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quake death toll rises to 78
bojnourd, khorasan prov., feb. 6, irna -- the death toll of last tuesday's quakes which struck bojnourd and shirvan has reached 78 persons, announced the headquarters for natural disasters. head of the headquarters rasoul zargar added wednesday that 220 persons have been injured. 24 villages were damaged, 20 of which were levelled to ground, he said. at least some 3,500 families have lost their homes, zargar said adding they have been provided with all necesities by the red crescent society. the society provides living facilities for the quake-stricken victims up to three months, he said. reconstruction of houses will start in the damaged areas within 20 days. two quakes measuring 6.1 and 5.4 degrees on the richter scale jolted several cities in khorasan province including bojnourd, shirvan, esfarayen, sabzevar, quchan, neishabour and mashhad on tuesday afternoon.
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ninth iran-china commission to meet in tehran in february
beijing, feb. 6, irna -- a joint commission of iran and china is to sit in tehran later this month for its ninth assembly. deputy prime minister of china lee najing is to arrive in tehran for the purpose at the head of a chinese delegation 22nd februay. iranian ambassador to beijnig hossein mirfakhar wednesday expressed hope that the visit to tehran of the chinese delegation would help promote relations between the two countries. in 1995, iran and china exchanged dlrs 504 million worth of commodities, and in the first half of this year they exchanged dlrs 397 million worth of goods that was 77 per cent more than it was during the corresponding period in the previous year. the iranian ambassador also said that iran and china had come closer together in their approach towards world issues, including that of the human rights, at international forums. in the wake of agreements arrived at in the previous assembly of the commission in beijing last year, china has been involved with a number of infrastrucutral and development projects in iran including the tehran subway project, as well as five cement factories, a hydro and another thermal plant, and khatoon-abad copper project in iran. china has already financed a number of ongoing projects in iran with a total of dlrs 1.34 billion.
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3,000 families homeless after massive quake in iran
bojnurd, khorasan prov., feb. 6, irna -- some 3,000 families were left homeless here after two intense earthquakes jolted this north-easter province of iran on tuesday, it was announced here on wednesday. deputy governor of khorasan province, mohsen akbarzadeh, said that about 700 aid workers including 36 medical teams and 46 rescue squads have been helping the victims in the temblor-stricken rural areas. two massive quakes measuring 5.4 and 6.1 on richter scale rocked the cities of shirvan, ghuchan, bojnurd, esfarayen, sabzevar, neyshabur and the provincial capital mashhad on tuesday afternoon. the death toll from the tremors has so far reached 72.
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islamic revolution, a strong backing for islamic movements
beirut, feb. 6, irna -- the popular front for the liberation of palestine, general command, considers the islamic republic as a strong and major support for all the islamic movements and oppressed nations of the world. abu wael, who is in charge of the publicity affairs of the front, told irna correspondent here on wednesday that the victory of the islamic revolution inspired formation of dynamic islamic movements in palestine and lebanon. turning to the deep impact of the islamic revolution on palestinian people, he said that remarks of the late imam khomeini on the necessity of campaign against the usurper regime of qods and annihilation of the zionist regime have become the pivotal point of the islamic movements. praising iran's support for the ideals of the palestinian people and other oppressed nations, he said that iran's stand has angered the u.s. and the zionist regime. therefore, they have been hatching conspiracies to portray the islamic republic as the cause of insecurity in the persian gulf region. fortunately in the light of wise measures taken by the iranian leaders the plots have all failed. meanwhile, sheikh mostafa malz, member of the assembly of muslim ulema of lebanon told irna on wednesday that the victory of the islamic revolution was a turning point in the history of struggle of the oppressed against the oppressors. the victory of the islamic revolution materialized the wishes of the oppressed nations who had been under the domination of global arrogance for years, he pointed out.
