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Egyptian opposition in crisis
By Amira Howeidy in Cairo, Egypt

Wednesday 25 January 2006, 17:36 Makka Time, 14:36 GMT 

Almost a month after their poor showing in legislative elections, Egyptian opposition parties are embroiled in coups, divisions and scathing self-criticism.

The two main contenders and party leaders who competed against Hosni Mubarak, the president, in the first multi-candidate presidential elections last September have been dramatically dethroned.

The man who came a distant second to Mubarak, Ayman Nour, head of al-Ghad party, is now in prison serving a five-year sentence for forging his party's membership applications - a crime he denies and says is politically motivated.

Such political disarray, observers say, does not augur well for Egypt's hoped for post-election democratic transformation.

In-fighting

In-fighting among the opposition parties is no secret.

Ahead of the November parliamentary elections, a number of al-Ghad's founders attempted a failed coup against Nour and announced a new leadership. The dispute has gone to court.

But the al-Wafd party crisis has proved more spectacular.

Noaman Gomaa, head of the liberal al-Wafd - Egypt's oldest political party which finished third in the presidential election - was ousted in a sensational coup by his party's high committee members on Wednesday.

He was replaced temporarily by Mahmoud Abaza, the party's deputy president, until al-Wafd's general assembly elects a new president on 2 March.

But the repercussions of al-Wafd's upheaval, which dominated the front pages of the local media in Egypt for days, are far from over.

Sign of demise

Politicians and pundits fear it is a sign of the demise of the nation's political parties.

Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University, says: "When Egypt's oldest and biggest opposition party begins to collapse, it is normal for the national political forces of this country ... to view this as sign and evidence of how the entire multi-party experience is falling apart."

The results of November's parliamentary elections back this view.

Out of 444 contested parliamentary seats, official political parties won only nine (al-Wafd 6, Tagammu 2, al-Ghad 1). The Nasserist party failed to win any seats.

Unofficial groups outdid those with legal status.

The banned but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood won 88 seats, almost a fifth of parliament. And eight seats went to independent candidates of the "civil opposition", including two to the nationalist al-Karama (Dignity) party, which was denied a licence to form a legal opposition party.

Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won 73% of the seats.

Hamdeen Sabahi, al-Karama's president and member of parliament, told Aljazeera.net: "The role of legal political parties is ending, and if these parties remain alive, they'll be much weaker than they are now."

Nasserist

Frustrated with its stagnation, Sabahi and others defected from the Nasserist party to form al-Karama in 1999.

Although the move weakened the Nasserist party, its daring mouthpiece, the newspaper Al-Araby and its editors Abdallah El-Sennawi and Abdel-Halim Qandil, remained as a reminder that the party was not dead.

At a time when it was strictly taboo, Al-Araby was the first opposition paper to campaign against the rumoured grooming of Mubarak's oldest son Gamal to succeed his father.

In November 2004, Qandil paid the price for dissent when he was kidnapped, beaten up and left naked in the desert by thugs.

Despite incessant pressures on the Nasserist party to clamp down on Al-Araby, the mouthpiece pursued its caustic critique of Mubarak, the growing powers of his wife and son and the political establishment.

But three weeks ago, both Qandil and El-Sennawi suddenly announced their departure from Al-Araby, triggering speculation about the future of the paper which is expected to tone down.

The decision was followed by the resignation of Ahmed Yassin Nassar, a prominent figure in the Nasserist party, to protest against the party's poor showing in the elections and its "disconnection" from the street.

And according to al-Karama's Sabahi, "migrations" from the Nasserist party to Al-Karama are occurring.

Although El-Sennawi cites professional reasons for leaving, related to the dismal funding of the Al-Araby and the need for change, he acknowledged chronic problems in the Nasserist party.

Tagammu

While no defections have been reported in the left-wing Tagammu party, many of its prominent figures have been publicly criticising its performance in the parliamentary elections, the mellowness of its mouthpiece Al-Ahaly and the party's wavering relationship with the government.

Abdel-Ghafar Shokr, the leader of Tagammu leader, says the party's politburo held three meetings in the past month to address the crisis.

