Tehran Times

[Farrah Zafar]

Egyptians won’t fall for U.S. tricks anymore: Leader
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that the intrigues devised by the United States will no longer deceive the Egyptian nation because they have awakened.

The Leader made the remarks in an address to thousands of people from the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz at a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.

The Leader said, “The U.S. is making efforts to send people back home through misleading the Egyptian movement and to make them satisfied with certain superficial achievements, but it is unlikely that such ploys will work on the nation, which has awakened and has become aware of their strength and influence.”

He added that the main cause of the protests in Egypt was the humiliation that its people suffered due to the government’s dependence on the United States and the Zionist regime.

He went on to say that the people’s active presence on the political scene can blunt the tools used by the bullying powers against them.

The Leader stated, “The United States can easily bully countries that lack the support of their people and whenever they no longer need the leaders (of those states), they ignore them as they ignored (former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine) Ben Ali and (former shah of Iran) Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. However, they (the U.S.) can do nothing in the face of the people’s firm resolve when the people are present on the scene.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader said that the West is seeking to pressure Iran through imposing sanctions on it, assassinating its scientists, and accusing it of human rights violations.

But despite all the pressure, Iran has become stronger than before, he added.

[Farrah Zafar]

MANAMA – Protesters demanding sweeping political reforms from Bahrain's rulers held their ground on Wednesday in an Egypt-style occupation of the capital's landmark square, staging a third day of demonstrations that have brought unprecedented pressure in one of Washington's most strategic allies in the Persian Gulf.

Political turmoil surging through the Arab world has so far taken no toll on the American military. But that could change if revolt washes over the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain -- longtime home to the U.S. Navy's mighty 5th Fleet and arguably the Middle East anchor of U.S. defense strategy, AP reported.

The protesters, pressing for a host of demands including political reforms and better human rights in the kingdom, are refusing to disperse, despite a rare apology from the king over the deaths in police firing.

An Al Jazeera correspondent in Bahrain said that thousands of protesters were occupying a major landmark on Wednesday.

“They are well organized and say that they will make Manama's Pearl Roundabout Bahrain's version of Egypt's Tahrir Square.”

He said that protesters also held a funeral procession for the man who was killed during Tuesday's protest.

“The funeral procession left from the hospital and there were no police in sight.”

He said that the police allowed the march to continue without interfering.

On Tuesday, Bahrain's ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa made a rare television appearance in which he expressed his condolences for “the deaths of two of our dear sons” and said a committee would investigate the killings.

“We will ask legislators to look into this issue and suggest needed laws to resolve it,” he said, adding that peaceful protests were legal.

'Speech too late'

Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Centre for Human rights, told Al Jazeera that the king's speech “was too late”.

“People were expecting him to come out and meet the demands of the people - but he did not talk about how he will address the demands of the people.

“People don't want only an investigation about the two killings -- they want change,” he said.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the tiny kingdom since Monday, inspired by the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

While one protester was killed on Monday, another died the next day when police opened fire at his funeral procession.

The second victim was identified as Fadhel Ali Almatrook and Al Jazeera’s correspondent said he seemed to have been shot at from very close range.

Al Jazeera reported that police took a very heavy-handed approach towards the protesters.

“Police fired on the protesters this (Tuesday) morning, but they showed very strong resistance,” he said.

U.S. worries

The discontent that has spilled into the streets of Bahrain's capital this week features no anti-American sentiment, but the U.S. has a lot at stake in preserving its dominant naval presence in the Persian Gulf, AP reported.

In announcing that it is “very concerned” about violence linked to the protests, the State Department on Tuesday underscored Bahrain's strategic importance as a U.S. partner.

“The United States welcomes the government of Bahrain's statements that it will investigate these deaths, and that it will take legal action against any unjustified use of force by Bahraini security forces,” said department spokesman P.J. Crowley. “We urge that it follow through on these statements as quickly as possible.”

The 5th Fleet operates at least one aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf at all times, along with an “amphibious ready group” of ships with Marines aboard. Their presence is central to a longstanding U.S. commitment to ensuring the free flow of oil through the Persian Gulf, AP’s Robert Burns wrote.

