West goes to Iran talks — and readies sanctions

By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer

GENEVA – Even as they prepare for new talks Thursday with Iran on its nuclear program, the U.S. and its allies are contemplating new and tighter sanctions on Tehran, in a clear signal of expectations that the negotiations may again end in failure.

The fact that the meeting is taking place at all offers some hope, reflecting both sides' desire to talk, despite a spike in tensions over last week's revelations by Iran that it had been secretly building a new uranium enrichment plant.

Ahead of Thursday's negotiations, the State Department stressed its hope that the session would open the door to more in-depth dialogue about ways Iran could alleviate concerns that its emerging nuclear program may be secretly developing nuclear weapons.

If Iran is willing to address the nuclear issues, then there likely will be subsequent meetings, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington.

"That process will take some time," Crowley said. "We're not going to make a snap judgment on Thursday. We're going to see how that meeting goes, evaluate the willingness of Iran to engage on these issues."

Crowley noted that U.S. President Barack Obama has said he intends to take a few months to assess Iran's position and consult with U.S. negotiating partners before deciding what next steps to take.

In Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the talks will be a "test" of their respect for Iran's rights.

"This meeting is a test to measure the extent of sincerity and commitment of some countries to law and justice," Ahmadinejad said after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, according to official IRNA news agency.

While the negotiations are formally between chief Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili and the EU's Javier Solana, Solana will follow the lead of the five powers. The U.S., Britain, France, Russia and Germany are sending senior officials; Washington will be represented by William Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, while Russia is dispatching Sergey Ryabkov, a deputy foreign minister.

Only China, which appears most opposed to new U.N. sanctions on Tehran, is sending a relatively low-level representative to the talks, which were to be held at an undisclosed location outside Geneva.

Tehran's acknowledgment that it has kept silent on the plant — which can make both nuclear fuel and fissile warhead cores — has burdened the already heated atmosphere of the crucial negotiations to the point that expectations of what would constitute success are modest.

A U.S. government official confirmed to The Associated Press that commercial satellite images taken of the purported site near the holy city of Qom are generally accurate.

He confirmed that at least one of the buildings shown in the commercial images matches up to secret U.S. government imagery of the Iranian uranium enrichment facility that was publicly revealed Friday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

At least three private sector imagery analysts in the United States have focused on the site because it fits the description given by the U.S. government: it is 30 kilometers (about 20 miles) from Qom, it is built into a mountainside and it has features consistent with a secret nuclear facility, parts of which the U.S. government says are underground.

Neither the U.S. government nor Iran has officially confirmed the location or the accuracy of the commercial imagery analysis.

At best, Thursday's talks could start lowering passions over the hidden plant, Iran's three-year defiance of the U.N. Security Council's enrichment ban and Western assertions that Tehran is a supporter of terror — and lead to another meeting later this year.

That, in turn, could be the start of a process that could not only end the threat of an Israeli or U.S. strike against Iran's nuclear facilities as a last resort. It could ultimately lead to an agreement on a limited Iranian uranium enrichment program — but under tight international control meant to banish concerns that it could be turned toward making warhead material.

Such hopes are tenuous. Since the five nations first proposed a set of political and economic concessions to Tehran for a full stop to its enrichment activities three years ago, Iran has expanded the program. It now has more than 8,000 centrifuges set up in its cavernous underground facility at Natanz, with most of them working to churn out fuel-grade enriched uranium.

With Iran spurning any discussion of cutting back, let alone freezing enrichment, the five powers also are ready to talk about other issues that Tehran holds dear in hopes of also engaging it on nuclear matters.

U.S. officials and a senior official from another participating country told The Associated Press ahead of the talks that Iran is expected to raise a broad range of global political concerns while the other participants focus on Iran's nuclear program, including last week's disclosure of the previously hidden enrichment plant.

But years of abortive attempts to coax Iran into at least talking about freezing enrichment have the U.S and its Western Security Council partners looking past Thursday's talks — and the possibility that they, too, will fail.

If so, say officials from two of the delegations represented at the Geneva talks, the U.S. and its Western allies will renew their push for a fourth set of U.N. Security Council sanctions.