He said they were devising suggestions and solutions to try to give the party "a six-month chance" for improvement.

"If that doesn't work, the central committee will meet and we might consider a change in leadership," he said.
 
Third way

While such confusion could usher in the demise of the so-called multi-party system in Egypt, it is hardly the end of politics.

Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed, a political scientist at the American University in Cairo, describes the current political trend as "a process of contestation".

"But it's too early to judge if it will lead to their demise or transformation."

George Ishak, Kifaya's spokesman, believes "the curtain has been drawn on all the legal political parties and new formations are in the making".

He told Aljazeera.net: "There is the corrupt NDP or the Islamic Muslim Brotherhood. What about all the people who want a third way?"

While Kifaya and al-Karama say they offer that alternative, al-Wafd party's so-called reformists, who ousted Gomaa over the weekend, insist their coup will revive the "liberal" legacy of their party which will serve as a third option for Egyptians.

But they are not alone.

Gamal Mubarak who heads the NDP's Policies Secretariat has long been associated with the now-popular political lexicon.

Although there is little evidence he will introduce the "third way" approach to the NDP, the party is said to be preparing itself for big changes very soon.

In his first interview with an Egyptian newspaper on Sunday, Gamal said the NDP "will proceed with methods of developing itself in the coming period", but did not give details.

Egyptian opposition in crisis

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Iran hints at Venezuelan nuclear tie

Thursday 16 February 2006, 4:00 Makka Time, 1:00 GMT

Iran is open to helping Venezuela develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, but the two Opec members have not yet held talks about such cooperation, an Iranian lawmaker says.

Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president and an ardent critic of the US government, is backing Iran's right to develop nuclear fuel despite international community opposition to Tehran pursuing its atomic programme.

Gholamali Haddadadel, Iran's parliament speaker, said: "Although we have not had any conversations until now with Venezuelan authorities, we would be willing to study the possibility."

Venezuela, the world's fifth largest oil exporter, last year said it was interested in developing nuclear technology with the possible help of Argentina, Brazil or Iran for civilian energy and medical purposes.

Venezuelan capability

Venezuela had a small research reactor that was closed more than a decade ago and is now used for food irradiation and sterilisation. Experts say nuclear development could take Venezuela as long as 10 years of investment and training.

The Iranian delegation visiting Venezuela to boost ties between the two nations signed a joint statement ratifying "the right of all nations to make peaceful-use nuclear energy" and condemned the "imperialism" of foreign powers.

Iran on Tuesday confirmed that it had restarted uranium enrichment that it insists will only be used for peaceful civilian purposes despite US and European fears that the technology would be used to create nuclear weapons.

Possible sanctions

Venezuela joined Syria and Cuba this month at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in opposing the UN watchdog's decision to send the Iran nuclear energy dispute to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

Chavez's growing ties to Iran have only made Washington more wary of the former army colonel turned populist president, whom the US accuses of using the nation's oil wealth to destabilise democracy in the region.

The Venezuelan leader says the United States is meddling in democracies in the region, and accuses the US State Department of sponsoring a brief coup against him in 2002. He has promised a socialist revolution to end poverty and promote the integration of Latin American nations.

Common factor

The US signalled on Wednesday a broadened diplomatic offensive against Iran, claiming Tehran posed a "strategic challenge" to the world on several fronts beyond fears over its nuclear programme.

Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, testifying before a Senate committee, heralded stepped-up efforts to muster international action against Iran's alleged support for terrorism and human rights abuses at home.

She said she would travel to Egypt and the Gulf next week for talks with Washington's Arab allies on how to contain a government she says is bent on "political subversion, terrorism, and support for violent Islamist extremism".

Farsi radio

Rice said the administration would seek an additional $75 million from the US Congress to fund around-the-clock Farsi radio and television broadcasts, and other efforts to promote Iranian democracy.

"The United States will actively confront the aggressive policies of the Iranian regime," she said. "At the same time, we will work to support the aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy in their country."

US officials said they were trying to expand their approach to Iran which for the past two years had been focused on suspicion the country was secretly trying to build a nuclear bomb.

