News, Prophecy and other

[Shammu]

Text of the European draft resolution on Iran
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

The text of the resolution on Iran submitted by European nations to the 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency referring it Saturday to the UN Security Council:

The Board of Governors

(a) Recalling all the resolutions adopted by the Board on Iran's nuclear program,

(b) Recalling also the Director General's reports,

(c) Recalling that Article IV of the Treaty on the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons stipulates that nothing in the Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable rights of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of the Treaty,

(d) Commending the Director General and the Secretariat for their professional and impartial efforts to implement the Safeguards Agreement in Iran to resolve outstanding safeguards issues in Iran and to verify the implementation by Iran of the suspension,

(e) Recalling the Director General's description of this as a special verification case,

(f) Recalling that in reports referred to above, the Director General noted that after nearly three years of intensive verification activity, the Agency is not yet in a position to clarify some important issues relating to Iran's nuclear program or to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran,

(g) Recalling Iran's many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply with its NPT Safeguards Agreement and the absence of confidence that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes resulting from the history of concealment of Iran's nuclear activities, the nature of those activities and other issues arising from the Agency's verification of declarations made by Iran since September 2002,

(h) Recalling that the Director General has stated that Iran's full transparency is indispensable and overdue for the Agency to be able to clarify outstanding issues (GOV/2005/67),

(i) Recalling the requests of the Agency for Iran's cooperation in following up on reports relating to equipment, materials and activities which have applications in the conventional military area and in the civilian sphere as well as in the nuclear military area (as indicated by the Director General in GOV/2005/67),

(j) Recalling that in November 2005 the Director General reported (GOV/2005/87) that Iran possesses a document related to the procedural requirements for the reduction of UF6 to metal in small quantities, and on casting and machining of enriched, natural and depleted uranium metal into hemispherical forms,

(k) Expressing serious concerns about Iran's nuclear program, and agreeing that an extensive period of confidence-building is required from Iran,

(l) Reaffirming the Board's resolve to continue to work for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, and

(m) Recognizing that a solution to the Iranian issue would contribute to global nonproliferation efforts and to realizing the objective of the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including their means of delivery,

1. Underlines that outstanding questions can best be resolved and confidence built in the exclusive peaceful nature of Iran's program by Iran responding positively to the calls for confidence building measures which the Board has made on Iran, and in this context deems it necessary for Iran to:

# reestablish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and processing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency;

)

# reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water;

# ratify promptly and implement in full Additional Protocol;

# pending ratification, continue to act in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol which Iran signed on 18 December 2003;

# implement transparency measures, as requested by the director General, including in GOV/2005/67, which extend beyond the former requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request in support of its ongoing investigations;

2.Requests the Director General to report to the Security Council of the United Nations that these steps are required of Iran by the Board and to report to the Security Council all IAEA reports and resolutions, as adopted, relating to this issue;

3. Expresses serious concern that the Agency is not yet in a position to clarify some important issues relating to Iran's nuclear program, including the fact that Iran has in its possession a document on the production of uranium metal hemispheres, since, as reported by the Secretariat, this process is related to the fabrication of nuclear weapon components; and, noting that the decision to put this document under Agency seal is a positive step, requests Iran to maintain this document under Agency seal and to provide a full copy to the Agency;

4. Deeply regrets that, despite repeated calls from the Board for the maintaining of the suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities which the Board has declared essential to addressing outstanding issues, Iran resumed uranium conversion activities at its Isfahan facility on 8 August 2205 and took steps to resume enrichment activities on 10 January 2006;

5. Calls on Iran to understand that there is a lack of confidence in Iran's intentions in seeking to develop a fissile material production capability against the background of Iran's record on safeguards as recorded in previous Resolutions, and outstanding issues; and to consider its position in relation to confidence-building measures, which are voluntary and non legally binding, and to adopt a constructive approach in relation to negotiations that can result in increased confidence;

6. Requests Iran to extend full and prompt cooperation to the Agency, which the Director General deems indispensable and overdue, and in particular to help the agency clarify possible activities which could have a military nuclear dimension;

7. Underlines that the Agency's work on verifying Iran's declarations is ongoing and requests the Director General to continue with his efforts to implement the Agency's Safeguards Agreement with Iran, to implement the Additional Protocol to that Agreement pending its entry into force, with a view to providing credible assurance regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and to pursue additional transparency measures required for the Agency to be able to resolve outstanding issues and reconstruct the history and nature of all aspects of all aspects of Iran's past nuclear activities;

8. Requests the Director General to report on the implementation of this and previous resolutions to the next regular session of the Board, for its consideration, and immediately thereafter to convey, together with any Resolution from the March Board, that report to the Security Council; and

9. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Text of the European draft resolution on Iran

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Muslim Militants Threaten Christians and Europeans
Julie Stahl
Jerusalem Bureau Chief

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Palestinian militants angry over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers issued threats against Europeans on Thursday, while a Christian group said there may be a link between the Danish cartoons and a recent wave of attacks against Iraqi Christians.

A dozen caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, originally published in a Danish newspaper in September and recently reprinted in six other European countries, have sparked protests and an expanding Muslim boycott of Danish goods.

Aside from the fact that one of the cartoons depicted Mohammad as a terrorist, Muslims consider any depiction of the seventh century figure to be blasphemous.

Attacks on Iraqi Christians

A British-based advocacy group that monitors Christians living in the Muslim world released a statement on Thursday saying that the beating of Christian students and the bombing of at least four churches in Iraq on Sunday could be linked to protests over the cartoons.

Muslim students beat Christian students at Mosul University on Sunday. Several days earlier, sheiks in the city had issued a number of fatwas (Islamic religious decrees) calling for Muslims to "expel the crusaders and infidels form the streets, schools and institutions because they insulted the person of the prophet in Denmark," the Barnabus Fund said in a press release.

In separate incidents on the same day, at least three people were killed and more than a dozen injured in near-simultaneous bombings outside at least four churches in Iraq. The attacks apparently were timed to happen during worship services.