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amrollahi says iaeo should maintain impartiality
vienna, feb. 6, irna -- head of the iranian atomic energy organization, reza amrollahi here wednesday said that the international atomic energy agency (iaea) and its officials should maintain their impartial attitude and approach. addressing the preliminary meeting of representatives of member states of the group 77 yesterday, amrollahi added that the iaea should move towards achieving its pre-determined objectives away from descrimination and political considerations. amrollahi, who is a candidate for the post of the iaea secretary general, said that transfer of peaceful nuclear technology, examining nuclear establishments of countries signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (npt), nuclear safety and bringing these activities up to international standards are among objectives of the agency. the meeting was held to discuss appointment of the iaea secretary general for 1998.
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iran's lawsuit against u.s. to be reviewed
tehran, feb. 6, irna -- the international court of justice will review the nature of iran's lawsuit against the u.s. on the destruction of oil platforms of reshadat (october 19, 1987) and of nasr and salman (april 18, 1988) in the continential shelf. iran's oil ministry announced thursday that according to the latest order issued by the court of hague, the u.s. administration` is bound to register its response with the court by july 23, 1997. following this, the islamic republic government is to present its response to the u.s. bill before the deadline set by the court. the islamic republic of iran lodged a lawsuit against the u.s. administration with the international court of justice on november 2, 1992 on destruction of the three oil platforms. in its suit, iran considered the u.s. attack on the platforms as violation of international laws and called for payment of reparations by the u.s.
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iran's armed forces ready to counter u.s., zionist plots
tehran, feb. 6, irna -- chief of the joint staff of the islamic revolution's guards corps (irgc) said that iran's armed forces are in excellent condition and can counter u.s. and zionist plots far better than the time when iran was engaged in the iraqi imposed war. addressing basij (mobilization) volunteer forces here wednesday, brigadier general mohammad baqer zolqadr further elaborated on the moves taken by subservient or ignorant elements to weaken the pillars of the islamic revolution. stressing the presence of basij (mobilization) and hizbollah forces in all scenes, he said that they will not give plotters any chance.
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iran able to manufacture airplane, tank, helicopter
tehran, feb. 6, irna -- an armed forces official here thursday praised the progress made by the iranian armed forces saying that they are able to manufacture airplane, helicopter, tank and artillery. deputy for logistic affairs of the army brigadier arastou towhidi added that the largest protion of the two million parts needed by the military equipment is being produced in iran by domestic experts. he added that about 300 major research projects have been completed by the armed forces. he referred to mid-air refeuling system of russian airplanes, manufacturing and equipping armoured tanks including the zulfaqar tanks and logistical vessels as accomplishments of the three branches of the islamic republic army. in many cases, iran has gone ahead of the original manufacturers of certain pieces and parts.
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79 killed in the quake, says interior ministry official
tehran, feb. 6, irna -- according to the deputy interior minister the last tuesday quake in northeastern iran has killed at least 79 people. speaking to irna rasoul zargar said that as of thrusday noon the death toll stood at 79 killed. he said 260 others have been injured in the quakes which shook the northeastern province of khorasan. the provincial city of bojnourd was the worst hit with highest number of casualties. zargar who is also head of the headquarters for natural disasters added that based on reports some 65 villages have been damaged and 4,000 families with a total population of about 25,000 people have become homeless in villages. more than 12,200 heads of cattles have also been killed by the quake, zaragar noted. two quakes measuring 6.1 and 5.4 degrees on the open-ended richter scale jolted several cities in khorasan province including bojnourd, shirvan, esfarayen, sabzevar, quchan, neishabour and mashhad on tuesday afternoon.
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iran protests statements of german fm spokesman
tehran, feb. 6, irna -- a message of foreign minister ali akbar velayati to his german counterpart klaus kinkel was handed over to the german ambassador to tehran on wednesday night. the message was handed over by director general for the west european affairs of the foreign ministry ali ahani. during the meeting the iranian official protested against the irrational statements of the spokesman of the german foreign ministry. ahani said, ''we are surprised that the spokesman of the german foreign ministry links relations between the two countries to the destiny of an iranian national who has taken illegal measures and whose case must be investigaged according to the laws of the islamic republic.'' referring to the conspiracies hatched and attempts made by enemies of iran-germany relations, ahani stressed that the german officials should be vigilant as to avert any attempt to mar tehran-bonn realtions. the german ambassador said that he will relay ahani's statements to senior german officials.