Iran hints at Venezuelan nuclear tie

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New Iran enrichment work 'escalates' crisis: EU
Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:49 AM ET9

 By Mark Heinrich

VIENNA (Reuters) - EU president Austria said on Wednesday Iran's resumption of work to enrich uranium for nuclear fuel had needlessly raised tensions with the West, which fears Tehran is covertly striving to build atomic bombs.

U.N. inspectors saw Iranian scientists feeding uranium gas into a few centrifuge machines in a test run on Tuesday, officials associated with the International Atomic Energy Agency said. The action defied Western efforts to have Iran give up enrichment work in exchange for trade and other incentives.

Iran confirmed to Russia on Wednesday that a delegation would come to Moscow on February 20 for much-delayed talks on a Russian proposal to defuse the crisis by purifying Iranian uranium on its soil, Interfax news agency said.

But Tehran insists on a right to enrich uranium, the fuel for nuclear reactors or -- if purified to high levels -- warheads, on its own territory. The West fears this would allow Iran to divert high-grade fuel for clandestine bomb-making.

European Union powers and Washington persuaded the IAEA's board of governors on February 4 to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible action, which could include sanctions.

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, in a telephone call with Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Tuesday, urged Iran to re-suspend uranium enrichment efforts because "this represents an unnecessary step toward escalation at a critical and decisive phase in (this dispute)", her office said.

"We're not questioning Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. But the history of Iran's nuclear program and the many unresolved questions have raised serious doubt about an exclusively peaceful use of this program," she said.

She said Iran's resumption of uranium enrichment activities would damage relations with the 25-nation EU.

Russia and France issued similar calls on Tuesday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she saw a "real chance" for a negotiated solution, citing the Russian proposal and world support for the decision to report Iran to the Security Council.

"We're a long way from having exhausted all the possibilities," she told the German weekly magazine Stern in an interview released ahead of publication on Thursday.

"Iran must recognize that its actions have left it isolated within the international community and has gained nothing."

RUSSIA COOL ON SANCTIONS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Vienna for talks with EU leaders, said the IAEA's ability to ensure compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Iran has signed, should be improved.

"(But) I am convinced that ...sanctions will not help achieve this goal. Talks and work within the framework of the IAEA will help achieve this goal," Lavrov was quoted by Russia's RIA news agency as telling Russian journalists.

Iran says its nuclear program, parts of which it concealed from the IAEA for almost two decades, is designed solely to generate electricity for its economy.

Iran has given conflicting statements on what exactly is being done at the Natanz pilot fuel enrichment plant.

Gholamreza Aghazadeh, director of Iran's atomic program, was quoted by ISNA student news agency on Tuesday as saying the centrifuge work relaunched was on a "small laboratory scale".

"Injecting gas into one or a few centrifuges could not be termed enrichment," he was quoted as saying.

A senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named, denied on Wednesday that any uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas had been injected and said he could attest to this because he had been with inspectors all day at Natanz on Tuesday.

"Iran has not done any uranium enrichment work yet but the ground has been paved to do so," he said in Tehran.

A diplomat accredited to the Vienna-based IAEA said on Tuesday inspectors watched Iranians doing test infusions of UF6 into "less than 10 centrifuges" among a cascade of 164 that were operating at Natanz before it was mothballed in 2003.

Another IAEA-linked official, who asked not to be named, said the amount of UF6 put into centrifuges "was of absolutely no use" for making bomb material. He called the new work "an early testing phase en route to mastering the technology".

Tehran believes the Western-backed push to curb its nuclear program will eventually fade because of international dependence on Iranian oil and gas exports.

Iran had vowed to resume uranium enrichment and halt short-notice IAEA inspections in retaliation for the IAEA vote.

New Iran enrichment work 'escalates' crisis: EU

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Three Killed in Massive Cartoon Protests

By RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press Writer Wed Feb 15, 1:51 PM ET

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Gunfire and rioting erupted Wednesday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Pakistan's third straight day of violent protests over the Prophet Muhammad cartoons. Three people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy.