The initial set of sanctions in 2006 focused on banning trade with Iran in materials, equipment, goods and technology that could contribute to Iran's uranium enrichment program. Iran says its program is intended to provide fuel for civilian power reactors, but the U.S. suspects it could be used to make nuclear weapons.

U.N. sanctions against Iran were expanded in March 2007 by banning arms exports from Iran and imposing a freeze on the financial assets of 28 individuals and entities. Sanctions were again extended in March 2008, restricting the import by Iran of dual-use technologies — those that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

Washington, London, Paris and Berlin are keen to maintain at least outward unity with Moscow and Beijing on dealing with Iran. But the officials — who discuss confidential Iran strategy only on condition of anonymity — say the four Western countries are ready to do without Russia and China if they again block new U.N. sanctions out of economic or political considerations. They said discussions have already begun on tightening existing U.N. and European Union sanctions and enacting new ones.

"Our approach will be that if we cannot get something in the Security Council, we will not wait but will be certainly actively looking for other measures," a senior official from one of the five powers said.

Persian music, Nowruz make it into UN heritage list

Persian music and New Year traditions have been registered on UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Tradition of Persian New Year, Nowruz, and the Radif of Iranian music were inscribed on the list during the 4th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held from Sep. 28 to Oct. 2, 2009 in Abu Dhabi.

Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar, is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

For Iranians, Nowruz is a celebration of renewal and change, a time to visit relatives and friends, and pay respect to senior family members.

Iranians welcome the New Year by wearing new clothes and setting the Haft Seen, a table containing seven items starting with the letter 'S' -- Sabzeh (freshly grown greens), Samanoo (A type of traditional pudding), Senjed (Jujube), Seeb (Apple), Seer (Garlic), Sumac and Serkeh (vinegar).

The Radif of Iranian music is the traditional repertoire of the classical music of Iran and reflects the cultural and national identity of the Iranian people.

UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was established in the 1990s and deals with oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, traditional craftsmanship and knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.

Algeria bus collision kills 11, injures 65

A collision between two buses in Algeria today has killed 11 people and wounded another 65, the APS news reports.

The crash happened today in a remote area of the Medea region about 200km south of the capital, Algiers, the agency said.

Road accidents kill around 4000 people each year in Algeria.

Tango on UNESCO world heritage list

By BARBARA SURK, Associated Press Writer

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Tango was declared part of the world's cultural heritage by the United Nations on Wednesday and granted the international seal of approval Argentina and Uruguay have long sought for the dramatic dance and its sensual moves.

The 24 members of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee of Intangible Heritage granted the tango dance and its music protected cultural status at its meeting in Abu Dhabi.

The designation may make Argentina and Uruguay, which both claim to be tango's birthplace, eligible to receive financial assistance from a specialized fund for safeguarding cultural traditions. It will also help both governments justify using public funds to preserve their most famous export after to beef.

"We are very proud," Hernan Lombardi, the minister of culture of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires told the Associated Press on the phone from the Emirates' capital. "We hope this decision will help spread the tradition of tango all over the world."

Tango emerged as a dance style in the late 1800s in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, Uruguay. It is popular in Europe, Japan and the United States. The recent spike in tango's popularity throughout the world is in part attributed to the Broadway hit "Forever Tango" and TV's "Dancing With the Stars."

"Tango is a feeling that can be danced, and that feeling of course is passion," Lombardi told the AP on Wednesday.

The popular image — willowy, spike-heeled women spinning, kicking and lunging across the floor in the arms of tuxedo-clad men — is known as show tango. The kind danced in milongas, or tango dance halls, is more waltzlike, but equally sensual.

Argentina and Uruguay have long been embroiled in a clash over the birthplace of the great tango crooner Carlos Gardel. They kicked aside their differences last year in a joint effort to persuade UNESCO to list tango among UNESCO's traditions worth safeguarding for humanity.

India's Vedic chanting and Japan's Kabuki theater are among the dozens of U.N. protected traditions.

Iran not after nuclear weapons, says IAEA chief

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei says he does not believe that Iran has a military nuclear program, adding that the lack of evidence to the contrary supports his belief.

"I do not think... Iran has an on-going nuclear weapons program. Whether they have done some weaponization studies, as was claimed by the US and others, this is one of the issues that are still outstanding," ElBaradei told the Indian TV news channel CNN-IBN.

