The Latest from Iran (21 November): Mousavi, Khomeini, and Ahmadinejad

NEW Latest Iran Video and English Text: Mousavi Interview with Kalemeh (21 November)
NEW Latest Iran Video: “The Stone Victory” over the Basiji on 13 Aban
Iran: The Ahmadinejad Speech in Tabriz (19 November)
Iran: Green Message to Obama “Back Us Instead of Dealing With Ahmadinejad”
The Latest from Iran (20 November): Manoeuvres in Washington

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2035 GMT: An advance copy of Michael Slackman's article on Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, published in Sunday's New York Times, is on-line.

2030 GMT: An Iranian activist is offering a running summary of the Government's crackdown on students through arrests and detentions as well as disciplinary action by Universities.

1840 GMT: A Mousavi Trial? Mohammad Nabi Habibi, Secretary-General of the conservative Islamic Coalition Party, has demanded that Mir Hossein Mousavi be prosecuted for claiming that the Presidential election was rigged, "I believe both Mousavi and all those who propagated this big lie must face trial in a court of law."

1810 GMT: We've posted the video and Engish text of Mir Hossein Mousavi's interview with Kalemeh (see 1550 GMT for summary).

1600 GMT: Magically Appearing Crowd. We opened this morning (0745 GMT) with photographic confirmation of the disappointing crowd at President Ahmadinejad's Thursday speech in Tabriz. Kayhan, the firmly pro-Government newspaper, has published pictures, but suddenly the empty bleachers are filled with people.

No one around here is saying Photoshop. Really.

1550 GMT: 1st summary of Mousavi Interview....

People should know what the government has done with $200 billion of oil revenues in the last two years. The Majlis [Parliament] should be criticized for not controlling and overseeing Government expenditures. It is not possible to have consumer prices based on international market prices and wages based on national standards and remove subsidies.

The scope of deployment of forces on the streets on #13Aban was unprecedented. When I walked out of my office on 13 Aban [4 November demonstrations] and saw the number of forces deployed, I thought this in itself is a victory for the Green movement. [Mousavi was under effective detention throughout the day, surrounded in his offices by pro-Government activists.]

1520 GMT: Copies of Mir Hossein Mousavi's interview with Kalemeh are now circulating. We'll have a summary within an hour.

1210 GMT: Today's Media Nonsense. David Frum, the Bush speechwriter who claims to have given the world the phrase "Axis of Evil", wields an aggressive pen in Canada's National Post over "Tehran's Last Chance".

Frum begins by misunderstanding the dynamics of the current negotiations over uranium enrichment. That's OK, his forte is words rather than any comprehension of politics. But then he goes overboard with his Sketch of Doom: The Iranians could not make their message clearer if they had sent a crayoned letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency: 'We're building a bomb--and you don't dare stop us. Boom boom, suckers.'"

And the solution? Just a few missiles from Tel Aviv: "Once again --- as with the Israeli strike on Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981, and the Israeli strike at Syria's nuclear reactor in 2007 --- the peace of the region and possibly the world will depend on Israeli strength and courage."

0940 GMT: A Bit More on the Iran-Turkey "Big Push". Yesterday we paid a great deal of attention to the Turkish Foreign Minister's visit to President Ahmadinejad in Tabriz, linking it to Tehran's counter-proposal for an uranium enrichment agreement. Mr Smith noted the pay-off of the Nabucco gas pipeline deal, which would link Turkey and Iran in one of the biggest projects of the 21st century.

Today's Press TV story: "More support for Iran to join Nabucco"

0930 GMT: Nukes, Nukes, Nukes. President Ahmadinejad, pushing for the deal that will shore up his legitimacy, followed up his Thursday address in Tabriz with a nationally-televised speech on Friday night. He embraced more talks with the "West" while contining the theme of negotiating from strength:

Today, the only tool in the hands of [our] enemies is to wage a psychological war and raise the hue and cry; but they know well that threats will have no impact on the Iranian nation....The resistance of the Iranian nation has repelled threats against Tehran.

The Iranian nation welcomes talks and interaction and presses any hand extended for cooperation. But if its dignity and rights are not respected, the nation will not give up its rights.

0900 GMT: A well-placed EA source gives us an exclusive:

This week is the Week of Basij [militia]. What is interesting is that General Naqdi, the new Basij commender, and his companions went to Imam Khomeini's shrine, but Seyed Hassan Khomeini [the Imam's grandson] did not show up to welcome them.