The European Union condemned both the cartoons, first printed in a Danish newspaper in September, and what it called "systematic incitement to violence" against European diplomatic missions by some unidentified governments.

Pakistani intelligence officials have said members of outlawed Islamic militant groups have joined the protests, and may be inciting violence to undermine the government of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Rioting also broke out Wednesday near the South Waziristan tribal region, where security officials have said foreign fighters linked to al-Qaida are hiding.

A senior police official said they were investigating whether the rioting was planned. He said the main spark for the violence in the northwestern city of Peshawar appeared to be riots Tuesday in Lahore, where two people were killed.

More than 70,000 people flooded the streets of Peshawar, said Saeed Wazir, a senior police officer. The huge crowd went on a rampage, torching businesses and fighting police who struck back with tear gas and batons. A bus terminal operated by South Korea's Sammi Corp. was torched, police said.

Protesters also burned a KFC restaurant, three movie theaters and the offices of the main mobile phone company. A Norwegian mobile phone company's offices were also ransacked. Gunfire was heard near the burning KFC, as police tried to clear people from a main street, witnesses said.

An 8-year-old boy died after being struck in the face by a bullet fired by a protester, police officer ubgone19 Khan said. A 25-year-old man was killed by an electric cable that was snapped by gunfire, said the man's cousin, Jehangir Khan.

At least 45 people were injured, Khan and witnesses said.

"The European newspapers have abused our religion," said demonstrator Shaukat Khan, his eyes streaming from tear gas. "We are expressing our anger. Usually protesters are peaceful but some miscreants do bad things and other people join them."

Paramilitary forces were deployed, and the government announced that schools and colleges would be closed in northwestern Pakistan for a week to protect students. Authorities also announced an indefinite ban on rallies in eastern Pakistan. Most shops, public transport and other businesses were shut.

Demonstrations have erupted around Asia, Europe and the Middle East over the cartoons of the prophet, which first appeared in a Danish newspaper in September and have been reprinted by some other Western newspapers. In
Afghanistan, 11 people died in riots last week; five people have died in Pakistan in the last two days.

Many Muslims regard any depiction of the Prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. They reject the newspapers' explanations that the cartoons represent free speech. One of the drawings depicted the prophet with a turban shaped like a bomb.

There also was rioting Wednesday in the northwestern town of Tank, near the South Waziristan tribal region where security officials have said al-Qaida-linked foreign fighters are hiding. Protesters set fire to 30 shops selling CDs, DVDs, and videos, said Attiq Wazir, a police official. Suspected Islamic militants had warned music shops to close, witnesses said.

One policeman was injured when a protester opened fire to resist arrest.

On Tuesday, a security official said members of the outlawed militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba and others from Jamaat al-Dawat — which is linked to the outlawed Laskhar-e-Tayyaba group — were among the rioters, and were trying to turn the furor over the cartoons against Musharraf's government.

In the eastern city of Lahore, fighting flared for a second straight day Wednesday. A 30-year-old man was shot dead in a clash with police as about 1,500 students rallied outside a university, hospital and police officials said.

Thousands of protesters went on a rampage in Lahore on Tuesday, burning Western businesses including McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer, whose country holds the EU presidency, denounced violence over the drawings, saying the response was inappropriate.

But he told the European Parliament that freedom of expression must not go against the need to protect religious sensitivities and values of other cultures.

"I take respect for religious feelings ... as an important element in the coexistence of people and nations," Fischer said. He noted that Islam is interpreted to ban any depiction of Muhammad, adding that "one must not offend against this principle twice — not only by disrespecting this ban, but also by reinforcing this hurtful violation of a taboo in the form of a caricature."

He also condemned unidentified governments for inciting violence, an apparent reference to the leadership of
Syria and Iran which the United States has accused of stoking the violence.

"I strongly and unreservedly condemn the attitude of governments who allow diplomatic missions, embassies and innocent people to be attacked," Fischer said.

