Gog and Magog in the news

[Shammu]

 China backs Asian for post of UN secretary-general
New Delhi, June 21, IRNA

China-UN-Secretary-general
The Chinese government is firmly advocating appointment of an Asian as the next United Nations secretary-general.

The Chinese government believed that Asia had the ability to select a prestigious and competent candidate acceptable to the world community, said a leading English daily, The Hindu, here on Wednesday quoting Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

Asked to comment on India's candidate, Shashi Tharoor, Jiang said selection of the next secretary-general was a major UN event.

No Asian has held the post for 34 years.

"Comprehensive consultations should be held on the selection," Jiang said.

Three other Asian countries have also named candidates, Sri Lankan diplomat and former UN disarmament chief Jayant Dhanapala, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiat Sathirathai and South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon.

China backs Asian for post of UN secretary-general

My note; Could we be seeing the begining of the Kings of the East??

[Shammu]

Iran intends to closely cooperate with UN Human Rights Council
Geneva, June 19, IRNA

Switzerland-Human Rights-Mortazavi
Tehran Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi said that formation of the United Nations Human Rights Council is a major development facing world nations and urged governments to attempt safeguard human rights as a necessity of the present age.

He told IRNA that the UN Human Rights Council should be strongly supported by all countries, adding that Iran intends to cooperate closely with this newly-founded council.

Currently visiting Geneva to attend the first UN Human Rights Council meeting, he added, "The Human Rights Council should be an assembly of lawyers and human rights experts representing all cultures and civilizations to observe the human rights situation throughout the world independently and unbiased.

He underlined that the council should also consider the most critical cases of human rights violation in today's world.

The prosecutor general said that nations right to determine their own destiny and negation of tribes' identity in their own lands are among the most fundamental rights, which have been constantly violated in the present age.

"The UN Human Rights Council should not disregard the issue of Palestine, violation of the rights of its people who have been residing there through centuries and ages as well as the fact that it has turned into a center of conflict and defense of primary human rights.

"International peace and security do not mean that developing countries should be absolutely inactive and let big powers violate human rights," he added.

Mortazavi said that the UN Human Rights Council should pay attention to UN Charter as well as international laws and human rights treaties, adding that human rights includes civic, political, cultural, social, economic development and non-discriminatory rights.

The prosecutor general said that the right to access high technologies, including nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, as a basic right of all nations.

He added that the UN Human Rights Council should strictly avoid being converted into a means for exerting pressure on behalf of powerful states.

"The council is expected to examine cases of human rights violation by some Western and European countries without any reservation.

"Violation of the Holocaust deniers' freedom of expression, citizens rights, migrants rights, human rights in the battle against terrorism as well as violations taking place in case of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) secret flights, children and supportless migrants, opposition to Islamic dress code and veil are some of such violations," he added.

He referred to various examples of human rights violations by the US which should be put high on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council, including the catastrophes caused by the US in various parts of the world, such as the Guantanamo Bay detention center, the US prison in Kosovo, Bagram prison in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, CIA's secret prisons and pressures exerted on American citizens.

Mortazavi said that the remarks of the lawyers inspecting the Guantanamo Bay detention center, explanation of the recently released Egyptian inmate on his torture by Americans in this prison and torture of prisoners in Guantanamo by modern methods should be examined.

"Meanwhile, the growing rate of suicide among inmates, refusal of US courts to investigate the complaints of prisoners and the harsh approach of the US troops to the inmates going on strike in Guantanamo prison should also be investigated by the Human Rights Council," he added.

He hoped that the UN Human Rights Council will not let the US and some hegemonic countries to misuse human rights as a tool to pressurize independent states and take revenge on them, in particular the Islamic countries, which do not agree with their illegal expectations.

The Tehran prosecutor general and prosecutor of the Revolutionary Court, accompanied by a number of judicial officials, including Justice Minister Jamal Karimi-Rad left for Geneva, Switzerland Monday morning to attend the first meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

During his stay in Geneva, Mortazavi will confer with a number of representatives of the countries attending the meeting to discuss matters of mutual concern.

The newly founded council started its activity in Geneva Monday and will continue up to June 22. It is being attended by the high-ranking representatives of more than 100 countries.

Iran intends to closely cooperate with UN Human Rights Council

[Shammu]

 Mottaki to visit Italy soon: ANSA
Rome, June 20, IRNA

Italy-Iran-Mottaki
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is to pay a visit to Italy very soon, the Italian News Agency (ANSA) announced Monday.

Quoting an informed source at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the news agency said Mottaki's visit will take place in the next few days.

