy Agency's confidential report that said UN inspectors found no evidence of bomb making activity, despite the fact that Iran had for 18 years conducted programs to enrich uranium and extract plutonium, in violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty safeguards. “The massive and covert Iranian effort to acquire sensitive nuclear capabilities makes sense only as part of a nuclear weapons program," Bolton said in a speech at a dinner for the conservative magazine <i>American Spectator</i>. (Bahman Bastani)
• The most positive point in IAEA chief ElBaradei's report is that there is nothing to suggest that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, President Khatami said on Wednesday. This proves our claim and removes the possibility for some powers to misuse the situation against us, he added. However, he criticized ElBaradei for bringing up Iran's many breaches of the NPT, asserting that Iran's violations had been in the past and that “there was no need to repeat them.” (Masoud Malek)
• Safety issues are separate and must be kept separate from the political issues, Los Angeles-based nuclear safety expert at the University of Southern California <b>Najmedin Meshkati</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. He expresses hope that the European countries keep their promise to Iran and provide Iran with technologies to ensure the safety of the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant. In an article on the safety of the Bushehr plant, the London daily <i>The Guardian</i> noted the high earthquake risk in the area where the plant is located. The original design of the Bushehr plant, made under Iran's previous regime, could sustain earthquakes up to 7 on the Richter scale, former head of Iran's nuclear energy organization <b>Akbar Etemad</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. However, it is not clear how much of the original German design has been kept in the Russian construction, he adds. Safety issues of hybrid designs such as that of the Bushehr plant are very difficult to assess. (Fatemeh Aman)
<b>Britain Rejects Argentina's Request to Extradite Iranian Bombing Suspect</b>
• There was not enough evidence to link Hadi Soleimanpour, former Iranian ambassador to Argentina, to the 1994 bombing attack against a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, the British Home Office said on Wednesday. The attack, blamed by Argentinean judiciary on Iranian diplomats and Lebanese operatives, killed 85 and wounded 300. “Soleimanpour is free to move around as he would before,” a Home Office spokesman said. Soleimanpour had been arrested on August 21 in London, but was released on a $1.25 million bail after spending nearly a month in jail. An Argentinean judge had issued arrest warrants for Soleimanpour and seven other Islamic government officials, including two cabinet ministers, for masterminding and financing the terrorist attack. Soleimanpour's arrest soured already strained UK-Iran relations. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian)
• By this “political” decision, Britain showed that it wanted to avoid further deterioration of its relations with the Islamic regime, Sky Channel commentator <b>Hazhir Teymourian</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. The decision will face criticism, since many in Britain believe that the British helped bring the Islamic regime to power, he adds. Britain announced that it was ready to reopen the case, if it receives more evidence from Argentina, but Soleimanpour will soon be in Iran, out of the reach of Britain or Argentinean judiciaries, he says. In releasing Soleimanpour, Britain tried to avoid another potential security risk, at a time when it is deeply involved in Iraq. (Shahran Tabari, London)
• Argentina's justice minister Gustavo Beliz visited Switzerland to investigate the alleged transfer of $10 million in hush money from the Islamic regime to former Argentinean president Carlos Menem, but Swiss justice minister Rush Metzler said no accounts belonging to Menem had been found in Swiss banks. Menem is suspected of accepting bribes to cover up Iran's alleged role in the 1994 attack against a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires. In the meeting with his Swiss counterpart, Argentinean justice minister also discussed other requests for legal assistance, including probe into possible accounts held by former Argentinean charge d'affairs in Tehran, who was the go-between in the alleged transaction between Menem and the Islamic authorities. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)
• Soleimanpour is free to leave England, British Embassy's charge d'affairs said. (Arash Qavidel, Tehran)
• Argentina's foreign minister Rafael Bielsa said he was ready to visit Tehran, if such a trip would help track down the bombing suspects. (Masoud Malek)
<b>Russia to Expand Defense Cooperation with Iran</b>
• Russia is preparing to send heavy military gear to Iran, reported the Moscow daily <i>Kommersant</i>. Moscow will soon deliver S-400 anti-air missiles to Iran for defense of the Bushehr nuclear plant, Radio Echo Moscow reported. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow)
<b>US-Based Anti-Regime Activist Proposes Freedom Fund</b>
• Iranians in the US have a net worth of $800 billion, former education minister and anti-Islamic regime activist <b>Manouchehr Ganji</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. He proposes the establishment of a US-based fund to channel donations from Iranians in the US to freedom fighters in Iran. (Firouzeh Khatibi)
<b>Missing Student Activist Calls Home from Jail</b>
• Jailed student activist Ahmad Batebi, who disappeared last week, three days before the end of his week-long furlough, after a meeting with UN Human Rights Commission's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Ambeyi Ligabo, called home yesterday to say that he had been taken to jail in blindfolds. Batebi, was thrown in jail at the age of 22 in the aftermath of the July 1999 student uprising, after a picture of him holding up the bloody tee-shirt of a fellow demonstrator appeared in foreign press. (Farin Asemi)
<b>Angry Demonstrators Clash with Police in Qum</b>
• Demonstrators angered by a widespread rumor about execution of a woman for insulting the holy Qoran, clashed with police, set fire to a bank and broke windows of offices of other banks in the center of Qum. The gathering became political. Demonstrators shouted slogans against the Supreme Leader and President Khatami, after police officers began beating and arresting the crowd, Qum-based reformist commentator and activist <b>Dr. Naser Karami</b> tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. Due to lack of press freedom, any false rumor can spread. (Mehdi Khalaji)
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بهمن باستاني (راديوفردا): دو روز پس از ارائه گزارش محمد البرادعي رئيس سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي درباره ايران به هيات مديره اين آژانس، آمريکا در نخستين واکنش به اين گزارش آن را باورنکردني توصيف کرد. جان بولتون معاون وزارت خارجه آمريکا در زمينه کنترل تسليحات، گفت: اين گزارش نظرات آمريکا را تاييد مي کند که نسبت به تلاشهاي پنهان و گسترده ايران براي دستيابي به تواناييهاي حساس هسته اي هشدار مي داده است.
تلاشهايي که به گفته او بخشي از توليد تسليحات هسته ايست. معاون وزارت امور خارجه آمريکا افزود: با وجود آنکه اين تلاشهاي 18 ساله در گزارش آقاي البرادعي قيد شده، اما در گزارش آمده است که شواهدي دال بر تلاش ايران براي برنامه تسليحات هسته اي وجود ندارد، مطلقا باورنکردني است. تاکيد آمريکا بر ضرورت برخورد با برنامه هاي هسته اي ايران در شوراي امنيت سازمان ملل است که مي تواند به تحريمهايي عليه ايران منجر شود. اين در صورتي است که جلسه هيات مديره سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي با بررسي گزارش محمد البرادعي رئيس اين آژآنس، تصميم به احاله موضوع به شوراي امنيت سازمان ملل بگيرد.
جان بولتون، معاون وزارت امور خارجه آمريکا در امور خلع سلاح، با اشاره به همين موضوع مي گويد: ايران بارها درمورد برنامه هسته اي خود به آژانس بين المللي انرژي اتمي دروغ گفته و اکنون با جامعه بين الملل است که چگونه در مورد اين نقض جدي پيمان منع گسترش تسليحات هسته اي، واکنش نشان دهد.
جان بولتون دو راه را در برابر دو حرکت متفاوت ايران در زمينه تعامل با سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي ترسيم مي کند. يک، ايران پاسخ کامل به قطعنامه 12 سپتامبر، 31 شهريور گذشته هيات مديره آژانس بدهد که در آن صورت به گفته جان بولتون پيشرفت چشمگير ايران را در به همگرايي با جامعه متمدن نشان خواهد داد. در آن قطعنامه از جمهوري اسلامي ايران خواسته شده است برنامه هاي توليد اورانيوم را فورا متوقف کند و ثابت کند در پي بهره برداري نظامي از فعاليتهاي هسته اي نيست.
جمهوري اسلامي ايران تا نهم آبانماه گذشته فرصت داشت تا اسنادي را در اثبات اين موضوع با آژانس ارائه دهد. در پي ارائه اين اسناد بود که محمد البرادعي رئيس اين آژانس گزارشي را دوشنبه گذشته به هيات مديره آژانس تسليم کرد و با انتشار قسمتهايي از همان گزارش توسط خبرگزاري رويتر، معلوم شد که آقاي البرادعي جمهوري اسلامي ايران را به نقض پيمان منع گسترش سلاحهاي هسته اي متهم کرده، اما در عين حال گفته است که مدرکي مبني بر تلاش جمهوري اسلامي ايران براي توليد سلاحهاي هسته اي ندارد.
جان بولتون معاون وزارت خارجه آمريکا در زمينه کنترل تسليحات، با اشاره به گزارش تازه محمد البرادعي، هيات مديره آژانس بين المللي انرژي اتمي، حرکت ديگر ايران را مورد اشاره قرار مي دهد و مي گويد: ايران مخفيانه دست به غني سازي اورانيوم و توليد و بازپرداخت پلوتونيم زده و تحت پوشش فعاليتهاي غير نظامي هسته اي، به برنامه هاي توليد جنگ افزار هسته اي پرداخته است. وي مي گويد اگر ايران همچنان به برنامه هاي هسته اي خود ادامه دهد و باز به سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي دروغ بگويد، در آن صورت جامعه بايد آماده شود که اعلام کند جمهوري اسلامي ايران به تعهداتش در قبال آژانس مذکور پايبند نيست. جان بولتون، معاون وزارت خارجه آمريکا در زمينه کنترل تسليحات در نخستين واکنش به گزارش محمد البرادعي رئيس سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي درباره ايران به هيات مديره اين آژانس، گفت اين كه در اين گزارش گفته شده است شواهدي دال بر تلاش ايران براي برنامه تسليحات هسته اي وجود ندارد، مطلقا باورنکردني است. جان بولتون افزود ايران بارها درمورد برنامه هسته اي خود به آژانس بين المللي انرژي اتمي دروغ گفته و اکنون با جامعه بين الملل است که چگونه در مورد اين نقض جدي پيمان منع گسترش تسليحات هسته اي، واکنش نشان دهد. تاکيد آمريکا بر ضرورت برخورد با برنامه هاي هسته اي ايران در شوراي امنيت سازمان ملل است که مي تواند به تحريمهايي عليه ايران منجر شود. اين در صورتي است که جلسه هيات مديره سازمان بين المللي انرژي اتمي با بررسي گزارش محمد البرادعي رئيس اين آژآنس، تصميم به احاله موضوع به شوراي امنيت سازمان ملل بگيرد.