Three Killed in Massive Cartoon Protests

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Iranian President Visits Uranium Plant

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer Wed Feb 15, 4:53 PM ET

TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the Natanz uranium enrichment plant Wednesday, a day after Tehran confirmed it had resumed small-scale enrichment there last week, the official news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad's visit to the plant in central Iran is widely seen as a gesture of support and a morale boost for scientists involved in Iran's uranium enrichment program. Activities at Natanz had been suspended since October 2003.

"What enemies fear is not production of an atomic bomb, because in today's world atomic bombs are not efficient," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency. "The main fear and concern of enemies is the self-reliance and knowledge of the Iranian nation and the fact that Iranian youth are acquiring peaceful nuclear technology."

Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh and other top officials of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran accompanied the president on his visit, the Islamic Republic News Agency said.

"The success of the Iranian nation in acquiring peaceful nuclear technology will help the country to make progress in all fields," Ahmadinejad said.

Iran insists its nuclear program is designed solely to generate electricity. Many Western nations, led by the United States and Israel, fear Tehran is trying to build nuclear weapons and have sought to stop Iran from enriching uranium.

On Feb. 4, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council and called on its government to suspend all enrichment-related activities. Instead, Iran suspended certain aspects of its co-operation with the IAEA.

On Wednesday, a Russian Embassy official confirmed that Russia and Iran would hold talks in Moscow on Monday on Russia's offer to enrich uranium for Tehran. Moscow has offered to host Iranian enrichment in Russia, where it would have better oversight — a proposal meant to ease an international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

Also, a spokesman for the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee said Iran's foreign minister would meet the panel on Monday, a possible indication that Tehran was prepared to return to a dialogue with Europe.

Iranian officials announced Tuesday that enrichment had resumed last week at Natanz but that large-scale enrichment, as required for producing fuel for nuclear reactors, had not resumed.

Aghazadeh, who is also the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said resumption of uranium enrichment was limited to "a few centrifuges."

Centrifuges are used to enrich uranium. Uranium enriched to low level is used to produce nuclear fuel for reactors and further enrichment makes it suitable for use in nuclear weapons.

Iran had 164 centrifuges in Natanz sealed by the IAEA in 2003. The seals were removed last month when Iran resumed nuclear research. Iranian officials have indicated that Tehran may possess up to 2,000 centrifuges. For a large-scale enrichment, Iran has to build up to 60,000 centrifuges.

Iran insists that as a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which provides for peaceful nuclear development, it is entitled to enrich uranium for nuclear reactors. It has threatened to withdraw from the treaty if it was not allowed to exercise that right.

Iranian President Visits Uranium Plant

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Hamas makes first parliamentary appointments

By Nidal al-Mughrabi Wed Feb 15, 12:43 PM ET

GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas made its first parliamentary appointments on Wednesday as Israel prepared to decide on its strategy toward the Palestinians after the Islamic militant group takes up the reins of power.

Hamas named Mahmoud al-Zahar from Gaza, one of its most hardline leaders, as head of its majority faction in the legislature, which convenes on Saturday for its first session since the group won the January 25 Palestinian election.

Aziz Dweik, from the West Bank, was chosen by Hamas as parliamentary speaker.

As the leader of parliament, Dweik would become interim president, pending an election within 60 days, in the event of the death, resignation or incapacitation of President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah faction.

The appointments raised speculation Hamas would choose another of its leaders, Ismail Haniyeh, as prime minister. A Gazan, he is viewed by Palestinians as a pragmatist who has forged good relations with rival factions.

Hamas officials have said they expect the group to announce it choice for the post as early as Saturday or Sunday, after parliament convenes and before Israel holds its own election on March 28.

With the clock ticking toward formation of a Palestinian government, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni summoned advisers for consultations that one official said would focus on "funding for the Palestinian Authority in the Hamas era."

Israeli officials have said Israel is trying to persuade donor nations to cut off support for the Palestinian Authority once a parliament dominated by Hamas is sworn in. Hamas's charter calls for Israel's destruction.

ISOLATION

The United States and Israel hope to isolate a Palestinian government headed by Hamas financially and diplomatically to pressure it to renounce violence, recognize the Jewish state and honor interim peace agreements, U.S. and Israeli officials say.