Anthony Cordesman, a Mideast defense specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Bahrain has security services capable of handling protesters and potentially backed by neighboring Saudi Arabia.

“It is a serious problem, but whether it's going to flare up any more seriously this time than all the other times is hard to say,” Cordesman said. “The question is whether they can shake the security structure of the state.”

The implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security from the pro-democracy movements that have arisen in the Arab world -- highlighted by Egypt's stunning revolution -- was likely a topic Wednesday when Defense Secretary Robert Gates testifies before the House Armed Services Committee.

Bahrain became a more prominent partner for the Pentagon after the 1991 Persian Gulf War with Iraq; since then it has granted U.S. forces increased access, plus permission to store wartime supplies for future crises.

In the weeks leading up to popular revolts that toppled autocratic regimes first in Tunisia and then Egypt, Obama administration officials portrayed Bahrain as being on the right track toward democracy.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, during a visit to Manama in December, called Bahrain “a model partner,” not only for the United States but also for other countries in the region seeking political liberalization.

[Farrah Zafar]

Legal proceedings against chemical weapons suppliers underway
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN - Iran’s ambassador to the Netherlands has announced that the legal proceedings against the companies and governments which facilitated the chemical weapons program of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war are in process in international courts.

“Legal proceedings against those (companies and governments) which armed Iraq with chemical weapons against Iran during the imposed war are underway,” Ambassador Kazem Gharibabadi, who also holds an executive post at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), told the Fars news agency in an interview published on Tuesday.

The OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and has the mandate to ensure the implementation of its provisions, including those for international verification of compliance with it.

The Iranian diplomat also said that Iran, as a victim of chemical weapons, is actively campaigning for the total abolition of chemical weapons throughout the world.

He also added that April 29, 2012 has been set as the final deadline for the total eradication of all chemical weapons, so it is a test for the United States and Russia, which are the countries that have the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons, to show their commitment to international conventions.

[Farrah Zafar]

200 scholars holding dialogue on Islamic unity in Tehran
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN - The 24th International Islamic Unity Conference opened in Tehran on Saturday and runs until Monday, February 21.

Over 200 scholars from 57 countries are attending the conference, which has been organized by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST).

WFPIST Secretary General Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri is also the secretary general of the conference.

“Intellectual and Applied Approaches for the Manifestation of the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought” is the official theme of the conference.

Potential solutions to realize the proximity of Islamic schools of thought, the promotion of unity among Muslims, and the latest developments in the Islamic world are some of the topics on the agenda for discussion during the conference.

U.S. trying to sowing sectarian strife among Muslims

Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani delivered an address at the conference in which he said the United States and certain other Western countries are seeking to sow sectarian strife among Muslims.

The U.S. is attempting to disseminate the idea that Iran is trying to propagate Shiaism throughout the region, Larijani said.

But Shias and Sunnis are equal for Iranians, and the Islamic Republic takes pride in supporting the Egyptian people and Hamas members who are Sunni, as well as Hezbollah members who are Shia, he stated.

Larijani added, “We do not want to see Muslims living under pressure from the United States… no matter whether they are Shia or Sunni.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and the Iranian nation support the people of regional countries who are seeking to oust the dictators who are ruling their governments, the Iranian parliament speaker stated.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani said the U.S. cannot mislead the new movements that have arisen in the region by giving the people superficial achievements to appease them.

The U.S. and certain other Western countries intended to assuage the Egyptians’ anger by proposing to open the Rafah border crossing, but the most important issue for Egyptians is bringing their revolution to fruition, and Western officials are mistaken if they believe they can weaken the resolve of the Egyptian nation by giving them such empty promises, Larijani said.

“The goal of the Egyptians is not to remove an old dictator and replace him with a number of young generals. Rather, the goal of the Egyptian nation is (to achieve) real democracy and to revive their national and religious identity,” he noted.

The Iranian parliament speaker added that the dictators who are subservient to the United States and Israel must be aware that they cannot quell the Islamic uprisings in the region by killing people, staging military coups, and giving them “political candies”.

