Tariq Aziz likely to escape execution

Wed Nov 17, 2010

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has refused to ratify an execution order for Tariq Aziz, former deputy prime minister under the rule of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Iraq's high tribunal sentenced Aziz, who also served as foreign minister and a close adviser to Saddam, to death last month for deliberate murder and crimes against humanity.

Speaking to France 24 television on Wednesday, Talabani said that "No, I will not sign this kind of order because I am a socialist."

He went further to explain that "I feel for Tariq Aziz, because he's an Iraqi Christian, and he's also an elderly person, over 70 years old. That's why I will never sign this execution order."

Talabani had previously expressed his opposition to the death penalty, saying that it was time to turn the page on Iraq's history of execution.

"I think that the page of executions needs to be turned, except concerning the crimes committed at the cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and crimes against Shia pilgrims and holy sites," the Iraqi president said.

According to the Iraqi constitution, the execution orders must be signed by the president before they can be carried out. Talabani's refusal to sign the death warrant would therefore allow Aziz to escape execution.

Aziz, 74, was condemned to death on October 26 for his role in a deadly crackdown on members of Iraq's Shia community in the 1980s. He is also on trial for his role in the displacement of the Kurdish minority in northern Iraq.

The former Iraqi official, who is reported to be seriously ill, has been in prison since surrendering to US forces in April 2003, days after the fall of Baghdad in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://presstv.ir/detail/151410.html.

Iran registered on UNESCO list again

Wed Nov 17, 2010

Five of Iran's diverse cultural practices have been registered on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

According to IRNA, the regional music of Khorasan, the Zurkhaneh and Sport of Heroes rituals, the Persian Passion Play, and traditional carpet weaving skills in Fars and Kashan were listed during the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Iran's Northern Khorasan Province is known for its regional music mainly played on the Dotar, a two-stringed, long-necked lute. They recount Islamic and Gnostic poems and epics in Turkish, Kurdish, Turkmen and Persian.

The Persian Passion Play or Ta'zieh is a ritual dramatic art that recounts religious events, historical and mythical stories and folk tales through poetry, music, song and motion.

Persian carpets are the best of their kind throughout the world and carpet weavers in Iran's Fars Province and the city of Kashan are among the most prominent producers of the stunning handicraft.

The wool for the carpets is usually shorn by local men in spring or autumn and women are mostly in charge of the weaving.

Zurkhaneh (house of strength) is an ancient Persian gymnasium where the Sport of Heroes, which combines pre-Islamic Persian culture with the spirituality of Sufism, is practiced.

The place is a unique sports club, where a man's physical improvement is considered vital for spiritual enlightenment.

The rituals of the Sport of Heroes date back to the Parthian era and symbolize Persian ideals about spiritual growth, masculinity, religious devotion and physical prowess.

The Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding list is composed of intangible heritage elements that concern communities and require urgent measures to keep them alive.

Inscriptions on the list help mobilize international cooperation and assistance for stakeholders to undertake appropriate safeguarding measures.

Tradition of Persian New Year, (Nowruz) and the Radif of Iranian music, the traditional repertoire of the classical music of Iran, were also inscribed on the list during the previous meeting of the committee in Abu Dhabi.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://presstv.ir/detail/151399.html.

Iran to help resolve Karabakh issue

Wed Nov 17, 2010

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has offered Tehran's assistance in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying the issue should be resolved through dialogue.

"We believe that the Karabakh issue will be resolved through dialogue and the commitment of both sides to justice, and Tehran is ready to negotiate with them within this framework," Ahmadinejad said in a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday.

Ethnic Armenian forces took control over 16 percent of Azerbaijan during a war with the country in the early 1990s.

The conflict left an estimated 30,000 people dead and one million displaced before the two sides agreed to a ceasefire in 1994. However, a peace accord has never been signed and the dispute still remains unsettled.

Ahmadinejad said the Iran and Azerbaijan share the same views regarding all regional and international issues, adding that the "role of the two countries in maintaining the stability of the region is unique," Mehr News Agency reported.

The Iranian president referred to issues concerning the Caspian Sea and said, "We believe that all the littoral states should benefit from this sea fairly and justly."

Pointed to the great political relations between Iran and Azerbaijan, Aliyev called for the expansion of economic relations and said, "We believe we can use existing capacities to increase the volume of trade transactions."

The Iranian chief executive arrived in the Azeri capital of Baku on Wednesday to attend the third meeting of the leaders of Caspian littoral states in order to negotiate the legal regime of the sea and to discuss relations with Azeri officials.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea.

The maritime and seabed boundaries of the Caspian Sea have yet to be demarcated among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan -- the five countries bordering the sea.

Despite extensive negotiations, the legal status of the Caspian Sea has been unclear since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Caspian Sea legal regime is based on two agreements signed between Iran and the Soviet Union in 1921 and 1940.

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan -- the three new littoral states, established after the collapse of Soviet Russia -- do not recognize the prior treaties, triggering a debate on the future status of the sea.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://presstv.ir/detail/151390.html.

Israel to end north Ghajar occupation

Wed Nov 17, 2010

The Israeli prime minister's security cabinet has finally agreed to the withdrawal of troops from parts of Ghajar village on the Lebanese border, ending a decades-long occupation.

In a Wednesday vote, Benyamin Netanyahu's security cabinet passed the northern Ghajar pullout, saying that control of the northern part of the village will be handed over to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The plan divides the village, which lies between southern Lebanon and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, into two. While the northern part will be governed by UNIFIL, the southern part will remain under Israeli control.

Tel Aviv, however, has not mentioned a date for the withdrawal and the Israeli Foreign Ministry is to coordinate a withdrawal date with UNIFIL.

The village has been at the center of a row involving Israel, Lebanon, Syria and the United Nations for years.

In 2000, when Israel ended its occupation of south Lebanon after 22 years, the UN determined that the northern part of the village was in Lebanon and Israeli troops evacuated the area. Israel re-occupied the northern part of the village during its war against Lebanon's resistance movement of Hezbollah in 2006.

UNIFIL has been pressing Tel Aviv to withdraw from northern Ghajar in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 33-day war.

Ghajar was considered part of Syria until after the Six Day War in 1967, when Israel captured the village and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 in a move which has not been recognized by the international community.

The villagers, who became Israeli citizens in 1981, consider themselves as Syrians.

"The village should go back to Syria as part of diplomatic negotiations with Syria," Ghajar spokesman Najib Khatib told Israel's Army Radio.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://presstv.ir/detail/151393.html.

Ahmadinejad to meet Medvedev in Baku

Wed Nov 17, 2010

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to hold talks with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the Caspian Sea summit.

Dmitry Medvedev will meet on Thursday with Ahmadinejad to discuss Iran's nuclear program, Russia's top presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Wednesday.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program, and used their influence in the UN Security Council (UNSC) to impose fourth round of sanctions against the country over its nuclear program in June.

Russia, Iran's longtime trade partner, had traditionally opposed the adoption of the UNSC resolution against Tehran, but joined world powers in approving the sanctions against the country.

Tehran rejects Western accusations of pursuing a military nuclear program, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty the country has the right to peaceful nuclear energy.

Ahmadinejad and Medvedev will meet on the sidelines of a summit of Caspian Sea littoral nations in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Prikhodko as saying.

The Iranian chief executive arrived in the Azeri capital of Baku on Wednesday to attend the third meeting of the leaders of Caspian littoral states in order to negotiate the legal regime of the sea and to discuss relations with Azeri officials.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea.

The maritime and seabed boundaries of the Caspian Sea have yet to be demarcated among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan -- the five countries bordering the sea.

Despite extensive negotiations, the legal status of the Caspian Sea has been unclear since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Caspian Sea legal regime is based on two agreements signed between Iran and the Soviet Union in 1921 and 1940.

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan -- the three new littoral states, established after the collapse of Soviet Russia -- do not recognize the prior treaties, triggering a debate on the future status of the sea.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://presstv.ir/detail/151402.html.

Eid Curbs on Uyghur Muslims

2010-11-17

Police in northwest China step up surveillance on Muslims ahead of an important holy day.

Authorities in China's troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang have boosted security as ethnic minority Uyghur Muslims celebrated a key festival of their calendar, Eid al-Adha.

Police in the region's western Kashgar city have already detained six Uyghurs outside a mosque for distributing "illegal religious CDs" to people arriving for Friday prayers last week, an exiled Uyghur group said.

The Eid al-Adha is considered a festival of "sacrifice" among Muslims with celebrations peaking on Wednesday.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, said those detained ahead of the festival included a 17-year-old Uyghur girl.

"The government has stepped up its surveillance of mosques," Raxit said. "There are a lot of plainclothes police officers around [the mosques] now."

"The plainclothes police are also going into the mosques, requiring them to comply with government directives on social stability," he added.

A police officer who answered the phone at the Kashgar municipal police department said he was unaware of the detentions in the city.

However, an officer at the Yecheng county police station did not deny the detentions had taken place. "This is an internal matter for the police," the officer said. "I can't answer your questions."

An employee who answered the phone at a hotel in Kashgar said there would be traffic restrictions around the city's main mosque during early prayers.

"Our mosques will be very busy on the day," she said. "There will probably be 500 or 600 people at prayer, perhaps even 1,000. It's like that every year."

She said tourists would be barred from entering the mosques during the festival prayers.

"When Eid is over at the 12th hour, then we will have some activities, like dancing," she added.

Streets 'tense'

Police were carrying out round-the-clock patrols on the streets of Urumqi, the regional capital which was rocked by deadly ethnic violence in July 2009, leaving nearly 200 dead, according to official reports.

An Urumqi resident surnamed Wu said there were armed security patrols all over the city.

"Things are pretty tense on the streets," Wu said. "The special forces are armed to the teeth, and patrolling in groups of three."

"The volunteer security guards, who aren't so combat-ready, are also patrolling in bigger groups of seven, eight, nine, 10," he added.

A non-Uyghur Hui Muslim who answered the phone at a mosque in the city's Tianshan district said that the mosques were expecting several hundred worshipers to attend prayers for Eid al-Adha, at which sheep and goats are sacrificed to recall the sparing of Abraham’s son Ismail.

"Recently, there have been a lot of plainclothes police carrying out surveillance outside the mosques," he said.

"There's no problem here now. The July 7 [violence] is over now," he said, adding that the government had "sorted them out."

"It's only the Uyghurs who are under strict controls," he added.

Meanwhile, government agencies at all levels had recently received orders banning any Muslim members of the ruling Communist Party or government officials from attending Eid prayers in the region's mosques, Raxit said.

"I don't think the Chinese government is sincere about improving the situation of Uyghurs," he added.

China is home to around 23 million Muslims, including the Turkic-speaking Uyghurs and the Hui, whose mother tongue is Chinese, and who have Chinese names.

Around 13,000 Chinese Muslims flew to the annual pilgrimage in Mecca last month, boarding chartered flights from Gansu, Beijing, Urumqi, Yinchuan and Kunming, official media reported.

However, since the Urumqi violence of July 2009, Uyghurs and travel industry sources have said that Uyghurs have been effectively barred from foreign travel if they don't already have a passport, as their applications are being uniformly turned down.

Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese service, and by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.

Copyright © 1998-2010 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

Source: Radio Free Asia.
Link: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/eid-11172010082929.html.

Pilot fell asleep, Indian plane crash report says

Wed, 17 Nov 2010

New Delhi - The pilot in command of an Air India Express flight that crashed in southern India in May was sleepy and ignored warnings by his co-pilot, news reports said Wednesday.

Flight 812 from Dubai overshot the tricky table-top runway while attempting to land at Mangalore and crashed into a gorge, killing all but eight of the 166 people on board.

An investigation concluded the crash was caused by pilot error, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported. The report has been submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation but not yet been public.

It said Serbia-born pilot Zlatko Glusica was asleep during more than half of the three-hour flight and was "disoriented" when the aircraft began its descent, the Hindustan Times quoted government sources as saying.

An analysis of the cockpit voice recorder and the digital flight data recorder revealed a long silence, heavy breathing and snoring, the report said.

The voice recorder also picked up warnings by co-pilot HS Ahluwalia that there was not enough runway space. Ahluwalia asked Glusica to abort the landing and go around, the report said.

It said the aircraft touched down when it had already crossed 1,500 meters of the 2,400-meter runway. The pilot reacted late and did not follow several standard operating procedures, the report concluded.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353892,indian-plane-crash-says.html.