"Many Christians in Iraq are connecting this week's church bombings with the growing furor across the Muslim world caused by the publication of some cartoons caricaturing Mohammad in a Danish newspaper on 30th September 2005," the Barnabus Fund said.

Churches in Iraq have been attacked previously, but some Christians believe that this new wave of attacks was ignited by the by the issue of the cartoons, one source said.

A Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Wednesday that Islamic cleric Sheikh Nazem Mesbah issued a fatwa calling for people who insulted Mohammed to be killed, but the fatwa reportedly was rejected by other Islamic clerics.

In another development, an al-Qaeda-affilitated group Abu Hafez al-Masri Brigades reacted to the cartoons by threatening "blood war" on Denmark.

In a message sent to the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi on Wednesday, the group threatened to carry out September 11-type attacks on Denmark, the Israeli website YNet reported on Thursday.

A number of Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Syria, have recalled their ambassadors from Copenhagen in protest.

Palestinians jump on cartoon bandwagon

In the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian gunmen surrounded the office of the European Union, firing guns into the air and demanding an apology for the cartoons within 48 hours.

A spokesman for the two groups -- Islamic Jihad and the Yasser Arafat brigade of the Fatah faction -- said they would keep the E.U. offices closed "until the government makes an apology."

One European Union source said the office was closed on Monday anyway, following the first protest outside the building earlier this week.

Two other Palestinian militant groups, the Popular Resistance Committee and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, threatened to harm all nationals and diplomats of countries involved in the controversy.

In a joint statement the groups said the diplomats and nationals "can be considered targets."

A spokesman for the two groups said the threat was serious. The statement demanded that the offices and consulates of the countries involved be closed -- "Otherwise, we will not hesitate to destroy them."

European Commission spokeswoman Emma Udwin said security measures had been taken following the threats but she did not offer details.

"We support the freedom of expression but respect [the differences] between cultures," Udwin said.

Speaking by phone from Brussels, Udwin said she had not been authorized to make any apology but stressed that those who profit from newspapers where the cartoons were printed do so in their own name and are not government organs.

"Europeans in the region are generally there to improve the living conditions of Palestinians," said Udwin. "Those who make threats should bear that in mind," she added.

Muslim Militants Threaten Christians and Europeans

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Iran: Referral to U.N. Will Kill Russia's Uranium Proposal

Friday, February 03, 2006

VIENNA, Austria — Iran warned Friday it no longer would consider a Kremlin proposal to move its uranium enrichment program to Russia if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council over suspicions it might be seeking nuclear weapons.

If Iran's nuclear file goes to the Security Council, "there will be no way we can continue with the Russian proposal," said Javad Vaeidi, deputy head of the powerful National Security Council and a top nuclear negotiator.

He was referring to attempts to persuade Iran to shift its uranium enrichment program to Russia to prevent its misuse for nuclear arms. The 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world body's nuclear watchdog, is considering whether to refer Iran to the Security Council over the disputed program.

But Russia's chief IAEA delegate, Grigory Berdennikov, denied any threat to the proposal.

"Our offer is still on the table and the negotiations will continue," he said Friday.

Officials in Tehran have previously suggested referral could endanger the proposal. But Vaeidi's comments were the first to state outright that Iran would stop considering the plan, which has broad international backing from nations concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed only at generating electricity.

Diplomats finished fine-tuning a resolution calling for Iran's referral to the Security Council by Friday evening and awaited final approval from their governments before submitting it to the 35-nation board.

The board was expected to approve the resolution Saturday, with no more than about 10 members expected to abstain or vote against it, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity in exchange for discussing the state of efforts to report Iran to the council.

Vaeidi acknowledged that referral seemed unavoidable, telling reporters: "This is an adopted draft.

"It means that the U.S. and the EU-3 are intending to kill two issues, first to stop diplomacy and second to kill the Russian proposal," he said, alluding to France, Britain and Germany, the countries proposing referral in a resolution before the board.

Iranian officials are expected in Moscow on Feb. 16 for talks on the proposal to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear program on Russian soil. The offer, backed by the United States and the European Union, is intended to make it more difficult for Tehran to develop weapons.

Iranian officials have welcomed the proposal but say it needs work, leading to suspicions they are stalling.

Vaeidi reiterated earlier threats that Iran will resume full-scale work on uranium enrichment and stop honoring an agreement giving IAEA inspectors broad powers to conduct short-notice inspections of his country's nuclear program.

"I advise them not to make a historical mistake," he said, alluding to nations actively backing referral.

Support for Iran at the Vienna meeting appeared to be limited Friday. Cuba, Venezuela, Syria and a few other countries remained opposed, while India was said to be leaning toward supporting referral.

Egypt, one senior diplomat said, was insisting on a mention of a nuclear-free Middle East zone — an allusion to demands that Israel disarm.

Still, a draft made available to The Associated Press showed only minimal changes to the one submitted Wednesday and the key demand — referral of Iran to the council — remained.

Diplomats said backing for Iran had shrunk since Russia and China swung their support behind referral at an overnight meeting with the United States, France and Britain — the other three permanent council members.

In New York, China's U.N. ambassador said Beijing would never support sanctions against Iran "as a matter of principle," instead preferring a low-key approach in confronting Tehran. Wang Guangya said he did not want the Security Council to pressure Iran but instead support IAEA efforts to defuse the standoff.

Chief U.S. IAEA delegate Gregory L. Schulte said there was a "solid majority in support of a resolution that reports Iran to the Security Council — and that majority is growing."

In Tehran, former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, now leader of the powerful Expediency Council, said taking Iran before the Security Council would be a "black page" in history.

"There can't be cruelty clearer than this," he told tens of thousands of worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at Tehran University.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has stressed that even if the issue is referred, the Security Council would not take up the issue before next month — a condition attached by Russia and China in exchange for their support.

Washington has waited years for international suspicions over Iran's nuclear ambitions to translate into support among IAEA board members.