By “political candies”, Larijani meant financial assistance and other economic incentives given in order to deceive citizens.

The dictators must give in to the demands of their people, Larijani stated.

The Iranian parliament speaker also called on Muslims to increase their efforts to establish unity and to increase their vigilance toward the enemies’ intrigues.

A number of Muslim scholars also delivered speeches on the first day of the conference in which they emphasized the importance of Islamic unity.

[Farrah Zafar]

Muslim countries must get out of the orbit of the U.S.: Leader
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said the best way to resolve the problems facing regional countries is to prevent the United States from interfering in their internal affairs.

Muslim nations and governments should become vigilant and stop the “great Satan” from controlling their destinies, Ayatollah Khamenei said in an address to a number of Iranian officials and Islamic countries’ ambassadors to Iran in Tehran on Monday.

He also said the hegemonistic powers’ plots against Islamic countries have created discord between Muslim nations.

And the domination of hegemonistic countries has undermined nations, he noted.

If governments join their people, no country can impose its ideas on them, he stated.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader said the United States is trying to dodge the consequences of the popular uprisings in the region but the popular movements’ goal is to decrease the hegemonistic powers’ influence in the region.

Ayatollah Khamenei called on all Muslim scholars and experts to do everything in their power to thwart the arrogant powers’ efforts to hijack the popular movements in Islamic countries.

He went on to say that the Islamic awakening in the region, in place like Egypt and Tunisia, shows that the people have run out of patience with materialistic civilization.

The status of the Islamic ummah should be improved, he said, and predicted this would happen in the near future.

Ayatollah Khamenei also stated that if Muslims promulgate Islam properly, people’s inclination toward Islam will increase across the globe.

[Farrah Zafar]

Gaddafi attacks his own people with warplanes
By staff and agencies

TRIPOLI – Muammar Gaddafi used tanks, helicopters and warplanes to fight a growing uprising, witnesses said on Tuesday, as the Libyan strongman scoffed at reports he was fleeing after four decades in power.

The UN refugee agency urged to Libya's neighbors not to turn back those fleeing the violence, as hundreds of refugees streamed into Egypt on tractors and trucks, describing a wave of killing and banditry unleashed by the revolt, Reuters reported.

In a defiant speech on state television on Tuesday, Gaddafi rejected demands that he relinquish power, even as leaders of a popular revolt seized control in some areas and top officials resigned to protest attacks on civilians.

“I will not leave the country, and I will die as a martyr,” Gaddafi, 68, said in the lengthy but disjointed address, The Washington Post reported.

The Libyan leader, whose government has been weakened in recent days even as it has brutally cracked down on mass protests, also said “damn those who try to stir unrest.” He blamed the six-day-old popular revolt on “mercenaries” and foreign influences.

With the United Nations convening an emergency meeting on Libya and the Arab League planning to weigh in as well, Gaddafi's vicious crackdown against demonstrators appeared to be fast eroding whatever support had existed for his government.

The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Tuesday strongly condemned the Libyan government for its violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The OIC says what is happening in Libya is a humanitarian catastrophe in contravention of all Islamic and humane values, Press TV reported.

The organization said in a statement in Cairo that it considers the violence against protesters in Libya “a humanitarian disaster incompatible with Islamic and human values.”

The organization demanded the Libyan government to immediately end use of force against the protesters.

Iran on Tuesday denounced the massacre of protesters by the Libyan government as unacceptable.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called on the international organizations and forums to take immediate action to stop mass killing of Libyan people through air strikes.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the Muslim Libyan people’s uprising and their rightful demands are in line with the popular uprisings in the region arising from the Islamic awakening,” Mehmanparast said.

“We are worriedly monitoring the latest developments in this country,” he added.

This comes as International Federation for Human Rights reported that as many as 400 people have been killed so far in the revolution.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also called for an international probe into Libya's violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. Navi Pillay warned the Libyan authorities that systematic attacks against civilians could amount to crime against humanity.

The same message was echoed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who urged the Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi to show restraint and stop the violence immediately.

