In the midst of their closing statements the lawyers for the defendants in the Mykonos trial asked a German University professor with expertise in Islamic law, to appear as an expert witness, to explain the nature of a fatwa under Shiite Muslim law. The reason: If the Iranian religious leaders had issued a fatwa, then it would be the defendant's religious duty to carry it out as devout Muslim. The ruse backfired as the professor told the court that fatwa is not a command but a directive. "Therefore, no one is obligated to act on a fatwa," he said.
The verdict in not now expected in April. Prosecutors have asked for life sentences for the gunman and his Iranian accomplice.
The Journal of Commerce in its March 5 edition reported that the U.S. State Department has lodged an official protest with the German government, criticizing a German bank for its decision to extend new credits to a consortium of companies headed by Hashemi Rafsanjani's son that hopes to exploit the Soroush oil field in the Persian Gulf. The consortium has won the bid from the government to go ahead with exploration provided it can secure financing for the project.
The German bank has already provided $90 million of credits, with additional $70 million to follow. The Journal writes that since the loan goes to the consortium rather than being directly invested in Iran's petroleum resources, it may not be in violation of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act of 1996. According to the Journal, Rep. Benjamin Gilman, member of the House International Relations Committee, has taken up the issue with German officials. [Iran International Times, March 14]
An Iraqi official, in a statement to the Iraqi News Service (INA) on March 13, dismissed remarks by 'Abdollah Najafi, head of the Prisoners Commission in Iran, accusing Iraq of still holding a large number of Iranian prisoners. The Iraqi called Najafi's remarks "baseless" and devoid of any logic. "There are no Iranian prisoners in Iraq; all of them have been released," INA said.
It added that the accusations were meant "to cloud Iraq's continued appeals to world public opinion and international humanitarian organizations to pressure and urge the Iranian side to release 20,000 Iraqi prisoners who are still held in Iranian jails and subjected to physical and mental torture."
Meanwhile, Salam daily in Tehran called for an end to frosty relations between Baghdad and Tehran. Acknowledging that the people of Iran can never be happy as long as the Ba'athist regime stays in power in Baghdad, the newspaper nevertheless urged the Foreign Ministry to explain why normal ties have not been resumed "in order to unsettle and frighten the United States and its allies at this sensitive juncture, it seems necessary to expand cooperation between the two countries," the editorial concludes.
Tehran's Resalat newspaper in its editorial last week has sharply criticized the Japanese government's decision to postpone the completion of the Karun-4 power plant. The power plant with the final capacity of 2,000 megawatts is one of the most important plans for water and power development in Iran. After the opening up of the credits in the first phase, the Japanese blocked the second and third tranche credits.
"It appears that the pretext given by the Japanese for obstructing the implementation of the project is the same as the accusations leveled by the American and Zionist circles against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Should the past commitments be trampled underfoot on the basis of unproven pretexts?" The editorial goes on to say "Despite their high degree of economic capability in the political field, the Japanese are easily influenced by the American and Zionist circles."
Summoning his best damage control skills, Vice-Chairman of Iran's Majlis Foreign Policy Commission, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, assured the Japanese government during a recent trip to Tokyo that the Islamic Republic will not dictate its political will to other countries. [IRNA, March 12]
Iran News sees further hard times ahead for the flagging Iranian economy if the downward trend of oil prices continues. In an editorial which lament the Islamic Republic's "sheer dependence on oil revenues," the daily admonishes the government for not developing any contingency plans should oil prices drop below $17.50 per barrel, the benchmark used for the third year of the Second 5-year Plan. The paper warned of severe repercussions on Iran's ability to meet its foreign debt obligations, and discounted the possibility of non-oil exports picking up the slack since, as the paper admits, they "have not grown satisfactorily." [Iran News, March 8]
In a speech that makes a mockery of Islamic government's claims of self-sufficiency and self-reliance, Ali Khamenei told to the workers of the Bandar Shahpour Petrochemical Complex that "the day we could stop selling our oil for as much time as we would like, that day we can say we really own our oil." Khamenei's statement was in stark contrast with Hashemi Rafsanjani's suggestion that oil producer nations should use their petroleum industry as an "arm" against the enemies of Islam. [Iran News, Paris, March 11]
Elias Hazrati, a Majlis deputy from Rasht and a member of the left-wing coalition of the Imam's line, said presidential hopeful Hojj. Mohammad Khatami was well-known in Iranian politics and no one should underestimate his political experience. Khatami drew support from another left-wing group, the Hezbollah Association of the Majlis, as well. The association, which is believed to have 120 to 130 members in the Parliament, held a meeting at the Majlis and unanimously voiced support of Khatami's candidacy. "With the G-6 [Servants of Construction faction] now supporting Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad Khatami in the 23rd May presidential elections, the candidate has a chance to win in the first round rather than wait for the second;".Mr. Hazarati said.
The MP said the current presidential adviser on culture and chief of the National Library "is a highly respectable scientific figure in religious and academic circles and a famous personality in Mashhad." [Iran News, March 10]
After being in denial for weeks over the escalating tensions between Ankara and Tehran, the Islamic Republic has finally confirmed that its ambassador to Ankara was shown the door. Ambassador Baqeri's virulent speech against the United States, Israel, and secular-minded Turks led to vehement protests by the Turkish Army, secular politicians, and women's organizations. Initially, Tehran downplayed the incidents denying its Baqueri and two other diplomats had been expelled. Subsequently, after claiming Mr. Baqeri was in Tehran to attend a conference, the Foreign Ministry claimed that the diplomats were back because their mission in Turkey had ended.
Meanwhile, the Tehran press accused the "Zionists" for the escalating tension" between the two Muslim neighbors. Tehran Radio pinned the blame on the Turkish press for "using its freedom to mount anti-Iranian propaganda." [Iran Press Service, March 11]
In an interview with the Tehran newspaper Jomhouri-e Eslami, presidential candidate Khatami admits that the Islamic government has done little to make Iranian society a law-abiding one. In fact, the government itself has not been a law-abiding one. Mr. Khatami's explained that because of years of despotic rule, "our people always tried to evade the law and tried not to give in to the laws that were imposed by dictatorial and despotic regimes." Hojj. Khatami hastened to add that the current regime "arose from the people's heart," and is justified when it strays .from the rule of law. [Jomhouri-e Eslami, 2/25]