Meanwhile, Italian dailies on Monday also announced that the Iranian foreign minister was due to arrive in the Italian capital Rome in the near future.

In an interview with La Repubblica, Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Ugo Intini referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran as a "powerful" country in the Persian Gulf region.

According to reports, during his visit to Rome, which is expected to last only for a few hours, Mottaki is to meet and confer with his Italian counterpart, Massimo D'Alema.

Tehran-Rome cooperation and the European proposed package of incentives will top the agenda of talks to be held between the two foreign ministers.

Mottaki to visit Italy soon: ANSA

[Shammu]

 India ready to expand trade ties with Iran
Isfahan, June 20, IRNA

India-Iran-Trade
Indian Ambassador to Tehran Manbir Singh here on Monday voiced his country's readiness to expand bilateral trade ties with Iran.

At a meeting with Isfahan's Governor-General Morteza Bakhtiari, he remarked that the Islamic Republic of Iran "enjoys rich resources and skilled manpower."
He said he would call on his government to dispatch Indian trade and economic delegations to Isfahan so that Indian officials would become familiar with the province's potentials.

He also announced New Delhi's readiness to set up different exhibitions in this Iranian province.

The Indian ambassador also said that exchange of students between the two countries' universities will help expand bilateral cultural cooperation.

For his part, Bakhtiari, said cultural commonalties enjoyed by the two nations were some of the incentives for promotion of Tehran-New Delhi relations.

India ready to expand trade ties with Iran

[Shammu]

Senegal leader on week-long visit to China

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - ©2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, June 21 (IranMania) - President Abdoulaye Wade of the west African state of Senegal was set Wednesday to start a visit to China representing a further step in relations since the two countries resumed diplomatic ties last year, AFP reported.

He was scheduled to spend a week in China followed by a two-day working visit to Iran, the Senegalese news agency APS reported. Programme details were not made available here.

A Senegalese delegation led by Prime Minister Macky Sall visited China in April.

Cooperation has continued between the two countries despite China breaking off diplomatic relations in 1996 when Senegal officially recognised Taiwan.

Last October Senegal announced it was cutting off ties with Taiwan and resuming relations with Beijing, citing "an objective analysis in depth of world geopolitics".

The Chinese embassy in Senegal reopened last January.

China is vigorously seeking to cement relations with resource-rich west African countries.

In its first ever African policy document, published in January, Beijing declared that the "one China" policy remains "the political foundation for the establishment and development" of relations with African countries.

"The Chinese government appreciates the fact that the overwhelming majority of African countries abide by the 'one China' principle, refuse to have official relations and contacts with Taiwan and support China's great cause of reunification," China states in the policy document.

Although Taiwan is self-governing, Beijing sees the island as a renegade province that will eventually be reunited with the mainland.

[Shammu]

UN nuclear chief to visit Turkey

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - ©2005 IranMania.com
 
Archived Picture - The head of the UN atomic watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, will pay a visit to Turkey next month to discuss Ankara's plans to develop nuclear energy, a Turkish diplomat said Tuesday, AFP reported.

LONDON, June 21 (IranMania) - The head of the UN atomic watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, will pay a visit to Turkey next month to discuss Ankara's plans to develop nuclear energy, a Turkish diplomat said Tuesday, AFP reported.

The agenda of the July 6-9 visit will focus on government plans to build three nuclear power plants with a total capacity of about 5,000 megawatts to become operational in 2012.

The project is aimed at fending off a possible energy shortage and reducing dependence on foreign energy supplies, mainly natural gas from Russia and Iran.

ElBaradei, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is also expected to discuss international issues with Turkish officials, the diplomat said.

Turkey neighbors Iran, which has been offered a package of incentives if it heeds international calls to suspend sensitive nuclear fuel work and cooperate with the IAEA.

Iran has ruled out suspending enrichment and has said it will come up with a counter-offer.

[Shammu]

Iran's Commerce minister in Malaysia for talks

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - ©2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, June 21 (IranMania) - Iranian Commerce Minister Massoud Mir-Kazemi, heading a high ranking economic delegation, arrived Tuesday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and was welcomed by Malaysian officials, IRNA reported.

Mir-Kazemi is to head the Iranian delegation in a meeting with Malaysian officials to be led by the country's minister of domestic trade and consumer affairs.

The two sides are scheduled to explore avenues for bolstering of Tehran-Kuala Lumpur ties in all fields.

The Iranian economic delegation is to sign some agreements as on expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries.

