Iran’s former prime minister willing to run for president if Khatami opts out; Iran, Afghanistan and the UN Officials meet to discuss measures to counter drug trafficking; UN General Assembly resolution condemns human rights violations in Iran
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    • Former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi stated that if former President Mohammad Khatami stayed out of next years presidential race, he might consider running for the post. Mousavi, who was a senior advisor to Khatami when he was president, however clarified that he favored Khatami’s candidacy. Reformists on their part have put pressure on Khatami to run, but he has so far refused to enter the race. Mousavi was Iran’s prime minister from 1981 to 1989 when the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was president. The post of prime minister was abolished in an amendment to the constitution in 19891.

    Iran, Afghanistan and the UN Mission in Kabul meanwhile held their first tripartite meeting on measures to counter drug trafficking from Afghanistan. UN Secretary General’s Special representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, Iran's Ambassador to Kabul, Fada-Hossein Maleki and the Afghan Minister of Counter Narcotics, Gen. Khodaidad led the respective delegations. Maleki underlined the significance of cooperation in fighting narcotics and called for avoiding a political approach in dealing with the phenomenon. Maleki also noted that Iran had set up 25 checkpoints on the borders with the necessary equipment to counter drug trafficking. The Afghan minister on his part stated that his country was determined to promote cooperation with neighboring countries and NATO to prevent poppy cultivation and drug trafficking2.

    A key committee of the UN General Assembly passed resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran, by 70 votes to 51, though 60 countries abstained. The resolution goes to the full assembly next month, but diplomats stated that the outcome was expected to be similar. The nonbinding resolution, urges Iran to end the alleged torture and cruel punishment of detainees, the executions of juveniles, stonings to death, violent repression of women demonstrators, discrimination against ethnic minorities and members of the Baha’i faith, and restrictions on freedom of religion and belief. British Ambassador to the UN John Sawers noted that the resolution puts “the spotlight on Iran’s very poor human rights record.” A Baha’i spokeswoman, Bani Dugal, stated that the assembly action “cleared the way for a thorough investigation of human rights abuses in Iran.” She added that the entire seven-member Baha’i national leadership in Iran was being held in a Tehran jail3.

    Reports noted that Iran had disrupted a spying ring working on Israel’s behalf with the execution of a telecoms engineer, Ali Ashtari, who was convicted in June of spying for Mossad. Officials stated that Ashtari, who had spied for Mossad for three years, was engaged in intercepting communications of Iranian officials working in the military and in its controversial nuclear programme. The case was tried against a backdrop of concerns in Iran that Israel was planning to launch a pre-emptive strike against its nuclear facilities4.

    In other developments, Parliament speaker Ali Larijani called on Baghdad to resist signing a security pact with US. Larijani charged that the so-called security pact would turn Iraq into another US state. He added that the US was being seen as a rouge state which had fixed its greedy eyes on the wealth of other nations5.

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