ianstone
05-20-2010, 07:56 PM
Iranian cleric threatens Azerbaijan with ‘fatwa’ over mosques
Font Size: Larger (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',1))|Smaller (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',-1))
Thursday, May 20, 2010
TEHRAN - Bloomberg
A senior Iranian cleric threatened to issue a “fatwa” against the government of neighboring Azerbaijan in a dispute over mosques, warning that violence may result from the religious edict.
“If destroying mosques in Azerbaijan continues, we will issue a fatwa for resistance,’’ Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi was cited as saying by Iran’s state-run Mehr news agency. “Those who die in this way will be considered martyrs.’’ Jews and followers of Wahhabi Islam instigated the demolition of mosques, the Shiite Muslim cleric said without elaborating.
Muslim activists accuse majority-Shiite Azerbaijan of minimizing Islam’s role and of anti-Islamic behavior, saying the government has closed or demolished seven mosques in the past year and bans Islamic symbols in state offices, according to Mehr. Azerbaijan is tolerant of all faiths, said Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov.
“It is impossible that the government of Azerbaijan would demolish a mosque that is officially recognized,” Azimov said late last week in a telephone interview from the capital, Baku. “The activities of those who turn their houses into mosques in a village and call themselves clerics without permission shouldn’t be deemed appropriate.”
The number of mosques in Azerbaijan has increased in the past 20 years, he said. He said the country’s tolerance was also demonstrated by a recent conference in Baku attended by Muslim, Jewish and Christian theologians from 30 countries.
A court in the capital of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, on April 30 upheld an order for the demolition of a mosque, saying it was illegal, according to Mehr. Muslim activists said building permission was granted in 1996, according to Mehr.
Iran has a large population of ethnic Azeris, with some living in the northwestern provinces that share a border with Azerbaijan.
The publication of “The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie in 1988 prompted Iran’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to issue a fatwa condemning him to death for alleged blasphemy. The Indian-born writer spent nine years in hiding, living with guards in various locations in the U.K.
Turkey undeterred by skepticism over Iran nuke accord
Font Size: Larger (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',1))|Smaller (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',-1))
Thursday, May 20, 2010
FULYA ÖZERKAN
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
The skepticism that has greeted Monday's nuclear accord between Turkey, Brazil and Iran risks increasing tensions or provoking conflict, Ankara says. As the US continues to lobby for another round of sanctions against the Islamic republic, Turkey asks all parties to 'give peace a chance'
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/2010_05_20/ankara-not-deterred-by-skepticism-over-nuke-accord-2010-05-20_l.jpg
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L), Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (C) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gather after Turkey, Brazil and Iran ink a nuclear swap deal on Monday.
Total rejection of the historic trilateral agreement reached by Iran, Brazil and Turkey to head off tougher United Nations sanctions would ratchet up tensions to even higher levels, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
“We are asking all parties concerned to give peace a chance,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Özügergin told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/blubar.jpgMore on Iran dealhttp://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/iran-to-scrap-nuclear-deal-if-un-sanctions-approved-2010-05-20_l.jpgIran to scrap nuclear fuel swap deal if UN sanctions approved (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=iran-to-scrap-nuclear-deal-if-un-sanctions-approved-2010-05-20)http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/blubar.jpgMajor powers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the trilateral agreement reached Monday by Iran, Brazil and Turkey, a deal the leaders of the three countries celebrated with joined hands held high. The United States insists on another round of sanctions against the Islamic republic and has already announced an agreement on such measures with all permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
Turkey appears undeterred by the skepticism and is continuing with its efforts to sway influential actors on the Security Council. Diplomatic sources say there are two factions on the council, one of which welcomes the Turkish-Brazilian efforts and the other, led by Washington, which remains neutral based on its mistrust of Tehran.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on the phone Wednesday with U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as part of continuing efforts to address the nuclear problem. In his conversation with Obama, Erdoğan repeated the Turkish position opposing any nuclear armament in the region and hailed the agreement with Iran as an important step to foster mutual confidence, according to the Prime Ministry.
Erdoğan told the U.S. president that Turkey would closely follow whether Tehran was sticking to its commitments in the deal. In return, Obama expressed the hope that the issue could be resolved through diplomatic means; if not, he said, Washington was determined to apply sanctions to be introduced by the U.N. Security Council.
