Iran Document & Analysis: US Gov't Statement on Sanctions, Nukes, & Human Rights

I am not sure, in all the fuss around this week's US Congress vote for stricter sanctions on Tehran, that this statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received much attention.

The first two paragraphs are the expected language on containing Iran's nuclear programme, but the third paragraph shifts the discussion to Tehran's approach to the rights of its citizens. We noted two weeks ago, on the anniversary of Iran's Presidential elections that the Obama and Clinton declarations were the most forthright to date on rights, with the Secretary of State calling for the release of all political prisoners (and naming some of them). Yesterday's declaration continues that trend.

But what does it mean in practice, as opposed to rhetoric?

The Latest from Iran (26 June): Absolute Security?

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON

Passage of Iran Sanctions Legislation

I join President Obama in welcoming Congressional passage of legislation to strengthen sanctions against Iran. We support the broad aims of HR 2194, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 — constraining Iran’s nuclear program, changing the calculus of Iran’s leaders, and demonstrating that Iran’s policies decrease its standing, and further isolate it in the international community. We are committed to fully implementing this legislation in a manner that advances our multilateral dual-track strategy of engagement and pressure.

These new measures, along with action by the European Union and Australia, build on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 and underscore the resolve of the international community to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and to hold it accountable for its international obligations. The United States will work with our partners to maximize the impact of these efforts and to continue pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the international community’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

In addition to increasing pressure on Iran’s illicit nuclear activities, this legislation also addressed the Iranian government’s continued violation of the fundamental rights of its citizens. A year after the Iranian people took to the streets to protest an election, the leadership continues to violate its most fundamental duties of government, denying its people the right to speak freely, to assemble without fear, and to the equal administration of justice. We support the Congress’ efforts to call attention to these violations, and the United States will continue to hold Iran accountable for its obligations to respect the rights of its own people.

Egypt: El Baradei Joins Anti-Torture Rally (Al Jazeera)

UPDATE 1100 GMT: Mohammad El Baradei has given an interview to the Los Angeles Times: "I keep telling [Egyptians] that nothing will change in a country of 80 million people through one person. This is the myth. The challenge is to demystify it. They need to grow up and understand."

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Al Jazeera English reports this morning:

Mohammad El Baradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has led a protest against alleged abuses by the police in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

At least 4,000 people greeted El Baradei, who has become a prominent pro-democracy campaigner, as he arrived to offer condolences to the family of Khaled Mohammed Saeed, an Egyptian youth who human rights groups say was beaten to death by police.

The protest on Friday, which was ElBaradei's second public appearance this month and the first in which his family have joined him, was his biggest rally since he returned to Egypt after leaving the IAEA.

Crowds chanted pro-democracy slogans and waved images of Saeed while El Baradei, flanked by worshippers, emerged from a mosque after Muslim prayers.

Youths and activists from political and online groups including the Facebook group "El Baradei for presidency of 2011" joined the protest. Some chanted "Down Down [Egyptian president] Hosni Mubarak" and "Saeed you are a martyr" while rushing to meet El Baradei.

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Iran Interview: Ahmad Batebi "The Green Movement and Mousavi"

Earlier this month, we featured Part 1 of Persian2English's interview with human rights activist Ahmad Batebi, who is living in exile in the US. The website has now published the second part of the discussion:

Maryam NY: I think you agree that supporters outside Iran need to unite more for the Iranian people’s movement. How can we be more united?

Ahmad Batebi: We Iranians think we are good and everyone else is bad.

Iran Interview: Ahmad Batebi “People’s Movement Will Stay Alive with Knowledge and Information”

For example, when you tell someone to come and take part in a demonstration, he or she says, “No, I’m not coming because there will be monarchists there.” Then you ask, “What’s wrong with that?” They respond, “Monarchists stole and robbed the country’s money and left Iran.”

Then you say, “Let’s go to another protest.” They say, “No, because there will be MKO (Mujahedin Khalq Organization) people there.” You ask, “Why is that bad?” They answer, “They went to Iraq in the midst of the Iran-Iraq war and betrayed the Iranian people.” Then you ask the monarchists, members of the MKO, and the leftists to come to a [planned] demonstration. They say they are not coming because Mousavi supporters will be there. You ask, “What is the problem with that?” They respond, “Mousavi was the Prime Minister at the time of the 1988 massacres.”

This shows that our mind passes judgment rapidly: “this is good” and “that is bad”. We think that we are right and good and others are wrong and evil.