Only a simple majority is needed to approve the text, but the United States and its backers have held off pushing for earlier referral in hopes of building consensus. Support has grown since Jan. 10, when Iran stripped IAEA seals from enrichment equipment and announced it would restart the program.

Iran: Referral to U.N. Will Kill Russia's Uranium Proposal

My note; Unless Russia decides to go ahead anyway. Which I can see Russia doing..........

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Day of anger threatened over cartoons of Prophet
By David Rennie, Europe Correspondent and Tim Butcher in Jerusalem
(Filed: 03/02/2006)

A leading Islamic cleric called for an "international day of anger" today over publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, and a Danish activist predicted that deadly violence could break out in Europe "at any minute".

As more European newspapers reprinted the cartoons, what started off as a row between Denmark's press and its Muslim population grew into a full-blown "clash of civilisations".

Anger boiled over in the Gaza Strip, where gunmen from Islamic Jihad occupied the office of the European Union. Europeans began to leave the Palestinian territories after threats from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Jihad al-Momani, the editor of the Jordanian newspaper al-Shihan, was sacked for trying to publish three of the 12 caricatures. He said that he was aiming "to show his readers "the extent of the Danish offence".

A leading hard-line Muslim cleric, Sheikh Yussef al-Qaradawi, called for the day of anger to protest against the printing of the cartoons - first published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September - in other European papers.

"Let Friday be an international day of anger for God and his prophet," said the sheikh, who is the head of the International Association of Muslim Scholars. He is one of the Arab world's most popular television preachers and made a controversial visit to London in July 2004 as a guest of the mayor, Ken Livingstone.

Ahmed Akkari, a Muslim theologian from Copenhagen, said he had attended a meeting this week with the Danish intelligence service, which called the situation "very, very tense".

He said that a text message had been sent to the mobile phones of young Muslims "telling people not to react to provocations from Right-wing extremists, like burning the Koran, but I know some Muslims will not listen to our message".

He said the level of anger was "very high" in the Muslim community across Europe and the wider world.

"It is more likely [than not] that any minute we will hear of violence unless the police can control the situation."

Mr Akkari is the spokesman for a group of Danish imams and activists who brought the cartoons - plus three more offensive ones from an unknown source - to the wider attention of Muslims in trips to Egypt and Lebanon. One of the three new cartoons shows Mohammed with a pig's snout.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Akkari referred to the murder of Theo van Gogh in the Netherlands in 2004. Mr van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death by a Muslim extremist as "punishment" for making a film about the repression of Muslim women that included images of naked women with Koranic verses on their skin.

"For four months we have been trying to take this conflict in hand politically and by the legal system so that we should not see any scenario like Holland," Mr Akkari said.

He issued a warning that "a clash of civilisations" might result from the decision of newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland to reproduce the 12 cartoons.

"The latest developments are very dangerous. If some militant group goes to a church and tries to do something wrong, it can really escalate and make a danger for European communities."

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the prime minister of Denmark, told the Danish newspaper Politiken that the issue had gone beyond a row between Copenhagen and the Muslim world and now centred on western free speech versus taboos in Islam. He said: "We are talking about an issue with fundamental significance to how democracies work."

Ahmad Sheikh, the president of the Muslim Association of Britain, called on the British media not to publish the cartoons.

He said: "Society has to debate the issue but printing an image of the Prophet is offensive to the Muslim community. It is idolatrous. What benefit is there? It will damage community relations. Free speech ends when it starts hurting other people."

Channel 4 news showed the cartoons clearly in its 7pm broadcast last night and the BBC showed them fleetingly. They also appear on the website of the extremist British National Party. Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "It is entirely a matter for media organisations to decide what they want to do. It is a matter for them within the law."

British Muslim leaders met the Danish ambassador in London on Wednesday to express their anger over the drawings.

Day of anger threatened over cartoons of Prophet

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Series of Tragic Errors Doomed Egypt Ferry

By MARIAM FAM, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago

SAFAGA, Egypt - The series of tragic errors that apparently claimed more than 1,000 lives on an Egyptian ferry escalated when the crew decided to push across the Red Sea despite the fire burning in the aging vessel's parking bay, survivors said Saturday.

The Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98 had sailed only about 20 miles from the Saudi shore, but its crew instead tried to reach Egypt's shores 110 miles away. Only 376 survivors had been rescued by late Saturday.

"We told the crew, 'Let's turn back, let's call for help,' but they refused and said everything was under control," said passenger Ahmed Abdel Wahab, 30, an Egyptian who works in Saudi Arabia.

Passengers began panicking, and crew members locked up some women in their cabins, Wahab and another survivor said, though many others being treated in Safaga hospitals Saturday said that was not true.

As the blaze grew out of control, passengers not locked in their rooms moved to one side of the 35-year-old vessel. An explosion was heard, and high winds helped push the unbalanced ship over. The ship quickly sank with more than 1,400 passengers and crew and 220 cars aboard.

News reports on Saturday said the ship's captain and some of the crew fled their drowning vessel in one of the first lifeboats to launch.

Despite the fire, the ship had managed to get within about 55 miles of the Egyptian port of Hurghada, according to official accounts.

At the port of Safaga — the ship's original destination — relatives and friends of passengers begged authorities for information. When there was none, some banged on the iron gates trying to storm the docks.

Riot police with truncheons pushed the frantic crowd away from the port compound. Angry relatives threw stones, and some police could be seen hurling them back.

Shaaban el-Qott, 55, from Qena, Egypt, was looking for his cousin. He had been waiting at the port since Friday morning and spent the night on the street.

"No one is telling us anything. All I want to know if he's dead or alive. We rely on God. May God destroy Hosni Mubarak!" el-Qott shouted to a reporter Saturday, referring to the Egyptian president. "This government was supposed to throw this ship away and get a new one."

The rescue effort got off to a slow start. Initial offers of help were rejected, and two days after the ship set sail from Dubah, Saudi Arabia, just 376 survivors had been found. The ship's captain was reported missing.