In his talks with Putin, Erdoğan said the region and the international community should not miss this chance, and the Russian leader said Turkey’s efforts created additional opportunities that would be taken into consideration by his country, Erdoğan’s office said.
The Turkish prime minister was scheduled to speak with other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and plans to meet with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday.
Ankara had been pressing Tehran for months to forge an agreement, with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu speaking repeatedly on the phone and in face-to-face meetings with his Iranian and Western counterparts in an effort to defuse the tension. Under current circumstances, Ankara believes rejection of the diplomatic deal is tantamount to asking for increased tension, or even war.
“The text must be watertight. The draft on sanctions could garner support, but any text lacking legitimacy would be toothless,” one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘Same deal as IAEA’s November proposal’
Ankara is ardently insisting that the latest agreement is the same as the one floated in November by the International Atomic Energy Agency, under which Iran would send the bulk of its low-enriched uranium to a third country for further enrichment, then have it shipped back to Iran for use in a medical-research reactor in Tehran. Should the West choose the fuel-swap option, it would likely need to accept less than 1,200 kilograms of uranium and give Tehran guarantees of delivery, as originally stipulated by the IAEA plan.
The international community suspects Iran has stockpiled its low-enrichment uranium since November and is alarmed by statements from Tehran revealing Iran’s intentions to continue uranium-enrichment activities.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the French Embassy in Ankara, France’s permanent representative to the U.N. Gerard Araud said: “Even if this agreement were to be implemented, which is what we wish, Iran would continue its uranium enrichment to the level of 20 percent, which has no civilian purpose and is getting Iran closer to military capability.”
Ankara said the West has not suggested any amount other than the 1,200 kilograms for the swap, but does not rule out further adjustments to the agreement.
“This was not negotiated with Iran because the November agreement was laid down as ‘all or nothing,’” sources said. “Maybe this latest deal forged by Turkey and Brazil [can be] taken as a basis first and if Tehran takes steps inspiring confidence, the amount could be increased in the future.”
Murky little empire they are building
Font Size: Larger (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',1))|Smaller (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',-1))
Thursday, May 20, 2010
TEHRAN - Bloomberg
A senior Iranian cleric threatened to issue a “fatwa” against the government of neighboring Azerbaijan in a dispute over mosques, warning that violence may result from the religious edict.
“If destroying mosques in Azerbaijan continues, we will issue a fatwa for resistance,’’ Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi was cited as saying by Iran’s state-run Mehr news agency. “Those who die in this way will be considered martyrs.’’ Jews and followers of Wahhabi Islam instigated the demolition of mosques, the Shiite Muslim cleric said without elaborating.
Muslim activists accuse majority-Shiite Azerbaijan of minimizing Islam’s role and of anti-Islamic behavior, saying the government has closed or demolished seven mosques in the past year and bans Islamic symbols in state offices, according to Mehr. Azerbaijan is tolerant of all faiths, said Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov.
“It is impossible that the government of Azerbaijan would demolish a mosque that is officially recognized,” Azimov said late last week in a telephone interview from the capital, Baku. “The activities of those who turn their houses into mosques in a village and call themselves clerics without permission shouldn’t be deemed appropriate.”
The number of mosques in Azerbaijan has increased in the past 20 years, he said. He said the country’s tolerance was also demonstrated by a recent conference in Baku attended by Muslim, Jewish and Christian theologians from 30 countries.
A court in the capital of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, on April 30 upheld an order for the demolition of a mosque, saying it was illegal, according to Mehr. Muslim activists said building permission was granted in 1996, according to Mehr.
Iran has a large population of ethnic Azeris, with some living in the northwestern provinces that share a border with Azerbaijan.
The publication of “The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie in 1988 prompted Iran’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to issue a fatwa condemning him to death for alleged blasphemy. The Indian-born writer spent nine years in hiding, living with guards in various locations in the U.K.