"You can call it isolation, you can call it a boycott, but you can also call it reality," Israeli President Moshe Katsav told reporters in Athens. "We cannot renegotiate that which is already agreed."

Katsav criticized Russia's invitation to hold talks with Hamas, saying it "erodes the position of the international community."

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was a realistic way to foster future peacemaking. "Unless we engage Hamas, which gained power as result of legitimate, free and fair elections, nothing will change," he said in Vienna.

Palestinians receive about $1 billion a year from all donors and the Palestinian Authority requires at least $100 million a month. Palestinian officials have said they expect Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Arab states to boost the amount of support they provide to the authority in the coming months.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz planned to convene his advisers on Thursday to discuss security policy toward the Palestinians with Hamas in the government.

Hamas has masterminded nearly 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000, but has largely adhered to a truce declared last March.

Israeli security sources said proposals could include a tightening of travel restrictions for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where Israel is building a barrier it says is vital to its security and the World Court has deemed illegal.

In a posting on a Hamas Web site, the group's armed wing, Izz el-Deen al-Qassam, said its fighters had received funding and training from the Iranian-backed Hizbollah movement in Lebanon, a link long denied by Hamas leaders.

A Hamas spokesman in Gaza declined to comment on the information on the site.

There was no immediate comment from Hizbollah in Beirut on the alleged funding, which the Internet site said had helped Hamas establish its first cell in the West Bank after the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000.

Hamas makes first parliamentary appointments

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US House urges halt of direct aid to Palestinians

2 hours, 29 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday urging that direct U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority be stopped as long as the militant group Hamas, which is expected to form a new Palestinian government, calls for Israel's destruction.

The nonbinding resolution expressing the sense of Congress was approved 418-1. The Senate passed the measure earlier this month.

The Bush administration is evaluating its aid program to the Palestinians following Hamas' stunning victory in Palestinian elections over the Fatah movement.

"Until Hamas changes course, dismantles its terrorist organization, and agrees to work toward a peaceful settlement with Israel, no taxpayer money should be provided to support the Palestinian government," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.

House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican, said the resolution "sends a strong message" to the Palestinians, without trying to force the Bush administration into a policy before the new Palestinian government is formed.

A number of House members are pushing binding legislation to halt U.S. aid and withhold U.S. funds to the United Nations equal to the amount the world body provides the Palestinians.

For 2006, the United States has budgeted $150 million in assistance to the Palestinians, and a further $84 million to the U.N. fund.

US House urges halt of direct aid to Palestinians

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Reports: Russia, Iran to Hold Nuke Talks

By HENRY MEYER, Associated Press Writer Wed Feb 15, 7:46 AM ET

MOSCOW - Russia and Iran will hold talks in Moscow on Monday on Russia's offer to enrich uranium for Tehran, the Russian Embassy in the Iranian capital was quoted as saying Wednesday.

The Iranian government informed Russian officials about their intention to participate in the negotiations on Feb. 20 — four days later than originally planned, the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted an embassy official as saying.

"The Russian side has agreed to this," the Russian diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

Moscow has offered to host Iranian enrichment in Russia, where it would have better oversight — a proposal meant to ease an international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program. The two sides had set Feb. 16 as a date for talks in Moscow.

But after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 4, Tehran suspended some cooperation with the U.N. watchdog agency and said it resumed small-scale enrichment of uranium — a process that some fear could lead to the production of nuclear bombs.

On Monday, Tehran abruptly postponed the talks in Moscow, but a day later, officials in Iran said they had requested a new date: Monday.

Interfax quoted Russian Embassy official Vyacheslav Moshkalo as saying that the postponement had no particular significance and had been overblown by the media.

"I don't see anything extraordinary in this delay," Moshkalo said. "There was a lot of fuss about nothing."

In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it could not immediately confirm the date for the talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Vienna for talks with senior EU officials, reiterated Moscow's opposition to sanctions against Iran, saying Wednesday that he did not believe that "in the case of Iran sanctions will achieve something," Interfax reported.