Egyptian officials initially rejected a British offer to divert a warship to the scene and a U.S. offer to send a P3-Orion maritime naval patrol aircraft. Egypt reversed itself, but in the end only the Orion — which can search underwater from the air — was sent.

Four Egyptian rescue ships reached the scene Friday afternoon, about 10 hours after the ferry was believed to have capsized.

Many survivors complained that crew members discouraged them from putting on life jackets and said they did nothing to put lifeboats in service when it became obvious the ship would sink.

"It was like watching the movie Titanic," said Sayed Abdul Hakim, a 32-year-old painter who worked in Kuwait. "None of the crew brought down life boats or even told us how to use them. I swam for three hours. Then I spotted a rubber boat and I climbed in. I stayed there for 18 hours. I felt I was a dead man."

Another survivor, Nabil Taghyan, 27, said he saw the captain and crew flee in lifeboats.

"The captain took the first speed boat, even though he should go last," Taghyan told The New York Times, according to its online edition Saturday.

The tragedy struck a deep core of discontent among Egyptians, who are suffering from a considerable economic downturn and increased unemployment.

"Had the government made any job opportunities available at home, these people wouldn't have been forced to go abroad in the first place," said Moustafa Zayed, 24, whose father worked as a contractor in Saudi Arabia and was on the ship. "Had he stayed (in Egypt) we wouldn't have had money to buy food."

Tens of thousands of Egyptians work in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries — many of them from impoverished families in southern Egypt who spend years abroad to earn money. They often travel by ship to and from Saudi Arabia.

Some on board the ferry were believed to be Muslim pilgrims who had overstayed their visas after last month's ubgone86 pilgrimage to work in the kingdom.

Mubarak flew to Hurghada, about 40 miles farther north, on Saturday and visited survivors in two hospitals. Television pictures of the visit, which normally would have carried sound of Mubarak's conversations, were silent.

During the visit, Mubarak ordered that the families of each victim be paid $5,200 in compensation and the survivors $2,600 each.

In a televised address, the president said, "We pray that God almighty may count (the victims) among his martyrs."

A group of nearly 140 survivors came ashore at Hurghada shortly before dawn Saturday. Wrapped in blankets, they walked down a rescue ship's ramp, some of them barefoot and shivering, and boarded buses for a hospital.

Wahab, a martial arts instructor, said he spent 20 hours in the sea, sometimes holding on to a barrel from the ship and later taking a lifejacket from a dead body.

Ahmed Elew, an Egyptian in his 20s, said he went to the ship's crew to report the fire and they ordered him to help put it out. At one point there was an explosion, he said.

When the ship began sinking, Elew said he jumped into the water and swam for several hours. He said he saw one overloaded lifeboat capsize but managed to stay afloat long enough to find another.

"Around me people were dying and sinking," he said. "Who is responsible for this? Somebody did not do their job right. These people must be held accountable."

Mubarak spokesman Suleiman Awad said the ferry did not have enough lifeboats and an investigation was under way into the ship's seaworthiness. But later, Maj. Gen. Sherin Hasan, chairman of the maritime section of the Transportation Ministry, said there were more than enough lifeboats for the number of passengers on the ferry.

Hasan said the captain of the vessel, whom he did not name, was missing.

Mahfouz Taha, head of Egyptian Red Sea Ports authority in Safaga, reported that 376 people were saved. He confirmed the fire started in the parking bay of the vessel.

The ship left Dubah at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on the 120-mile trip to Safaga, where it was scheduled to arrive at 3 a.m. It disappeared from radar screens between midnight and 2 a.m., and no distress signal was received.

Series of Tragic Errors Doomed Egypt Ferry

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Syrians Torch Embassies Over Caricatures

By ALBERT AJI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 42 minutes ago

DAMASCUS, Syria - Thousands of Syrians enraged by caricatures of Islam's revered prophet torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus on Saturday — the most violent in days of furious protests by Muslims in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

In Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags. Protesters smashed the windows of the German cultural center and threw stones at the
European Commission building, police said.

Iraqis rallying by the hundreds demanded an apology from the European Union, and the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas called the cartoons "an unforgivable insult" that merited punishment by death.

Pakistan summoned the envoys of nine Western countries in protest, and even Europeans took to the streets in Denmark and Britain to voice their anger.

At the heart of the protest: 12 caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad first published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted in European media in the past week. One depicted the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse. The paper said it had asked cartoonists to draw the pictures because the media was practicing self-censorship when it came to Muslim issues.

The drawings have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Aggravating the affront, Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said repeatedly he cannot apologize for his country's free press. But other European leaders tried Saturday to calm the storm.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said she understood Muslims were hurt — though that did not justify violence.

"Freedom of the press is one of the great assets as a component of democracy, but we also have the value and asset of freedom of religion," Merkel told an international security conference in Munich, Germany.

The Vatican deplored the violence but said certain provocative forms of criticism were unacceptable.

"The right to freedom of thought and expression ... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers," the Vatican said in its first statement on the controversy.

The United States called the burnings "inexcusable" and blamed the Syrian government for security failures.

"
Syria must act decisively to protect all foreign embassies and citizens in Damascus from attack," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement. "We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support."

But Denmark and Norway did not wait for more violence.

With their Damascus embassies up in flames, the foreign ministries advised their citizens to leave Syria without delay.

"It's horrible and totally unacceptable," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said on Danish public television Saturday.

No diplomats were injured in the Syrian violence, officials said. But Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds — whose country, along with Chile, has an embassy in the same building — said she would lodge a formal protest over the lack of security.

In Santiago, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Chilean Embassy in Damascus was also torched but nobody was injured.

The demonstrations in Damascus began peacefully with protesters gathering outside the building housing the Danish Embassy. But they began throwing stones and eventually broke through police barricades. Some scrambled up concrete barriers protecting the embassy, climbed into the building and set a fire.