[Shammu]

Peres: Peace at hand
Israel and the Palestinians are closer to peace than ever, Shimon Peres said. "The distance between us is that shortest it has been for the last 50 years," Israel´s vice premier said Saturday at a Central Asian security conference in Kazakhstan. "The distance is very short, but the speed is very slow." Peres appeared to be refering to an anticipated summit next month between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, which could sap support for the new Hamas government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Peres argued that, rather than work for a peace deal immediately, Israel and the Palestinians should first improve economic cooperation as a mechanism for rapprochement.

Peres: Peace at hand

[Shammu]

Iraq Insurgents: We Will Kill 4 Kidnapped Russian Diplomats

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

CAIRO, Egypt  — An Al Qaeda-led insurgent group said in a Web statement Wednesday that it has decided to kill four kidnapped Russian Embassy staffers after a deadline for meeting its demands passed.

The statement, which did not say whether the decision has been carried out, came a day after the group claimed responsibility for killing two abducted U.S. soldiers whose bodies were found south of Baghdad.

In Moscow, the Foreign Ministry called on the kidnappers to spare the four Russians' lives. "We once again strongly urge (them) not to take an irreparable step and preserve the lives of our people," spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said.

He said Russia "has never and nowhere waged a war against Islam."

The Mujahedeen Shura Council said Moscow failed to meet its demands for a full withdrawal of troops from the war-torn region of Chechnya and that a 48-hour deadline set in a statement issued Monday had run out.

"Therefore, the Islamic court of the Mujahedeen Shura Council decided to implement God's law sentencing them (the four Russians) to death," the group said in a statement on an Islamic militant Web site where it often posts its messages. The statement's authenticity could not be confirmed.

The Shura Council is a grouping of seven Iraqi insurgent groups, most prominent among them al-Qaida in Iraq.

The statement did not state that the Russians were killed. The four embassy workers were abducted on June 3 in an attack on their car in which a fifth Russian was killed. The captives include the embassy's third secretary, Fyodor Zaitsev, and three other staffers, Rinat Agliulin, Anatoly Smirnov and Oleg Fedoseyev. The Foreign Ministry said Agliulin was Muslim.

The slaying of the two American soldiers was the first act of violence claimed by Al Qaeda in Iraq since its leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a June 3 airstrike on June 3. A Shura Council statement Tuesday said al-Qaida in Iraq's new leader, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, beheaded the two Americans.

The claims may aim to show that Al Qaeda in Iraq remains strong and will continue in the path laid down by al-Zarqawi, who masterminded kidnappings and killings of Westerners in Iraq -- beheading two Americans with his own hand -- as well as a bloody campaign of suicide bombings.

His hostage victims included Egypt's top diplomat in Iraq and two senior Algerian diplomats, part of a campaign to prevent Arab nations from sending ambassadors in support of the new Iraqi government.

The targeting of Russians in the kidnapping was unusual, since Moscow opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, winning it favor in the eyes of some Sunni Arabs, who now form the backbone of the insurgency.

But memories of that stance may be fading three years on -- and many Islamic militants despise Russia for its military campaigns in the southern Muslim republic of Chechnya, seen by radicals as a battleground for jihad, or holy war.

The Shura Council claimed responsibility for the abduction of the four Russians in a statement Monday, giving Moscow 48 hours to pull out of Chechnya and release Islamic militants from its prisons. It produced no photos or videos of the men to prove it was holding them.

In Wednesday's statement, the council said the Russian government "did not respond to our conditions for releasing its diplomats and gave no value to its citizens, only calling for their release while continuing its war against Islam and its people. "

It said the decision to kill the four came "in revenge for our brothers everywhere with whose blood the Russians' hands have been stained" and would be "an example for those who might follow them and dare to defy the mujahedeen (holy warriors)."

We Will Kill 4 Kidnapped Russian Diplomats

My note; Oops they may not want to do that. theres a reason Russia is called the bear.

[Shammu]

Iranians will unitedly defend country's rights
Hamedan, Hamedan Prov, June 22, IRNA

Hamedan-Visit-Ahmadinejad
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Wednesday evening said that the Iranian nation will unitedly defend the country's rights and not give up their legitimate demands.

Addressing local residents of the city of Kaboudar-Ahang in this western province, he added that Iranian people clamor for the right to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful ends.

"Today, the main objective of the government is to build the country on the foundations of justice and benevolence," he said, adding that unity, solidarity and justice are the prerequisites for nation-building.

Elsewhere in his speech, the Iranian president said countries of the world are working to establish peace and tranquility but are continually thwarted in their efforts by big powers who have other agenda for this world.

Expounding on certain problems facing the people of Kaboudar- Ahang, the president expressed hope these problems would soon be solved.