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amrollahi: npt should be taken seriously
vienna, feb. 6, irna -- vice-president and head of iran's atomic energy organization reza amrollahi, here on wednesday, called for the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to be taken seriously worldwide. the official who is in the austrian capital to attend the preliminary session of the g-77 conference told irna that the islamic republic of iran is for promotion of peaceful use of nuclear energy and broadening of international and regional cooperation in that area. the conference is aimed at examining the views of candidates for the post of secretary general of the international atomic energy organization. the organization's secretary general hans blix's mandate is to end soon and six countries including egypt, switzerland, ukraine, italy, zambia and the islamic republic of iran have named their candidates for the post.
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sarkuhi's brother rejects foreign media hype about his brother
tehran, feb. 6, irna -- ismail sarkuhi, brother of faraj sarkuhi, editor in chief of the magazine 'adineh' said here thursday that contrary to western media propaganda, his brother has never been detained or imprisoned since his return to iran from germany and turkmenistan on january 19. ismail and faraj sarkuhi were detained five days ago while trying to slip out of the country illegally with the help of smugglers. ismail's remarks belie claims of german media and officials that sarkuhi had been jailed in iran. speaking to iranian and foreign reporters at laleh hotel in terhan, ismail revealed that his brother, faraj was always unhappy and worried about the way the german government and media were spreading rumors about him, despite his intention to leave the country. referring to a recent request from the foreign ministry, made by the german ambassador to tehran, to meet faraj sarkuhi, ismail said that his brother voiced concern about such an ''unusual'' move by the german diplomat. ismail sarkuhi also gave a full account of his brother's trip to germany and his return to iran, his situation in the country and his efforts to leave the country illegally, before asnwering the questions posed by iran-based foreign reporters.
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borujerdi: developments in turky, work of zionists against iran
terhan, feb.5, irna -- iran's deputy foreign minister for asia-pacific affairs, alaeddin boroujerdi, here on wednesday termed the recent developments in turkey as a ''move by the zionists against iran''. boroujerdi was referring to the summoning of iranian ambassador to turkey mohammad reza baqeri to the turkish foreign ministry monday night in protest at his remarks against the zionist regime. attributing the move to efforts by the global zionism to divert public opinion from the international qods day, boroujerdi told irna that the development is ''unacceptable'' from iran's point of view and that announcement of such stands should not have been given such a reaction. he said that what the iranian ambassador to turkey did is usually done by every iranian diplomat in the world, adding that like every other islamic countries ''we believe that beit ul-muqaddas'' as the first qibla of muslims belongs to the world of islam. the deputy foreign minister emphasized that iran expects turkish officials, too, to take such stance because ''beit ul-moqaddas'' does delong to the muslim world.'' describing the current relations between the islamic republic of iran and turksy as ''friendly'', boroujerdi expressed hope that ''the enemies of both nations who created such an hue and cry on the threshold of the international qods day cannot leave negative impacts on the muutal relations.''
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al-hassan: iran's role too important to be ignored by any power
tehran, feb. 5, irna -- syrian ambassador to tehran ahmad al-hassan said here on wednesday that iran's role in maintaining regional security was so important that no country or power can ignore it. al-hassan told irna that such an important role originates from iran's geographical location and its huge economic and human potential. tehran is pursuing a wise policy in its relations with other countries and there has made successful efforts to settle regional crises with an aim of guaranteeing peace and security in the region, the syrian diplomat said. he said that syria was confident that improvement of relations between iran and arab states would serve interests of arabs and muslims and would consolidate security and stability in the region. as for israel's recent request from syria for resumption of peace talks, al-hassan said that syria was ready to hold talks with israel in accordance with the principles of the madrid conference, which commits israel to abide by the un regulations to withdraw from arab lands and the golan heights. he underlined his country's opposition to disarmament of hizbollah forces in southern lebanon, saying that islamic and national resistance in southern lebanon was a of legitimate right vis-a-vis occupation of lebanese lands by israel.