"With our blood and souls we defend you, O Prophet of God!" the demonstrators chanted. Some removed the Danish flag and replaced it with a green flag printed with the words: "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God."

Demonstrators moved onto the Norwegian Embassy about 4 miles away, also setting fire to it before being dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons. Hundreds of police and troops barricaded the road leading to the French Embassy, but protesters were able to break through briefly before fleeing from the force of water cannons.

Amid the furor, Syria's Grand Mufti urged calm, noting the demonstration had started in a "nice and disciplined way," but then turned violent because of "some members who do not understand the language of dialogue."

"We never expressed our anger in such a way, and we believe that dialogue should be done through guidance and teaching, not through killing, harming and burning," Sheik Ahmed Badr-Eddine Hassoun said in remarks carried by state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA.

In Gaza, masked gunmen affiliated with the Fatah Party called on the Palestinian Authority and Muslim nations to recall their diplomatic missions from Denmark until the government apologizes.

In the
West Bank town of Hebron, about 50 Palestinians marched to the headquarters of the international observer mission there, burned a Danish flag and demanded a boycott of Danish goods.

"We will redeem our prophet Muhammad with our blood!" they chanted.

Mahmoud Zahar, leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, told the Italian daily Il Giornale the cartoonists should be punished by death.

We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully." he said.

Hundreds of Iraqis rallied south of Baghdad, some carrying banners urging "honest people all over the world to condemn this act" and demanding an EU apology.

Anger swelled in Europe, too. Young Muslims clashed briefly with police in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, and some 700 people rallied outside the Danish Embassy in London.

A South African court banned the country's Sunday newspapers from reprinting the cartoons.

Iran's president ordered his commerce minister to study canceling all trade contracts with European countries whose newspapers have published the caricatures, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the caricatures showed the "impudence and rudeness" of Western newspapers against the prophet as well as the "maximum resentment of the Zionists (Jews) ruling these countries against Islam and Muslims."

The leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan denounced the publication of the caricatures. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned nine envoys to lodge protests against the publication of the "blasphemous" sketches.

Syrians Torch Embassies Over Caricatures

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Iran Vows Enrichment After U.N. Referral

By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 9 minutes ago

VIENNA, Austria - The International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council on Saturday over fears it wants to produce nuclear arms, raising the stakes in the diplomatic confrontation and prompting Tehran to threaten immediate retaliation.

Of the board's 35 member nations, 27 voted for referral, reflecting more than two years of intense lobbying by the United States and its allies to enlist broad backing for such a move.

Washington critics Cuba, Venezuela and Syria voted against referral, and the other five nations abstained.

Still, the near consensus came at a price for Washington. Long an advocate of firm Security Council action against Iran, including possible political and economic sanctions, the Americans had to settle for what is essentially symbolic referral, for now.

After years of opposition, Russia and China backed the referral last week, bringing support from other nations — including India — that had been waiting for their lead. But in return, Moscow and Beijing demanded that the Americans — and France and Britain, the two other veto-wielding Security Council members — agree to let the Iran issue rest until at least March.

That is when the IAEA board meets again to review the agency's investigation of Iran's nuclear program and its compliance with board demands that it renounce uranium enrichment. That process can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or the material needed to build a warhead.

"The path chosen by Iran's new leaders — threats, concealment, and breaking international agreements and IAEA seals — will not succeed and will not be tolerated by the international community,"
President Bush said in a statement.

Iran remained defiant, threatening to do precisely what referral was meant to prevent. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the resumption of uranium enrichment and an end to snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities, according to state television.

"As of Sunday, the voluntary implementation of the additional protocol and other cooperation beyond the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty has to be suspended under the law," Ahmadinejad said in a letter to Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who also is the head of the nation's nuclear agency.

Javed Vaeidi, deputy head of Iran's powerful National Security Council, also said his country "now has to implement fuller scale of enrichment."

Iran says it wants to enrich only to make nuclear fuel for generating electricity, but concerns that it might misuse the technology accelerated the chain of events that led to Saturday's referral to the Security Council. Tehran took IAEA seals off enrichment equipment Jan. 10 and said it would resume small-scale activities.

Vaeidi also said a proposal to enrich Iranian uranium in Russia was dead.

Moscow has suggested that Iran shift its plan for large-scale enrichment of uranium to Russian territory to alleviate international concern Iran might use the process to develop an atomic bomb.

Other Iranian comment reflected Tehran's fury at Washington. The Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar describing U.S. leaders as "terrorists and the main axis of evil in the world."

Najjar was responding to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who at a high-level security conference in Munich, Germany, repeated Washington's view of Iran as the "world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), speaking at the same conference, said military action could not be ruled out if diplomatic efforts fail to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

European leaders expressed support for the referral, through a resolution drafted by France, Britain and Germany on behalf of the European Union.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the vote showed "the international community's determination to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East."

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said through a spokesman that he hoped the vote would send "a clear signal to Iran that it must comply with the demands of the international community."

Russia's government urged Iran to "respond constructively" to the IAEA's decision, "including the restoration of a voluntary moratorium on all uranium enrichment works."

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the "convincing" vote sent a "clear signal to Tehran" to take account of international concerns.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he was "very concerned and upset" by Iran's decision to retaliate.

The IAEA resolution links Tehran's referral to the country's breaches of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the lack of confidence it is not trying to make weapons.

The text expresses "serious concerns about Iran's nuclear program" and recalls "Iran's many failures and breaches of its obligations" to the arms control treaty. It also expresses "the absence of confidence that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes."

The resolution says IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei should "report to the Security Council" the steps Iran needs to take to dispel suspicions about its nuclear ambitions.

These include that it return to freezing uranium enrichment; consider stopping construction of a heavy-water reactor that could be the source of plutonium; formally ratify the agreement allowing the IAEA greater inspecting authority; and give the nuclear watchdog more power in its investigation of Iran's nuclear program.

The draft also asks that ElBaradei share with the Security Council his report to the March 6 IAEA board session and any subsequent resolution.