President Ahmadinejad, accompanied by Vice President for Executive Affairs Ali Saeedlou, Presidential Office chief Gholam Hossein Elham and members of his cabinet, arrived in Hamedan city, capital of this western province by the same name, Wednesday afternoon for a two-day visit.

Talking to reporters upon his arrival at the city's airport, Ahmadinejad said his official visits to the country's provinces bring him in direct contact with residents as well as their needs and problems in order to find solutions.

The president is scheduled to meet with local residents of the cities of Malayer, Nahavand, Touyserkan, Asadabad and Bahar on Thursday.

He will also hold a meeting with officials and war veterans of the province.

The president and his cabinet ministers are to hold a session in the the provincial capital, Hamedan, to discuss the province's problems and needs on Thursday.

President Ahmadinejad's visit to Hamedan is his 15th to various provinces of the country since the start of his initiative of bringing the government closer to the people.

He and his cabinet have already visited the provinces of South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Ilam, Qom, Hormuzgan, Bushehr, Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari, Lorestan, Golestan, Kohgilouyeh and Boyer Ahmad and Khorassan Razavi, Zanjan, Markazi and Qazvin.

Iranians will unitedly defend country's rights

[Shammu]

Government to fulfill commitment to nation
Hamedan, June 21, IRNA

Iran-Visit-Ahmadinejad
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Wednesday said that the government will fulfill its commitment to the nation adding that according to the government's principles, the country should be built up on the basis of justice, kindness, serving the people, progress and lofty goals.


Speaking at a gathering of people in Hamedan, he said that the government cannot act outside the framework of laws and ratified bills, adding that however, the approach and reasoning of the present government is quite distinct from the former ones.

"We believe that justice should be considered in administration of the current affairs, so that available facilities will be distributed fairly among all provinces.

"Job creation for the youth is given top priority and is high on the agenda of government and Majlis," added the president.

Ahmadinejad assured that today economic situation is normal and reforms are being effected in the economic sector, adding that the government serves the people and examines all existing problems.

The president called on people to be vigilant as usual, given the attempts underway to impose anxiety, unrest and concern on the country's economic sector.

The president along with the Executive Vice President Ali Saeedlou, Head of Presidential Office Gholam-Hossein Elham and some members of his cabinet arrived in Hamedan on Wednesday.

On the first day of his 15th provincial tour to Hamedan, the president is scheduled to visit the cities of Razan and Kaboudarahang to meet families of martyrs and disabled war veterans.

On Thursday, the chief executive will meet the citizens of the provincial cities of Malayer, Nahavand, Touyserkan, Asadabad and Bahar.

The 15th provincial cabinet meeting will be held in Hamedan on Thursday afternoon to discuss the problems facing the province.

Ahmadinejad arrived in the provincial city of Razan after addressing the citizens of Hamedan.

The city of Razan is situated 83 kilometers from Hamedan and has a population of 130,000.

Government to fulfill commitment to nation

[Shammu]

 Mottaki sums up results of Baku OIC gathering
Baku, June 21, IRNA

Mottaki-OIC-Sum Up
Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki here on Wednesday elaborated on results of the Organization of Islamic Conference's Baku ministerial gathering and Tehran's stands on some regional and international affairs.


Speaking to IRNA, the IRI Foreign Minister said minutes before leaving Baku that the Baku conference was held under certain conditions prevailing in Islamic World.

He reiterated, "The situation in occupied lands and coming to power of Hamas Government in Palestine, aggravation of the Zionist regime's criminal acts, the situation of Iraq, where the permanent government has come to power, the fragile status in Afghanistan in terms of the security conditions, on the one hand, and Iran's nomination of the current (Iranian) year as the Year of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) on the other hand, make the conditions very special today."
Mottaki added, "We have to add to that list the latest stands adopted by our country regarding our peaceful nuclear program." The Iranian top diplomat referred to the issuance of the OIC ministerial meeting's ending communique, arguing, "The document has some very important parts."
Mottaki added, "Regarding Palestine, the communique has praised resistance of the oppressed Palestinian nation, welcomed coming to power of Hamas government based on people's free votes, called for rushing assistance urgently to the Palestinian nation and government, and condemned the criminal acts committed by Israel against the innocent women, children, and men, particularly in recent days." He said that reflection of the nomination of the current (Iranian) year (ending on March 21, 2007) as the Year of the Holy Prophet in documents of OIC meeting was of great significance, adding, "The Foreign Ministers of the Islamic World considered that nomination as a type of praising Prophet Muhammad's grand personality and also condemned the blasphemous plot hatched against him in some EU press." Mottaki said, "The need for maintaining the existing solidarity within the Islamic World, and to move unanimously to safeguard the Islamic values and sanctities, too, was emphasized under the same entry in the communique."
He added that the OIC Foreign Ministers welcomed the Islamic Republic of Iran's proposal for hosting a conference of Foreign Ministers of Iraq's neighbors in Tehran on July 17th and 18th, considering the matter as an important ratification of the conference.