"But I have not seen any credible evidence to suggest that Iran has an on-going nuclear program today. I hope that they are not having one," he added during the Wednesday interview.

The outgoing director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also touched on Iran's construction of the Fordu nuclear facility. Elbaradei said that he talked to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, who informed him that the facility was far from complete.

"There are no centrifuges in the facility, there is no nuclear material, it is simply still just ready in term of cables and construction," the IAEA chief quoted Salehi as saying.

Elbaradei also pointed out that the IAEA should conduct an inspection of the facility "as soon as possible."

"Through that [inspection], again, [we can] provide assurance to the international community, that this facility is meant to be a facility devoted for peaceful purposes."

ElBaradei also commented on the impending talks between Iran and the P5+1 (Permanent member of the Security Council plus Germany) in Geneva, and expressed hope that the meeting would "usher in a comprehensive, meaningful dialogue."

"Recently, [Iran has] asked the Agency for assistance in getting fuel for its existing research reactor and asked the Agency to see whether we can be of help," he said, expressing optimism about a possible deal between Iran and the West.

"I was quite pleased to see that there is a very large amount of goodwill on the part of the suppliers to provide fuel for Iran for its research reactor in Teheran. The world is keen, is ready to help Iran to make full use of nuclear energy for nuclear purposes."

Earlier in the month, Iran wrote a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog, saying that it was constructing a second plant for uranium enrichment.

The Agency received Iran's letter 18 months prior to the date set for the plant to enter operational phase. That is one year before Iran was officially obliged to do so, based on the IAEA document INFCIRC/153.

Indonesian quake kills dozens, traps thousands

By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian officials say at least 75 people have been killed and thousands more trapped under flattened buildings in a powerful earthquake off Sumatra island.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla announced the death toll at a news conference, hours after the 7.6-magnitude quake hit off the coast of the town of Padang on Wednesday.

Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center, said thousands of people were trapped under collapsed buildings. He said a field hospital was being prepared to assist the injured.

Officials said the quake triggered a landslide that cut off land transport to the area closest to the epicenter. Power and telecommunications were also cut.

The quake was along the same fault line that spawned the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A disaster management official says 13 people have been killed and thousands trapped under flattened buildings in a powerful earthquake in western Indonesia.

Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center, said a field hospital was being prepared to assist the injured and medical teams were on the way from neighboring provinces.

A 7.6-magnitude quake hit just off the coast of the town of Padang, Western Sumatra province on Wednesday.

Officials said the quake triggered a landslide that cut off land transport to the area closest to the epicenter. Power and telecommunications were also cut.

The quake was along the same fault line that spawned the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Israel, Lebanon's worst enemy: Poll

Results of a recent survey show that the Lebanese people deem Qatar as their country's closest ally while Israel is considered as their foremost enemy.

An opinion poll conducted on August 11-15 among people from different religious communities in Lebanon shows more than 86 percent of Lebanese favor Qatar.

Syria and Iran rank as Lebanon's second and third friend nations with 72 and 68 percent respectively, with Tehran enjoying the most votes among the country's Shia community.

This is while a sweeping 92 percent majority considers Israel as their leading enemy with Washington following with 64 percent as Tel Aviv's closest ally.

The results from the survey mark an 11 percent fall in the US popularity with the Lebanese from 37 percent in a June 2008 poll.

Egypt, one of the few Arab states that have normalized ties with Israel, has climbed down as much as 17 percent from 63 percent last year while Saudi Arabia ended up seven percent higher than its 53 percent in 2008.

The survey also found a low popularity for the United Nations in Lebanon as almost half of the 995 people who participated in the poll said they did not consider the international body as their friend.

On the most serious threats, 48 percent of the Lebanese expressed their deepest concerns over the prospects of another Israeli attack, while 12 percent said they remained concerned with the issue of Palestinian refugees. Economic recession and sectarian violence were to follow with almost 10 percent each.

While Israel and its Western allies are increasingly uncomfortable with Hezbollah's armed resistance, the Islamic group does not seem to provoke much fear at home as a meager 5 percent said they disliked an armed Hezbollah.

The vote sought views about Lebanon's 'friends and foes' among a mix of Shia and Sunni Muslims, Druze and Maronite communities as well as other religious minorities.

The poll was conducted with an error margin of 3.1 percent.