Chief British IAEA delegate Peter Jenkins urged Iran to heed the resolution before March, warning: "Should Iran fail to comply ... it will fall to the Security Council to bring additional pressure to bear."

His American counterpart, Gregory L. Schulte, indirectly acknowledged that the Security Council's hands were tied until March, saying: "We're not talking about sanctions at this stage."

But Straw said that if Iran failed to use the March window of opportunity, Security Council action would be "almost inevitable."

A senior European diplomat familiar with the issue said there was general agreement among the five permanent Security Council members that — if Iran remains defiant beyond March 6 — the council would slowly increase pressure.

A first step could be a council declaration urging Iran to comply with the resolution, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity because the strategy was confidential.

Agreement on the final wording of the text was achieved overnight, only after Washington compromised on a dispute with Egypt over linking fears about Tehran's atomic program to a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction — an indirect reference to Israel.

The final resolution recognized "that a solution to the Iranian issue would contribute to global nonproliferation efforts and ... the objective of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including their means of delivery."

Israel, which is not an IAEA board member, welcomed Iran's referral and the call for a nuclear-free Middle East. Experts say Israel has the world's sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, but the Jewish state neither acknowledges nor denies having such a program.
Iran Vows Enrichment After U.N. Referral

[Shammu]

A Look at What's Next for U.N., Iran

By The Associated Press Sat Feb 4, 3:46 PM ET

The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors called Saturday for Iran to be reported to the U.N. Security Council over concerns it is seeking nuclear weapons. Here are upcoming events at the U.N. and in Russia on the issue:

AT THE UNITED NATIONS:

• The IAEA board formally relayed the final resolution to the president of the Security Council, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who now must share the resolution with the other members.

• The council has intentionally set no date for when it will discuss the IAEA resolution because ambassadors say they want to study the document. Because of the delicacy of the issue, consultations likely will take place in private.

• The first action by the Security Council likely will occur in March, when the IAEA board of governors meets to review the status of its probe into Iran's nuclear program and recommend further action. If the board finds Iran has not complied with IAEA protocols, Security Council diplomats will meet to discuss how to address the issue and whether to hold a formal Security Council meeting on Iran.

IN MOSCOW:

Iranian officials were expected in Moscow on Feb. 16 for talks on Moscow's proposal to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear program on Russia soil. The offer, backed by the United States and the European Union, is intended to make it more difficult for Tehran to develop weapons.

However, following the IAEA vote in Vienna, Austria, Tehran announced it was no longer considering the Russian proposal.

Later, Russia's Foreign Ministry strongly urged Iran to cooperate with the IAEA but did not mention Iran's statement about the proposal. It was unclear whether the talks would proceed.

A Look at What's Next for U.N., Iran

[Shammu]

Iran's Nuclear History, New Developments

By The Associated Press Sat Feb 4, 1:55 PM ET

Key dates in the West's standoff with Iran over its suspect nuclear program:

• February-May 2003:
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors examine nuclear facilities in Iran, which the United States accuses of running a covert weapons program.

• June 2003: IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei says Iran kept certain nuclear materials and activities secret.

• November 2003: The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says Iran acknowledged it produced weapons-grade uranium but there is no evidence a weapon was built.

• December 2003: Iran formally signs the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to allow more intrusive inspections.

• February 2004: Media reports say Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan delivered atomic weapons technology to Iran.

• March 2004: The IAEA praises Iran's cooperation but criticizes past efforts to mislead the U.N. and urges Tehran to disclose all information concerning its nuclear program by June.

• September 2004: Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell says Iran's nuclear program is a growing threat and calls for international sanctions.

• November 2004: Iran announces the suspension of uranium enrichment and related activities amid fragile negotiations with European nations.

• August 2005: Iran rejects a European Union offer of incentives in exchange for guarantees it will not pursue nuclear weaponry. Tehran announces it has resumed uranium conversion at Isfahan, and the IAEA calls an emergency meeting to deal with the crisis.

• Sept. 17, 2005: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tells U.N. Security Council it is Iran's "inalienable right" to produce nuclear fuel and rejects European offer of economic incentives to halt enrichment program.

• Sept. 24, 2005: IAEA passes resolution calling Iran's nuclear program "illegal and illogical" and puts Tehran one step away from Security Council action on sanctions.

• Nov. 11, 2005: Plans emerge for Russian offer to enrich uranium for Iran on Russian soil.

• Nov. 24, 2005: The European Union accuses Iran of possessing documents used solely for the production of nuclear arms, warns of possible referral to Security Council.

• Jan. 10, 2006: Iran removes U.N. seals from nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, effectively ending a freeze on the process that can produce fuel for nuclear weapons.

• Jan. 18, 2006: Europe, backed by the United States, rejects Iran's request for talks on its nuclear program, while Ahmadinejad accuses the West of acting like the "lord of the world" in denying his country the peaceful use of the atom.

• Jan. 31, 2006: The United States and other permanent Security Council members agree that Iran should be brought before the Security Council, which has the ability to impose sanctions or take other harsh action.

• Feb. 2, 2006: IAEA's 35-nation board begins deliberating Iran's referral.

• Feb. 4, 2006: IAEA board votes to report Iran to the Security Council. Tehran vows to immediately start work on full-scale uranium enrichment and curtail agency's inspection powers in Iran.

Iran's Nuclear History, New Developments

[Shammu]

 EU condemns attacks against European embassies
Brussels, Feb 4, IRNA

EU-Muslim World-Cartoons
The current Austrian Presidency of the European Union condemned Saturday what it said was " the wave of attacks and threats against European citizens and property.'' A statement issued by Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik tonight noted that offices of the European Union and EU member states in the Palestinian territories and in Damascus were attacked.

"Such acts can by no means be legitimised and are utterly unacceptable,'' it said.

"The Presidency of the European Union demands that all authorities concerned take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of European citizens and property." The EU statement urgently called on all concerned to show restraint and to refrain from and prevent further violence.