Seyyed Hassan did not welcome Ahmadinejad, his Cabinet, or the head of police, but when Hashemi Rafsanjani visited the Shrine he warmly greeted him. This is could be why Ayatollah Khamenei invited Seyyed Hassan to see him on Thursday "to give him some advice".

0815 GMT: Former Minister of Culture Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, who was dismissed by the President in the controversy over the choice of First Vice President Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, has criticised Ahmadinejad in Ayande News. He claims that the President is arrogant, too easily trusts people such as Mashai, and does not accept advice.

0810 GMT: More Rumblings from Parliament. Ahmad Tavakoli, the high-profile member of Parliament and ally of the Larijanis, has declared that Ahmadinejad’s demands from the Parliament are illegal. He warned that if those demands were accepted, this would lead to the closure of a Parliament which was failing to function.

0755 GMT: Salaam News has a lengthy interview with Hossein Marashi, who is close to former President Hashemi Rafsanjani. What is interesting, beyond the clear disappointment with the Iranian system accompanied by the declaration that Rafsanjani "more than anyone else" is loyal to that system and its leadership, is Marashi's attention to the "reformists" and the Green Wave. While emphasizing that "public anger is serious", he is equally emphatic about the need for "communities of leadership" for the movement.

(Note: given what I think is a significant interview and our attention to the development and future of the opposition, I would be grateful for any comments and further translation of key sentences of this article.)

0745 GMT: Catching up with bits and pieces. An EA reader finally gave us the visuals we wanted on the crowd for Ahmadinejad's Thursday speech in Tabriz.

Picture 1 is from the Presidential campaign; pictures 2 and  3 are from Thursday.

UPDATED Iran Video and English Text: Mousavi Interview with Kalemeh (21 November)

The Latest from Iran (21 November): Mousavi, Khomeini, and Ahmadinejad

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UPDATE 22 November: An EA source has offered some additions to the English translation of the interview.

An English-summary translation of Mousavi's statement follows the video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=338xHiia9nw[/youtube]

Mir Hossein Mousavi: A country that is governed under the name of Islam should not continue its path by terrorizing people

Invading the American embassy by Iranian students [in 1979] was a reaction to American interference into Iran affairs and its support for Shah. If it was Russia or Britain doing that, the same thing would have happened to them. Therefore our people pay attention to the fundamental roots and reasons behind 13 Aban [the demonstrations of 4 November] and against the interference of foreigners and not a specific country, and this is why on 13 Aban all people came to the streets.

This year’s November 4th, because of how people took the streets and remained on the scene, turned to a great memory for our nation....On November 4th, the regime brought an army to confront the people....[but] dividing the people and enforcing limitations created new circumstances for the Green movement.

“First, there was the number of armed forces put on the streets to confront people. In the history of the revolution, I had never seen so many forces placed at important points....I told myself even if today nobody shows up on the streets, this is a victory for the Green path of hope. It shows how afraid they are of it and what a significant movement it is.

A country that is governed under the name of Islam and have had a great revolution should not continue its path by terrorizing people....The first impression of all those armed forces on November 4 was creating terror to tackle people’s greatest asset [their bravery] despite the fact that if we want to have a prosperous nation and county we should emphasise this asset. This is what was being attacked on November 4. If you ask me if they achieved their goal: in my opinion, they did not....

They attacked people but people were not afraid. If you look at the footage from the streets, you see that they were beating people but people were not running away. They go on the other side of the street and continue chanting their slogans....

The next outcome of this kind of confrontation is anger, which will lead some to go beyond the basic slogans that the Green movement emphasises, which is abiding to the constitution and fulfilling all its principles in the country....People should note that no matter how much they (the government’s agents) show brutality, people should not fall into the trap of brutality. It is necessary for us to maintain our logic and our cool, and remain loyal and preserve our values and bravery to express our beliefs in the society....

We want freedom as a natural and innate demand in human and we will pay any price necessary for it....

[In another part of his interview, Mousavi commented on the plans by the Government to eliminate subsidies and noted the experts’ warnings against doing so. Mousavi said that in all countries there are some subsidies but the issue is how the Government distributes them to get the best benefit.

Mousavi reminded people that the elimination of subsidies will lead to increase in prices. He added that, just because the government sells oil cheaper inside the country than to the foreign countries, it should not conclude that it is paying a subsidy because other prices in the country are also cheaper than abroad. He questioned if the government is also willing to increase the wage of workers comparable to what is paid in other countries.]