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velayati congratulates bosnian president, premier
sarajevo, feb. 5, irna -- foreign minister ali-akbar velayati cabled congratulatory messages to the bosnian president and prime minister on eve of eid-ul-fitr which marks the end of the fasting month of amdhan. the messages were handed over to bosnian president alija izzetbegovic and prime minister haris silajdzic by iranian ambassador to bosnia mohammad-ibrahim taherian on wednesday. in his messages, velayati hoped to witness unity among muslims throughout the world. in a meeting with taherian, the prime minister of the bosnian federation voiced his country's willingness to expand and deepen its economic ties with iran. taherian said for his part that iran was ready to enhance and deepen its ties with bosnia. he invited izzetbegovic and silajdzic to pay an official visit to iran.
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velayati meets lebanese, tunisian ambassadors
tehran, feb. 5, irna -- the lebanese and tunisian ambassadors to tehran in separate meetings with foreign minister ali-akbar velayati here wednesday called for expansion of relations between iran and their respective countries. lebanese ambassador monir talhouq said at the meeting that the lebanese government was keen on expanding its ties with tehran. he said that iran plays a special role in lebanon and that the wise policies pursued by the islamic republic in lebanon is an example of a successful policy. velayati for his part referred to the commonalities between the iranian and lebanese nations, saying that iran attached high importance to its ties with lebanon. he said that intensification of pressure on lebanon by israel has worried the world of islam and iran and that past experiences show that the resistance based on the islamic ideology of the lebanese people has chcked the advances and aggression of the zionist regime against lebanon. in another meeting, tunisian ambassador mohammad sa'd submitted velayati a message from his tunisian counterpart inviting him to pay an official visit to tunisia. sa'd expressed hope that tehran-tunis ties would expand in various fields. he said that convention of tehran-tunis economic cooperation commission would serve as a valuable move in this respect. velayati expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the tunisian foreign minister's recent visit to tehran and expressed hope that friendly ties between the two countries would further broaden in future. furthermore, he expressed hoped that in a near future in athe joint commission of the two countries would meet in an effort to work out a suitable framework for expansion of bilateral ties.
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iranian embassy calls on romania to clear up shooting incident
vienna, feb., 5, irna -- the iranian embassy in bucharest wednesday called on the romanian police to unravel the mistery of a shooting at ramin pakzad moqaddam, an iranian national who was gunned down on the doorsteps of his own home in the romanian capital last sunday. bucharest police chief general nikolai nitor assured the iranian ambassador that the romanian police would do their best to arrest his assailants. pakzad moqaddam, a foreign exchange dealer, who was seriously wounded in the shooting is now being confined at a bucharest hospital. after he stumbled in front of his home, his assailants reportedly snatched his papers and documents and left the scene immediately.
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leader sends personal delegation to khorassan province of iran
tehran, feb. 5, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah seyed ali khamenei, on thursday commissioned delegates of his own to survey conditions at quake-stricken areas in khorassan province of iran, and help victims. the leader's delegation is headed by hojatoleslam ghayouri. early tuesday afternoon, two powerfull quakes rocked the cities bojnourd, shiravan, esfarayen and mash-had in korassan province of iran taking a toll of more than one hundred. many of the inhabitants in the region have also lost their homes.
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official: sarkouhi's case is independent of iran-germany relations
tehran, feb. 5, irna -- mahmoud mohammadi, spokesman of iran's foreign ministry said wednesday that the case of faraj sarkouhi, once editor of the persian weekly 'adineh' who was arrested in southern iran while jumping the border monday, was unrelated to relations between iran and germany. the foreign ministry spokeman who was responding to the statement of the speaker of the german foreign ministry on the same subject said the arrest of the iranian editor was simply a national issue that did not warrant the interference of any foreign government. he said in reference to sarkouhi that the islamic government could not possibly ignore its own laws and principles when dealing with "a person who has committed heavy crimes."