Turkey undeterred by skepticism over Iran nuke accord
Font Size: Larger (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',1))|Smaller (http://javascript<b></b>:ts('body',-1))
Thursday, May 20, 2010
FULYA ÖZERKAN
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
The skepticism that has greeted Monday's nuclear accord between Turkey, Brazil and Iran risks increasing tensions or provoking conflict, Ankara says. As the US continues to lobby for another round of sanctions against the Islamic republic, Turkey asks all parties to 'give peace a chance'
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/2010_05_20/ankara-not-deterred-by-skepticism-over-nuke-accord-2010-05-20_l.jpg
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L), Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (C) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gather after Turkey, Brazil and Iran ink a nuclear swap deal on Monday.
Total rejection of the historic trilateral agreement reached by Iran, Brazil and Turkey to head off tougher United Nations sanctions would ratchet up tensions to even higher levels, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
“We are asking all parties concerned to give peace a chance,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Özügergin told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/blubar.jpgMore on Iran dealhttp://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/iran-to-scrap-nuclear-deal-if-un-sanctions-approved-2010-05-20_l.jpgIran to scrap nuclear fuel swap deal if UN sanctions approved (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=iran-to-scrap-nuclear-deal-if-un-sanctions-approved-2010-05-20)http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/blubar.jpgMajor powers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the trilateral agreement reached Monday by Iran, Brazil and Turkey, a deal the leaders of the three countries celebrated with joined hands held high. The United States insists on another round of sanctions against the Islamic republic and has already announced an agreement on such measures with all permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
Turkey appears undeterred by the skepticism and is continuing with its efforts to sway influential actors on the Security Council. Diplomatic sources say there are two factions on the council, one of which welcomes the Turkish-Brazilian efforts and the other, led by Washington, which remains neutral based on its mistrust of Tehran.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on the phone Wednesday with U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as part of continuing efforts to address the nuclear problem. In his conversation with Obama, Erdoğan repeated the Turkish position opposing any nuclear armament in the region and hailed the agreement with Iran as an important step to foster mutual confidence, according to the Prime Ministry.
Erdoğan told the U.S. president that Turkey would closely follow whether Tehran was sticking to its commitments in the deal. In return, Obama expressed the hope that the issue could be resolved through diplomatic means; if not, he said, Washington was determined to apply sanctions to be introduced by the U.N. Security Council.
In his talks with Putin, Erdoğan said the region and the international community should not miss this chance, and the Russian leader said Turkey’s efforts created additional opportunities that would be taken into consideration by his country, Erdoğan’s office said.
The Turkish prime minister was scheduled to speak with other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and plans to meet with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday.
Ankara had been pressing Tehran for months to forge an agreement, with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu speaking repeatedly on the phone and in face-to-face meetings with his Iranian and Western counterparts in an effort to defuse the tension. Under current circumstances, Ankara believes rejection of the diplomatic deal is tantamount to asking for increased tension, or even war.
“The text must be watertight. The draft on sanctions could garner support, but any text lacking legitimacy would be toothless,” one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘Same deal as IAEA’s November proposal’
Ankara is ardently insisting that the latest agreement is the same as the one floated in November by the International Atomic Energy Agency, under which Iran would send the bulk of its low-enriched uranium to a third country for further enrichment, then have it shipped back to Iran for use in a medical-research reactor in Tehran. Should the West choose the fuel-swap option, it would likely need to accept less than 1,200 kilograms of uranium and give Tehran guarantees of delivery, as originally stipulated by the IAEA plan.
The international community suspects Iran has stockpiled its low-enrichment uranium since November and is alarmed by statements from Tehran revealing Iran’s intentions to continue uranium-enrichment activities.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the French Embassy in Ankara, France’s permanent representative to the U.N. Gerard Araud said: “Even if this agreement were to be implemented, which is what we wish, Iran would continue its uranium enrichment to the level of 20 percent, which has no civilian purpose and is getting Iran closer to military capability.”
Ankara said the West has not suggested any amount other than the 1,200 kilograms for the swap, but does not rule out further adjustments to the agreement.
“This was not negotiated with Iran because the November agreement was laid down as ‘all or nothing,’” sources said. “Maybe this latest deal forged by Turkey and Brazil [can be] taken as a basis first and if Tehran takes steps inspiring confidence, the amount could be increased in the future.”
Murky little empire they are building