What worries me is that the government does not have a comprehensive plan under the supervision of the Parliament. Because of the political and personal differences they have caused a lot of problems for the people. We witness that the government does not have an unbiased view of the national interest. [Mousavi added that, after the elimination of the subsidies, the government will only help those sectors that it favours and will not give any money to others that are not favoured.]

People don’t know what happened to the 300 billion dollar oil money in the past 4 years; where it was spent; and what its outcome was.

Afghanistan: The Great Lock 'n Load Swindle

Afghanistan: Karzai’s Victory over the US

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In the week that the inauguration of President Hamid Karzai has confirmed his stay in office, Pratap Chatterjee, the author of an excellent exposé of Halliburton, has published the inside story of Afghanistan politics and "economics" for TomDispatch:

An Inside Look at Nepotism and Corruption in Karzai's Afghanistan
Pratap Chatterjee

Kabul, Afghanistan -- Every morning, dozens of trucks laden with diesel from Turkmenistan lumber out of the northern Afghan border town of Hairaton on a two-day trek across the Hindu Kush down to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. Among the dozens of businesses dispatching these trucks are two extremely well connected companies -- Ghazanfar and Zahid Walid -- that helped to swell the election coffers of President Hamid Karzai as well as the family business of his running mate, the country's new vice president, warlord Mohammed Qasim Fahim.

Some of the trucks are on their way to two power stations in the northern part of the capital: a recently refurbished, if inefficient, plant that has served Kabul for a little more than a quarter of a century, and a brand new facility scheduled for completion next year and built with money from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).



Afghan political analysts observe that Ghazanfar and Zahid Walid are striking examples of the multimillion-dollar business conglomerates, financed by American as well as Afghan tax dollars and connected to powerful political figures, that have, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, emerged as part of a pervasive culture of corruption here. Nasrullah Stanikzai, a professor of law and political science at Kabul University, says of the companies in the pocket of the vice-president: "Everybody knows who is Ghazanfar. Everybody knows who is Zahid Walid. The [government elite] directly or indirectly have companies, licenses, and sign contracts. But corruption is not confined just to the Afghans. The international community bears a share of this blame."

Indeed, the tale of the "reconstruction" of Kabul's electricity supply is a classic story of how foreign aid has often served to line the pockets of both international contractors from the donor countries and the local political elite. Unfortunately, these aid-financed projects also generally fail -- as the Kabul diesel plants appear destined to -- because of a lack of planning and the hard cash to keep them operating.

The Rise of a Power Broker

Abdul Hasin and his brother, the vice-president, offer a perfect exemplar of the new business elite. The two men are half-brothers, born to the two wives of a well-respected religious cleric from the village of Marz in the Panjshir valley north of Kabul.

Read rest of article....

Latest Iran Video: "The Stone Victory" over the Basiji on 13 Aban

Latest Iran Video: The 13 Aban Protests (4 November — 4th Set)
Latest Iran Video: The 13 Aban Protests (4 November — 3rd Set)
Latest Iran Video: The 13 Aban Protests (4 November — 2nd Set)
Latest Iran Video: The 13 Aban Protests (4 November — 1st Set)
The Latest from Iran (21 November): Khomeini Rejects the Basiji

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZj4VvM6wlc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Turkey's Concern over the First European Union President

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As soon as he was appointed as the European Union's first President, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy became the target of Turkish media and politicians, given his negative comments on Turkey's membership in the EU. For many, the Union's choice of Rompuy instead of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to one reason: "to block Turkey's way".

Suat Kiniklioglu, deputy chairman for external affairs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said that France and Germany had championed Rompuy to harm Turkey's European aspirations:

We are concerned. This man has made it very clear that he doesn't want to see Turkey in the European Union. What is even sadder is that he is making that argument on the basis of the supposed Christian values of the union. That's not the type of union we envisage. The values we envisage are of democracy, transparency, human rights and the rule of law.

His appointment is really evidence that the Franco-German axis in the union is gaining increased strength. I would not be surprised that his views on Turkey have played a role in that choice.

In 2004, Rompuy stated in the Belgian Parliament, "Turkey is not a part of Europe and will never be part of Europe. An expansion of the EU to include Turkey cannot be considered as just another expansion as in the past. The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey."