Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiMonday, November 17, 2003
<b>EU Foreign Policy Chief Backs Iran on Nuclear Issue</b>
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to stop short of calling for the Security Council to punish Iran with sanctions, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, ahead of talks in Brussels with supreme national security council's secretary Hassan Rowhani. Rowhani said after meeting foreign ministers of Italy, Britain and France, and a senior Germany official, in Brussels, that “there is no justification, no reason to refer Iran's peaceful nuclear program” to the Security Council. (Fariba Mavedat)
• Information supplied by Iran shows that its nuclear program goes beyond generating electrical power, US Secretary of State Collin Powell said, rejecting Solana's position. (Ali Sajjadi)
• Secretary of the supreme national security council Hassan Rowhani is to meet in Brussels with EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European Commissioner for foreign affairs Christ Patten. He is expected to ask them to vote against referring Iran's nuclear violations to the UN Security Council in the November 20 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors. (Baktash Khamsepour)
• The IAEA has received answers to all questions it asked Iran, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in a interview with <i>Time</i> magazine. (Shahran Tabari, London)
• IAEA reported that Iran has carried out secret nuclear projects for 18 years, in violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty's safeguards, but now Rowhani is in Europe to ask Europeans to do Iran's bidding at the IAEA's board meeting on November 20, in order to block US efforts to refer the case to the UN Security Council, <b>Mehdi Mozaferi</b> of the Institute of Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark, tells <b>Radio Farda</b>. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)
<b>Daughter of Serial Murders' Victims Accuses Judiciary of Cover-up</b>
• <b>Parastu Forouhar</b> daughter of Parvaneh and Dariush Forouhar, secular political activist, who were killed in 1998 a spree of murders attributed to “rogue” intelligence ministry agents, tells <b>Radio Farda</b> that five year after the murders, the judiciary continues to stone-wall attempts, by the Majles and others, the investigations into the murders. The Majles complaints committee said its investigation into the murders could only go so high in the Islamic Republic hierarchy, she said. Ms. Forouhar, who has gone to Iran from her home in Germany in order to attend the fifth anniversary of her parents' murder, adds that she will speak at the ceremony about her efforts to identify and prosecute those who ordered and facilitated the killing of her parents and other victims of the serial murders. (Ali Sajjadi)
<b>Qum Pressure Group Prevent the Speech of Nationalist-Religious Activist</b>
• Conservative “pressure group” broke up a speech arranged for nationalist-religious activist Habibollah Payman at the offices of the pro-reform party the Participation Front, headed by President Khatami's brother, news sources in Qum said. (Mahmonir Rahimi)
<b>Iraqi Missile Expert Flees to Iran</b>
• Iran is ready to help stabilize Iraq, foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi said after meeting head of the Iraqi governing council Jalal Talebani. (Ali Sajjadi)
• Talebani arrived in Tehran accompanied by a high-level delegation, including seven cabinet ministers and 10 governing council members. He said he will hold security talks with Iranian officials. (Ardavan Niknam)
• U.S. officers involved in the hunt for Iraq's weapons have told The Associated Press that the Iraqi scientist who headed Saddam Hussein's long-range missile program has fled to neighboring Iran. Dr. Modher Sadeq-Saba al-Tamimi's departure comes as top weapons makers from Saddam's deposed regime find themselves eight months out of work but with skills that could be lucrative to militaries or terrorist organizations in neighboring countries. U.S. officials have said some are already in Syria and Jordan, the AP reported. (Fariba Mavedat)
<b>Majles Committee Summons Tehran Judiciary Chief and Prosecutor to Hearing</b>
• The Majles committee investigating the judiciary summoned Tehran judiciary chief Abbas-Ali Alizadeh and Tehran prosecutor Said Mortazavi to a hearing scheduled for tomorrow. It is not logical for the judiciary officials to have time for the UN Human Rights Commission's special reporter and not for the Majles, said reformist MP and the committee's spokesman Mohsen Armin. (Shireen Famili)
<b>Iran Imports from Germany Soars by 25 Percent</b>
• Iran increased its imports from Germany by 25 percent in the first seven months of 2003, as compared to the same period in 2002. Germany exported 1.5 billion euros worth of goods to Iran in between January to July 2003, said head of Germany-Iran chamber of commerce, who is visiting Tehran. (Arash Qavidel, Tehran)
<b>Welfare Organization Holds Runaway Girls in “Health” Houses</b>
• Critics charge that the so-called “health” houses in which the national welfare organization “Sazeman-e Behzisti” has started to hold runaway girls, have turned into a center of activity for prostitution gangs. Deputy welfare organization Hassan Alam-Hodai said the charges were irresponsible and false. (Arash Qavidel)
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کولين پاول، وزير امور خارجه آمريکا، گفت که دولت بوش همچنان بر اين عقيده است که جمهوري اسلامي در تلاش است تا سلاح هاي اتمي توليد کند. آقاي پاول، روز دوشنبه نتيجه گيري مسئول سياست خارجي اتحاديه اروپا را که حکومت ايران در مورد برنامه اتمي خود صادق بوده است، رد کرد و گفت: اطلاعات بسيار زيادي که مقام هاي جمهوري اسلامي ارائه داده اند، اعتقاد ديرينه آمريکا را که برنامه توسعه اتمي حکومت ايران از توليد برق فراتر مي رود و قصد دارد تا جنگ افزار بسازد، تاييد مي کند. وزارت امور خارجه آمريکا گفت: باور کردن گزارشي که جمهوري اسلامي به آژانس بين المللي انرژي اتمي ارائه داده است، غير ممکن است. قرار است هيات مديره آژانس، اواخر اين هفته، گزارش را در جلسه اي در وين مورد بحث قرار دهند.