Muslims all over the world have stepped up protests against the blasphemous cartoons published in European newspapers. European governments have refused to apologise for the insults to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) asserting that the matter had to do with the freedom of speech

EU condemns attacks against European embassies

[Shammu]

 Taliban condemns blasphemous cartoons, urge expulsion of European envoys
Islamabad, Feb 5, IRNA

Taliban-Cartoons
Afghanistan's Taliban on Saturday joined the Muslim world to condemn publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in several European papers and said the publication of blasphemous cartoons was an intentional act to disrespect Islam.

Publication of cartoons is an intentional move to disrespect Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and to make a joke of Islam, said a Taliban spokesman adding such an act is a proof of their enmity with Islam.

Silence by the Muslim World has encouraged other European papers to reprint blasphemous cartoons, said a statement read out by Taliban spokesman Muhammad Hanif via telephone from somewher in Afghanistan.

We strongly condemn such an act and urge Muslim rulers to cut off political relations with countries whose media have made the sacrilege to the Islamic sanctities, the statement added.

The Taliban spokesman also called on the Muslim leaders to expel ambassadors of those European countries as a sign of protest.

The Danish paper Jyllands-Posten first published the cartoons on September 30 last year and a Norwegian daily reprinted it on January 10. On February 1 papers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain also published the cartoons.

Taliban condemns blasphemous cartoons, urge expulsion of European envoys

My note; They want freedom of expression. Well thats a two way street.............

[Shammu]

 Russian official laments reporting of Iran nuclear dossier to UNSC
Moscow, Feb 4, IRNA

Iran-Russia-IAEA
Deputy Head of Russian Strategic Institute said here Saturday that the decision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in reporting Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council has eliminated the nuclear watchdog agency's judicial and legal identity.

Leonid Ivashev told IRNA that sending Iran's nuclear file to the UN has no legal and judicial basis.

He said research work in line with peaceful nuclear activities is Iran's legitimate right.

He further cautioned that any US-sponsored sanctions on Iran will be resisted by millions of Iranians and bring contrition for Washington.

"Increasing anti-American sentiments in Moslem nations will be even more dangerous than nuclear weapons for the US and its allies," he underlined.

The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors on Saturday voted to report Iran's nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) without consensus, despite the West's attempt to reach agreement on the issue.

According to the reports received from Vienna, of 35 Board of Governors member states 27 countries voted in favor of the resolution on reporting the case to the UNSC, five gave votes of abstention and the remaining three voted against it.

Following the voting, deputy secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and spokesperson for the Iranian negotiating team, Javad Vaidi, said that resumption of full enrichment process will be the first consequence of this resolution.

He referred to it as a political move on behalf of certain countries.

Russian official laments reporting of Iran nuclear dossier to UNSC

[Shammu]

Iran Ends Voluntary Cooperation on Nukes

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer Sun Feb 5, 5:26 PM ET

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran ended all voluntary cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency Sunday, saying it would start uranium enrichment and bar surprise inspections of its facilities after being reported to the Security Council over fears it is seeking an atomic bomb.

However, the Islamic republic left the door open for further negotiations over its nuclear program and, in an apparent softening of its position, said it was willing to discuss Moscow's proposal to shift large-scale enrichment operations to Russian territory in an effort to allay suspicions.

A day earlier, an Iranian official at the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna, Austria, said that proposal was "dead." The comment was made after the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors voted to report Iran to the council, which has the power to impose economic and political sanctions.

"The door for negotiations is still open," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Sunday.

But President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the West "can't do a thing" to stop Iran's progress.

"The era of coercion and domination has ended," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency. "Issue as many resolutions like this as you want and make yourself happy. You can't prevent the progress of the Iranian nation.

"In the name of the IAEA they want to visit all our nuclear facilities and learn our defense capabilities, but we won't allow them to do this."

Uranium enriched to a low degree can be used for nuclear reactors, while highly enriched uranium is suitable for warheads. Iran insists it only wants to generate electricity, but the United States and some of its allies contend Tehran is trying to build a weapon.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Sunday that Iran had ended all voluntary cooperation with the IAEA. The action, ordered by Ahmadinejad, was required by a law passed last year.

The announcement means Iran has resumed uranium enrichment and no longer will allow snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities, a voluntary measure it allowed in recent years in a goodwill gesture to build trust under a protocol to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

"We do not have any obligation toward the additional protocol (anymore)," Mottaki said.

Iran repeatedly has stressed it would continue to honor its commitments under the treaty but that it has the right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program.

"Adoption of the policy of resistance doesn't mean we are on non-speaking terms or noncooperative," Mottaki said. "Yesterday we had two options. One was the option of resistance and the other was surrender. We chose resistance."

"Our activities will continue within the NPT (and not beyond that)," he told a press conference. "We have withdrawn only the possibility of voluntary cooperation from them (IAEA and the West)."

Mottaki said the IAEA resolution was "the result of a political will based on U.S. hostility" toward Iran.

He said Iran would defend its right to possess nuclear technology and enrich uranium to produce nuclear fuel.

"We will continue this path," he told reporters.

The IAEA resolution requests the agency's Director General Mohamed ElBaradei to "report to the Security Council" with the steps Iran needs to take to dispel suspicions about its nuclear ambitions.

These include that it return to freezing uranium enrichment; consider stopping construction of a heavy-water reactor that could be the source of plutonium; formally ratify the agreement allowing the IAEA greater inspecting authority; and give the agency more power in its investigation of Iran's nuclear program.

Tensions were likely to rise as Iran rejects pressure from the outside. It started escalating last month after Iran removed U.N. seals and began nuclear research, including small-scale uranium enrichment.

That came after months of futile talks between Iran and Britain, Germany and France, which negotiated on behalf of the 25-nation European Union.

Asefi said Iranian diplomats still will attend Feb. 16 talks in Moscow concerning Russia's enrichment proposal.

"The proposal has to conform itself with the new circumstances," Asefi said Sunday. "If the Russian proposal makes itself compatible with the new conditions, it can be negotiated."