A leading Russian lawmaker, Konstantin Kosachev, warned Tuesday that time was running out for Iran to respond to the offer, which is meant to establish international oversight of Iran's nuclear fuel production and ensure it can't be misused to make weapons.

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's Atomic Energy Agency, will travel to Iran next week to visit the Bushehr nuclear power plant Russia is building, Interfax reported, citing his office.

Last year, Iran and Russia signed a nuclear fuel agreement that paved the way for the 1,000-megawatt power plant to go online by mid-2006. The contract is valued at more than $800 million.

Russia, a traditional ally of Iran, backed referral to the U.N. Security Council only on condition that the council take up the issue no earlier than March, and it opposed the U.S. push for international sanctions against Iran.

Reports: Russia, Iran to Hold Nuke Talks

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Iran open to helping Venezuela nuclear program

Wed Feb 15, 5:04 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Iran is open to helping Venezuela develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, but the two OPEC members have not yet held talks about such cooperation, an Iranian lawmaker said on Wednesday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ardent critic of the U.S. government, is backing Iran's right to develop nuclear fuel despite international community opposition to Tehran pursuing its atomic program.

"Although we have not had any conversations until now with Venezuelan authorities, we would be willing to study the possibility," Iran's parliament speaker, Gholamali Haddadadel, said when asked by reporters in Caracas whether Tehran could offer cooperation to Venezuela.

Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, last year said it was interested in developing nuclear technology with the possible help of Argentina, Brazil or Iran for civilian energy and medical purposes.

Venezuela had a small research reactor that was closed more than a decade ago and is now used for food irradiation and sterilization. Experts say nuclear development could take Venezuela as long as 10 years of investment and training.

The Iranian delegation visiting Venezuela to boost ties between the two nations signed a joint statement ratifying "the right of all nations to make peaceful use nuclear energy" and condemned the "imperialism" of foreign powers.

Iran on Tuesday confirmed that it had restarted uranium enrichment that it insists will only be used for peaceful civilian purposes despite U.S. and European fears that the technology would be used to create nuclear weapons.

Venezuela joined Syria and Cuba this month at the International Atomic Energy Agency in opposing the U.N. watchdog's decision to send the Iran nuclear energy dispute to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

Chavez's growing ties to Iran have only made Washington more wary of the former army colonel turned populist president, whom the U.S. accuses of using the nation's oil wealth to destabilize democracy in the region.

The Venezuelan leader counters that the United States is meddling in democracies in the region, and accuses the U.S. State Department of sponsoring a brief coup against him in 2002. He has promised a socialist revolution to end poverty and promote the integration of Latin American nations.

Iran open to helping Venezuela nuclear program

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Australia 'will be Muslim in 50 years'
By Mark Chipperfield in Sydney
(Filed: 15/02/2006)

Australia is at risk of aborting itself out of existence and could become a Muslim country "within 50 years" if a controversial, abortion-inducing pill is made available, an Australian MP claimed yesterday.

Danna Vale, a former minister and an MP with the governing Liberal Party, said the drug, known as RU486, could drastically reduce the country's native-born, largely European population.

"I have read comments by a certain imam from the Lakemba mosque [in Sydney] who actually said that Australia is going to be a Muslim nation in 50 years' time," she said.

"I didn't believe him at the time, but when you actually look at the birth rate … we are aborting ourselves almost out of existence by 100,000 abortions a year. You multiply that by 50 years and that's five million potential Australians we won't have here."

The Australian parliament in Canberra is debating whether to allow the introduction of RU486, also known as mifepristone - a move that is opposed by Church groups and the staunchly Catholic health minister, Tony Abbott.

The inflammatory remarks upset Australia's Muslim community, which is still reeling from December's race riots, when white and Lebanese gangs fought pitched battles in the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla.

Keysar Trad, head of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, said Mrs Vale was trying to exploit people's ignorance of Islam. "It's just a cheap shot and it's very unfortunate," he said.

Mrs Vale's comments were also condemned by her own party, which is already divided over the abortion question.

The immigration minister, Amanda Vanstone, said the suggestion that people from Muslim countries might eventually outnumber native-born Australians was "completely ill-founded".