Our country's Foreign Minister also considered the Baku Conference as an appropriate opportunity for the Islamic World Foreign Ministers to hole bilateral talks.

Mottaki added, "A new initiative on the sidelines of this Conference was a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan".

He said that in his recent trip Islamabad the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had welcomed the idea, and the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, too, had done the same in his recent visit of Tehran, adding, "in that meeting we exchanged ideas on how to restore peace and security in Afghanistan and surveyed ways to boost trilateral border nd economic cooperation."
Mottaki said, "We also agreed to maintain high level trilateral talks and to prepare the ground for holding a trilateral summit, as well, to survey the current conditions in Afghanistan."
He referred to agreements on need to further facilitate border transactions and to confront terrorist moves more effectively as other decisions made at that meeting.

Mottaki sums up results of Baku OIC gathering

[Shammu]

Iran welcomes broad participation with Europe
Rome, June 21, IRNA

Iran-Mottaki-Italy
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki upon arrival in Rome Wednesday said that Iran welcomes all kinds of participation with the European friendly countries to settle existing misunderstanding about Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

However, Mottaki said."This does not mean that Iran is seeking new channels for negotiation with Europe."
On the aim of his visit to Italy, Mottaki said he will talk with his Italian counterpart and exchange views on bilateral relations and the latest situation of Iran peaceful nuclear activity.

By appreciating Iran-Italy traditional and old good relations, the foreign minister expressed hope that bilateral ties in political and economic affairs can expand and develop.

Mottaki arrived at Ciampino Airport of Rome on Wednesday and is to meet with Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema.

Iran welcomes broad participation with Europe

[Shammu]

 Iran-Libya call for expansion of mutual cooperation
Algiers, June 21, IRNA

Iran-Libya-Cooperation
Iran's Ambassador to Tripoli Seyed Baqer Sakhaei in a meeting with member of presiding board of Libya's General People's Congress (Libyan parliament) and former Libyan Prime Minister Mubarak Abdallah Ash-Shamikh discussed issues of mutual interest with him.

The Libyan official appreciated Iran's principled stand on his country during the international sanctions against Libya.

He also called for expansion of bilateral relations especially in economic fields.

Ash-Shamikh, who was in Iran recently to participate in a conference on Palestine, referred to Iran's experiences concerning construction and urban services and expressed Tripoli's readiness for cooperation in this field.

Iran's ambassador, for his part, also expressed his country's readiness to expand cooperation in different fields with Libya.

Iran-Libya call for expansion of mutual cooperation

My note; And now we have Cub, talking with Gog.  Yes I would say, things are looking up. So KEEP ON LOOKING UP!!

[Shammu]

 Ahmadinejad denounces discrimination against Islamic societies
Hamedan, June 22, IRNA

Nahavand-President-Address
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that discrimination against Islamic groups or societies is poison which kills and obliterates all their achievements.

Addressing a huge crowd of local residents in the city of Nahavand in the western province of Hamedan, he underlined the need for fair distribution of facilities among the country's local governments.

Unity, solidarity and hard work are needed to further develop the country, he stressed.

The Iranian nation, relying on Almighty God and the talents of its youth, is gaining access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, he said, and added that Iranians are insisting on the country's legitimate right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy.

Elsewhere in his speech, the president referred to creation of jobs as a main task of the government.

Today mankind is facing numerous problems including
discrimination, poverty, bullying and suppression by big powers, the president noted.

The Iranian nation has said time and again that it does not seek to impose its will on others nor will it be bullied in its rights by any power, he added.

Accompanied by his cabinet ministers, President Ahmadinejad arrived in the city of Nahavand on Thursday morning.

Nahavand, with a population of 190,000 people, is located 152 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital, Hamedan.

From Nahavand, the president and his entourage will travel to the cities of Touyserkan, Asadabad and Bahar to meet with local residents.

Later today he and his cabinet ministers will return to Hamedan city to hold a session to discuss the province's problems and needs before concluding their two-day visit.

Ahmadinejad denounces discrimination against Islamic societies

My note; You notice he doesn't say anything about his own discrimation against Christians.