The judge who sits in our minds is not a fair judge, but rather like a Saeed Mortazavi [former Tehran Prosecutor General, now an advisor to the President] who does not allow defence for the other side. People make mistakes. Everyone errs. Do you want to ban a person from entering the movement forever? The first step is to say that we are bad and others are good. Then we need to kill Judge Mortazavi from our heads and admit that we also make mistakes like others.

Maryam: In your view, should Mousavi explain his role in the 1988 massacres?

Batebi: No, not now.

Look, I am not a “Mousavist”. I believe that people should vote [in the Presidential elections], because I believe in active participation. I say that if everybody casts a vote, then every single person can make demands. The reason that the movement has become so strong is that many people participated [in the election]. Then they asked, “Where is my vote?” If we had boycotted the election, we wouldn’t have this many “creditors” asking for their shares.

But, I didn’t vote for Mousavi and I disliked him because I believed he was a little conservative and he still wants to take Iran back to its origins [of the 1980s].  However, as time passed, I realized that I was very wrong about Mousavi. It is true, my mode of thought is different from Mousavi’s. I am a secular person and I do not have many common views with him in such domains, but now, I have a lot of respect for him, because he has stood up to defend the people’s rights.

If we want to kill Mortazavi from our minds and judge [Mousavi] realistically, then in the era that Mousavi was Prime Minister, let’s consider that there were three separate powers [estates] in Iran: legislative, executive, and judiciary. Those who committed the murders were in the Judiciary. If we put ourselves in Mousavi’s shoes, in 1988, in the midst of war and conflict and while Khomeini was still alive and had such charisma, what should we have done? Were we supposed to kill Khomeini? Were we supposed to stand up to the Judiciary? The mood and atmosphere was not such that Mousavi could do anything in particular.

However, Mousavi should explain one day what the issues were, who was responsible, and what his role was. If he had made a mistake, he should apologize to the people, and if not, he should offer an explanation. He has to do this, but doing it now means hitting and beating ourselves. Once the movement prevails, then there is a lot of time to ask Mousavi to address this issue.

Maryam: The reason I suggested Mousavi to acknowledge the massacres is to unite the people more.

Batebi: But such an acknowledgment is only important for unifying people outside Iran. It’s not important for people who live inside Iran. It is enough for the Iranian people that Mousavi has had the courage to stand up to the ruling establishment. We who live outside the country cannot decide for the Iranian people. [What you mentioned] is the demand of the Diaspora community. I also believe he has to explain [his role], but we have more important issues to deal with right now. The people in Iran want the movement to continue breathing. It is better if Mousavi shows courage and stands like Karroubi. Then, later, we have time for all these debates.

Israel-Palestine Latest: The East Jerusalem Demolition/Settlements Argument

Following this week's "redevelopment" plan --- the demolition of 22 houses in East Jerusalem's Silwan neighborhood --- Israel's Public Security Minister Yitzhak Ahronovitch told the Knesset on Wednesday that Israeli police expects "widespread disturbances" in and around the area.

The UN later  Wednesday called Israel's plan to demolish Arab homes "unhelpful" and "contrary to international law".

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the decision by the Jerusalem municipality to advance planning for house demolitions and further settlement activity in the area of Silwan," UN Chief Ban Ki-moon's press office said.

Gaza Latest (25 June): Iranian Flotilla “Cancelled”; US Says Aid Ships “Irresponsible”; Europe Calls for End to Blockade
Middle East Inside Line: Coalition Changes in Israel?; Netanyahu’s War for Legitimacy; Israel Warns Lebanon

On Thursday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called on Israel to halt the development of new settlements in occupied territories and East Jerusalem.

However, as the end of the current freeze on settlement constructions in the West Bank approaches, the Likud Central Committee voted on Thursday to resume building both in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

There is one twist in the story: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not participate in the meeting, thus escaping for the moment criticism from Washington (for endorsing the renewal) or from the Israeli public (for opposing it).

September will be a decisive month on the issue. Until then, Netanyahu may be looking for the conditions to turn indirect discussions into direct talks, moving the burden of responsibility from settlements to Palestinian participation in negotiations.

China This Week: Hu Visits Canada, The Currency Issue, Building Ties with Australia

Hu's Canadian visit & G20 summit: Chinese President Hu Jintao left Beijing for Canada on Wednesday to pay a state visit and to attend the 4th Group of 20 (G20) summit scheduled for 26-27 June in Toronto.