The opposition Labour Party described Mrs Vale's comments as "weird" and called on her to retract them.

Australia 'will be Muslim in 50 years'

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Russia Warns U.S. Against Striking Iran
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV , 02.16.2006, 11:29 AM

Russia's top military chief on Thursday warned the United States against launching a military strike against Iran and a top diplomat voiced hope that close cooperation with China could help resolve the Tehran nuclear crisis.

With tension mounting over Iran's nuclear programs, Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, warned the United States against attacking Iran.

"A military scenario can't be ruled out," Baluyevsky was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

He said that while Iran's military potential cannot compare to the United States', "it is hard to predict how the Muslim world will respond to the use of force against Iran."

"This may stir the whole world, and it is crucial to prevent anything like that," Baluyevsky was quoted as saying.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev, meanwhile, said that cooperation with China could help push Iran toward accepting Moscow's offer to host Iran's uranium enrichment program.

The Russian proposal has become a centerpiece of international efforts to defuse tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"We are counting on the continuation of close contacts with our Chinese colleagues and other interested countries," Alekseyev was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. He added, however, that the Iranian nuclear issue recently had become "sharper," and "it is too early to assess the effectiveness of our joint steps to resolve it."

Iran's ambassador to Moscow said Thursday that Tehran hoped Russia would be able to help resolve the international crisis surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.

"Taking into account the good relations between Russia and Iran, I hope that together we can overcome this crisis which has arisen recently," Gholamreza Ansari said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers.

Ansari confirmed that a delegation is expected to travel to Moscow on Monday to discuss the proposal. He would not say who will lead it, but the Interfax news agency quoted Vyacheslav Moshkalo, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Tehran, as saying that the team will be headed by Javad Vaeidi, Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator.

Konstantin Kosachev, the head of Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said after his discussions with the ambassador that he was satisfied that the Iranians would be coming in good faith.

"Iran understands the seriousness of the situation and is ready to continue discussions between experts to reach a compromise on the Russian proposal," he said. He said he had received assurances that "the delegation is getting ready for talks and will have all the necessary authority for conducting negotiations."

Kosachev also sharply criticized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks in which he called for Israel's destruction and questioned whether the Holocaust occurred.

"Such statements don't help strengthen Iran's international prestige," he said with Ansari standing at his side.

A Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strong international consensus developed so far, including Russia, "is probably the strongest instrument we have going right now in trying to influence Iranian behavior."

Moscow is deeply concerned about the current Iranian regime's prospects for acquiring nuclear weapons, not only because Russia is geographically located close to Iran, but also because of the impact that could have on other Middle East players' nuclear aspirations, including Saudi Arabia's, the diplomat said.

The diplomat also noted that by aspiring to a central role in resolving the Iran crisis, Russia wanted to show that it could use the contacts it has built up over the years - including direct communications with the Iranians - to advance the concerns of the international community.

[Shammu]

Brother, I think we are going to have a front row seat here soon. And one way or another, we will watch the show...........

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Daniel 11:2 And now I will show you the truth. Behold, there shall arise three more kings in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than they all. And when he has become strong through his riches he shall stir up and stake all against the realm of Greece.

[Soldier4Christ]

Brother, I think we are going to have a front row seat here soon. And one way or another, we will watch the show...........

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Daniel 11:2 And now I will show you the truth. Behold, there shall arise three more kings in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than they all. And when he has become strong through his riches he shall stir up and stake all against the realm of Greece.

Yes, brother, it will be front row but I am not so sure it will be from a seat.

[twobombs]

Dan 8:5   And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat [had] a notable horn between his eyes.

Dan 8:6   And he came to the ram that had [two] horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.

Dan 8:7   And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

Dan 8:8   Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

Dan 8:20   The ram which thou sawest having [two] horns [are] the kings of Media and Persia.

Dan 8:13   Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain [saint] which spake, How long [shall be] the vision [concerning] the daily [sacrifice], and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

Dan 8:14   And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

[Shammu]

Yes, brother, it will be front row but I am not so sure it will be from a seat.