Reports say the Libyan Revolution has gained momentum despite brutal crackdown by Gaddafi's regime.

In the eastern town of Al Bayda, resident Marai Al Mahry told Reuters by telephone that 26 people including his brother Ahmed had been shot dead overnight by Gaddafi loyalists.

“They shoot you just for walking on the street,” he said, sobbing uncontrollably as he appealed for help.

Protesters were attacked with tanks and warplanes, he said.

“The only thing we can do now is not give up, no surrender, no going back. We will die anyways, whether we like it or not. It is clear that they don't care whether we live or not. This is genocide,” said Mahry, 42.

In Tripoli, residents told Reuters there was no visible security force presence on the streets. The only police present were directing traffic, they said, the day after reports that warplanes had bombed portions of the capital and mercenaries had shot civilians.

Refugees fleeing into Egypt told of a wave of violence and crime.

“Five people died on the street where I live,” Mohamed Jalaly, 40, told Reuters at Salum on his way to Cairo from Benghazi. “You leave Benghazi and then you have ... nothing but gangs and youths with weapons,” he added. “The way from Benghazi is extremely dangerous,” he said.

Libyan guards have withdrawn from their side of the border and Egypt's new military rulers -- who took power following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak on February11 -- said the main crossing would be kept open round-the-clock to allow the sick and wounded to enter.

Libyan security forces have cracked down fiercely on demonstrators across the country, with fighting spreading to Tripoli after erupting in Libya's oil-producing east last week, in a reaction to decades of repression and following uprisings that have toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

Human Rights Watch says at least 233 people have been killed and opposition groups put the figure much higher but independent verification is impossible.

The revolt in OPEC member Libya has driven oil prices to a 2 1/2 year high above $108 a barrel.

As the fighting has intensified some supporters have abandoned Gaddafi. Tripoli's envoy to India, Ali al-Essawi, resigned and told Reuters that African mercenaries had been recruited to help put down protests.

“The fall of Gaddafi is the imperative of the people in streets,” he said. The justice minister also quit and a group of army officers urged soldiers to “join the people.” Two pilots flew their warplanes to nearby Malta.

'Genocide'

The country's state broadcaster quoted Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, and widely seen as his political heir, as saying that armed forces had “bombarded arms depots situated far from populated areas”. He denied that air strikes had taken place in Tripoli and Benghazi.

The government says that it is battling “dens of terrorists”.

Earlier, Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said Gaddafi had started a “genocide against the Libyan people”.

During Monday's protests, gunfire was heard across the capital, with protesters seen attacking police stations and government buildings, including the offices of the state broadcaster.

Witnesses told the AFP news agency that there had been a “massacre” in Tajura district, with gunmen seen firing “indiscriminately”.

In Fashlum district, helicopters were seen landing with what witnesses described as “mercenaries” disembarking and attacking those on the street.

Mohammed Abdul-Malek, a London-based opposition activist who has been in touch with residents, said that snipers have taken positions on roofs in an apparent bid to stop people joining the protests.

Several witnesses who spoke to the Associated Press news agency said that pro-Gaddafi gunmen were firing from moving cars at both people and buildings.

State television on Tuesday dismissed allegations that security forces were killing protesters as “lies and rumors”.

Benghazi situation dire

Benghazi, Libya's second city, which had been the focal point of violence in recent days, has now been taken over by anti-government protesters, after military units deserted their posts and joined the demonstrators.

Doctors there, however, say that they are running short of medical supplies.

Dr. Ahmed, at the city's main hospital, told Al Jazeera that they were running short of medical supplies, medication and blood.

He said that the violence in Benghazi had left “bodies that are divided in three, four parts. Only legs, and only hands”.

While no casualties had been reported in the city on Tuesday, he estimated the number of people killed in Benghazi alone over the last five days to be near 300.

He also said that when military forces who had defected from Gaddafi's government entered an army base, they found evidence of soldiers having been executed, reportedly for refusing to fire on civilians.

The runway at the city's airport has been destroyed, according to the Egyptian foreign minister, and planes can therefore not land there.