Iran Ends Voluntary Cooperation on Nukes

My note; And hereeeeeeeee we goooooooo..............

[Shammu]

Iran resumes uranium enrichment, ends UN checks

By Parisa Hafezi Sun Feb 5, 2:22 PM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A defiant Iran on Sunday ended snap U.N. checks of its nuclear sites and said it was resuming uranium enrichment, a day after being reported to the Security Council over suspicions it is building nuclear weapons.

Diplomats warned the response could heighten the dispute over the nuclear ambitions of the world's fourth biggest oil exporter. Tehran insists it needs nuclear technology only to generate electricity.

"Iran has stopped all voluntary measures that it undertook in the past two-and-a-half to three years," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference. "We have no commitment to the Additional Protocol any more."

"We had two clear options. One was to decide to abandon our nuclear rights, the other to preserve our rights. We chose resistance," Mottaki added.

Iran's main measure was the suspension of uranium enrichment. If enriched to a low level, uranium can be used in power stations. If enriched further to weapons-grade, it can be used in nuclear warheads.

Iran signed the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, thereby allowing short-notice inspections of its atomic sites.

DIVIDED SECURITY COUNCIL

The International Atomic Energy Agency voted on Saturday to report Iran to the Security Council but the top U.N. body will take no action until an IAEA report is delivered in March.

The Security Council has the power to impose political and economic sanctions on Iran but there are divisions among its five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- about how to deal with Tehran.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Sunday he doubted sanctions would have much effect. Russia is helping build Iran's only nuclear power station and Russia's LUKOIL is investing in an Iranian oilfield. China gets 12 percent of its oil imports from the Islamic Republic.

But he urged Iran to answer a series of IAEA questions within weeks to help allay Western suspicions.

European diplomats said the questions related to Iran's attempts to acquire technology that could be used either in a civilian nuclear energy program or to develop atomic weapons.

"We do expect Iran to provide answers to these questions -- every single one of them," Ivanov told reporters at an annual security conference in Munich.

Ahmadinejad said nothing could deflect Tehran's pursuit of atomic know-how.

"Our enemies cannot do a damn thing. We do not need you at all. But you are in need of the Iranian nation," he told a crowd in Tehran earlier on Sunday.

"Content yourself with as many resolutions as you like, you cannot prevent the will of the Iranian people," he added.

Iran has warned that any sanctions against it would send oil prices beyond a level industrialized economies could bear.

Abdolrahim Moussavi, head of Iran's joint chiefs of staff, warned that any military strike against Iran's atomic facilities would be useless.

"We are not seeking a military confrontation, but if that happens we will give the enemy a lesson that will be remembered throughout history," he was quoted as saying by the ISNA students news agency.

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said the report to Security Council was not about the international community seeking regime change.

"This is not about going into a policy of regime change in Iran. This is about solving a problem of proliferation, so the message is very clear," Villepin said on Europe 1 radio.

"The second message is that we cannot accept that international rules are not accepted."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a news conference Iran was keeping diplomatic options with Russia open.

Asefi said Tehran would have talks with Moscow on February 16, but added that a Russian proposal that Moscow enrich Iran's uranium would have to be "adjusted in the current situation."

He added the timing of Iran's resumption of a full atomic fuel cycle remained uncertain.

Iran's stock market slumped beneath its key psychological threshold of 10,000 points on Sunday, with brokers blaming nerves over the atomic program.

Iran resumes uranium enrichment, ends UN checks

[Shammu]

Indian PM mulls crisis talks with leftwing allies

26 minutes ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was mulling whether to hold crisis talks with leftwing allies angry at his government's vote against Iran over its nuclear programme and its airport privatisation plans.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh... is considering calling a meeting of the coordination committee before the parliament session to discuss issues like Iran and privatisation," a spokesman for Singh's Congress party, Rajiv Shukla, was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency on Sunday.

The coordination committee is an interface between the ruling Congress party and its political allies aimed at helping defuse differences over policy.

Leftwing parties Sunday called an emergency meeting after which they demanded a parliamentary debate on India's vote against Iran at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

India, along with the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China were among 26 countries that voted Saturday to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for its alleged nuclear weapons programme.

India's vote came despite a meeting between the communists and Singh last week in which the leftists, who are bitterly opposed to India siding with the US against Iran, had urged the government to abstain from voting.

The communists, with 61 MPs, extend crucial outside support to the Singh government.

After their meeting Sunday, Prakash Karat, chief of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), described India's vote as "regrettable."

"The stand taken by India at the IAEA meeting is not in conformity with the pursuit of an independent foreign policy and maintenance of good relations with Iran which is in our national interests," Karat told reporters.

"We are demanding a full debate in the forthcoming session of parliament ahead of the next meeting of the IAEA in March on what stand India should take in the meeting.

"The (Indian) government should remember that there is no consensus on the issue in the country," Karat said.

An Indian foreign ministry statement Saturday said New Delhi had cast its vote in favour of reporting Iran because the IAEA resolution was "well-balanced."

The resolution put off any UN action against Iran for at least a month, to give time for diplomacy to work before the next IAEA meeting in March.

The Times of India Sunday said Washington was likely to support New Delhi's bid to get civilian nuclear technology after India's vote, which came on a day when a strike by airport employees against the privatisation of airports in Delhi and Mumbai collapsed.

The strike, backed by the communists who are strongly opposed to privatisation, was called off Saturday after the federal civil aviation minister Praful Patel gave a written assurance that workers would not lose jobs.

The strike left the airports in New Delhi and Mumbai strewn with garbage and battling to operate, although no flights were affected.

Singh met the workers on Friday and asked them to end the action which they had begun two days earlier in the wake of the announcement of successful bids made by private Indian and foreign consortia to upgrade the two airports.

Singh said no jobs would be lost but also made it clear that there would be no going back on the decision to privatise the airports.

Indian PM mulls crisis talks with leftwing allies