Strained ties between Beijing and Ottawa started to warm when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited China last December. Ottawa had aggressively criticized Beijing for its human rights record, but after the financial meltdown last year, its tone softened slightly. The Harper Government, asserting that "new global realities demand a modernized Canada-China relationship", began to downplay rights-related issues.

Sources said the two countries are expected to sign contracts on energy, telecommunication industries, and tourism.

Looking towards the G20 summit, China said the meeting should focus on the recovery of world economy rather than a specific issue such as the RMB (yuan) exchange rate.

The fluctuations of the Chinese currency: The yuan rose by more than 0.4 percent --- the biggest rise in a day since it was revalued in 2005 --- on Monday, close to hitting its trading limit of 0.5 percent. But the currency on Tuesday then went through its biggest decline since December 2008, weakening 0.23 percent to 6.8136 per dollar.

"The dollar has been strong on the international markets in the past two days and it's normal for the yuan to weaken against the dollar today," said Liu Dongliang, currency analyst of China Merchants Bank. The yuan will not rise continually and strongly, contrary to the expectations of some US politicians and industry players, Liu added.

The Fair Currency Coalition, an alliance of US industry, agriculture, and worker organizations, urged the US Congress to pass effective legislation on the yuan issue, despite China's pledge to make its currency more flexible.

Brenda L. Foster, President of American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, warned that the yuan policy move will not significantly reduce the US trade deficit with China.

Chinese VP wants trade deal with Australia: China is keen to strike a free trade pact with Australia soon and opposes any return to protectionism in response to the global economic crisis, China's vice-president, Xi Jinping, said Monday.

His visit to Australia has focused on its burgeoning exports of iron ore, coal and natural gas that are supporting the expansion of Chinese manufacturing.

China has been quick to fill a slump in investment in the Australian resource sector since the global downturn. But Australia is cautious about allowing Beijing-controlled companies to buy the mines that are commanding record prices because of Chinese demand.

China is Austria's biggest trading partner, biggest export market and biggest importer. Despite the global financial crisis, Australia's exports to China rose by 31 percent in 2009.

South China floods toll continues to rise: Heavy rains and floods in south and central China killed 211 people and left 119 others missing as of 4 pm Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

More than 29 million people in southern and central provinces have been affected by the inclement weather, with about 2.4 million people evacuated, a statement from the ministry said.

The floods have caused economic losses of around 42.12 billion yuan ($6.2 billion), with more than 1.6 million hectares of farmland flooded and about 195,000 houses collapsing.

China’s auditors find local misuse of  funds: According to a report to the 15th session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress, the country's local governments had run up bank loans totaling 2.79 trillion yuan ($410.3 billion) by the end of last year, most of it to fund infrastructure construction and to help pay for government stimulus package projects.

Auditors also found more than 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) of policy loans were misused by policy-based financial institutions

Funds embezzled from public finances totaling more than 94.116 billion yuan ($ 13.82 billion) had been recovered or returned. More than 790 people in connection to the cases had been investigated.

Tariff concessions for 33 countries: The Ministry of Finance said  that China would grant zero tariff status to 4,762 categories of commodities now imported from 33 of the world's least developed countries from 1 July.

The list include 26 African countries and seven from other regions. Aquatic products, textiles, farm produce, glass products, steel, and minerals are to be exempted from tariffs.

Since 2001, China has put 41 of the world's least developed countries on the zero-tariff list.

Hong Kong, Ireland sign tax pact

Hong Kong signed its 13th comprehensive agreement for the avoidance of double taxation (CDTA) with Ireland on Tuesday.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, K C Chan, said: "The agreement will encourage Hong Kong enterprises to leverage on the success of Irish companies in the areas of technology, research and development, while facilitating Irish enterprises to tap into the Asian market, particularly the vast Mainland market, using Hong Kong as a gateway."

Hong Kong is actively seeking to establish a network of CDTAs with major trading and investment partners, and has concluded them with partners including Belgium, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

Chinese boat seized by Indonesia: A Chinese fishing boat, registered to South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and its crew of nine were detained by an Indonesian gunship Tuesday in the South China Sea.

After negotiations, the boat was released the same day. However, eight fishermen who had been taken aboard the Indonesian ship were injured, with one seriously. A preliminary investigation by the region's border defense department showed there might be abuse involved, said Qin Yongjun, spokesman with Guangxi's public security department.