ELIAS NEWS

Iranians Fault Rice's Dismissal of Letter By ALI AKBAR DAREINI,
 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's abrupt dismissal of a letter from Iran's president might only strengthen hardline attitudes and mistrust of America, some Iranians warned Tuesday.

As President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a high-profile visit to a key Muslim country, Indonesia, a former top Iranian official said Rice's response will give new justification to those who oppose ties with the U.S.

Iran's former ambassador to France, Sadeq Kharrazi, said the letter — the first from an Iranian head of state to an American president in 27 years — "could have been a turning point in relations." But he said Rice squandered the opportunity with what he called a "hasty reaction."

"This gives a pretext to those in Iran who oppose re-establishment of ties with America," he said.

Ahmadinejad's 18-page letter to President Bush touched only indirectly on the hottest dispute between the two countries — Iran's nuclear program. Instead, it focuses on a long list of grievances against the United States and seeks to build on a shared faith in God to resolve them.

Rice told The Associated Press the letter "isn't addressing the issues that we're dealing with in a concrete way."

Iranian political analyst Saeed Leilaz said Rice's quick brushoff would fuel anti-American feelings in Iran.

"It could have been the beginning of a new process," he said. Rice's response "strengthens the suspicion (inside Iran) that the U.S. is thinking of a military option only and not a political solution" to the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, he said.

As he boarded a plane for Indonesia on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad said his letter contained "the demands of Iranian people and our nation."

"I discussed our views, beliefs and positions regarding international issues as well as some ways out of problems humanity is suffering from," he told the official Islamic Republic News Agency. "We will wait for reaction ... and then we'll make decisions."

He arrived hours later in Indonesia — the world's most populous Muslim nation, which has friendly ties with the U.S. and European countries — where he was welcomed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The two leaders held talks in Jakarta Wednesday, but officials declined to provide any details of the substance of the meeting. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda had said earlier that they would discuss the Iranian nuclear standoff.

The Iranian was also expected to attend a summit of developing nations.

"We want Iran to be more transparent in its program," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters Tuesday.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies, saying it aims only to generate energy.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the letter was not intended to address the nuclear issue. "We have sufficient logic and legal reasoning (to defend our program)," Asefi was quoted by the radio as saying.

"Our aim was to express our opinions about global problems and the way out of these problems," he said.

Reaction to the letter was mixed in Iran and across the Mideast.

Iranian newspapers described the message as "an initiative in global diplomacy" and "dialogue under the shadow of war."

But conservative lawmaker Hashmatollah Falahatpisheh lambasted Ahmadinejad for failing to consult parliament before sending the letter to the country Iran considers its greatest enemy.

"This message is the outcome of a series of taboo-breaking behaviors in Iran's foreign policy. ... That the parliament is not aware of (the contents of the) letter is questionable," Falahatpisheh told an open session of the parliament broadcast live on state-run radio Tuesday.

Among Gulf nations, the letter fueled suspicions toward Iran.

The Saudi-owned daily Asharq Al-Awsat called the letter proof that "Iran is not enriching uranium for peaceful purposes as it says, and is striving for leadership and control of the region."

Such Iranian leadership would mean the Israeli-Palestinian peace process "would be stalled, the Iraqi dream (of democracy) would be thwarted and we would witness a new wave of armament," wrote Tariq Alhomayed, the paper's editor-in-chief.

The Kuwaiti newspaper Arab Times ran an editorial in which editor-in-chief Ahmed Al-Jarallah accused Ahmadinejad of acting "as if he owns the region."

Some of Iran's Arab neighbors have expressed fears over Iran's nuclear program — particularly over pollution in case of an accident — as well as over the standoff with the West, fearing possible Iranian retaliation against American military bases in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain should the U.S. launch a pre-emptive strike.

But an editorial in Lebanon's The Daily Star newspaper called the letter "a cause for hope that a peaceful solution" to the nuclear standoff and called on Washington to initiate direct talks with Tehran.

 
US rejects surprise Iran letter
A surprise letter to the US president from Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not solve the growing nuclear dispute, US officials have said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough, telling the Associated Press: "This letter is not it."

The letter is thought to be the first from an Iranian president to a US leader since Iran's 1979 revolution.

It came hours before a meeting of UN Security Council members in New York.

Foreign ministers of the council members plus Germany were due to meet on Monday night to discuss how to proceed with Iran.

Mr Ahmadinejad dispatched the letter via the Swiss embassy in Tehran.

In it, he proposed "new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world", Iranian officials said on Monday.

 We hope that this letter would leave its impact with the same intention, view and expediency that it has been written
Manuchehr Mottaki
Iranian foreign minister 

But the White House joined Ms Rice in quickly denouncing the letter.

"It doesn't appear to do anything to address the concerns of the international community," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

There has been no word on whether the letter mentioned the nuclear dispute, currently one of the major issues between Iran and the US.

Interviewed by AP, Ms Rice said: "There's nothing in here that would suggest that we're on any different course than we were before we got the letter."

Mr McClellan would also not confirm whether Mr Bush had personally read the letter, saying only: "I would just leave it at what I said: We've received it."

Treaty threat

This development comes a day after Iran's parliament threatened to pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if Western pressure over its programme increases.

 HAVE YOUR SAY
Iran should let the UN get involved if they want nuclear power
Nathan Makwana, Cambridge
 

A withdrawal would mean the country's programme could no longer be inspected by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The letter's contents have not been revealed, but it was said to run to 17 or 18 pages of history, philosophy and religion.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said Tehran would not prejudge the US reaction to the letter.

"We hope that this letter would leave its impact with the same intention, view and expediency that it has been written," he told Iranian TV.

Draft resolution

The US has accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran strongly denies.

Last week, the US and other states tabled a draft resolution at the UN Security Council calling on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment or face "further action".  

As such it is a bold step by Mr Ahmadinejad, and the timing is key - just as the West is trying to persuade Russia and China to back tough action against Iran, she says.

Mr Ahmadinejad is reinforcing the point that he is willing to negotiate with anyone, including the US president, to avoid conflict over the nuclear issue, our correspondent adds.

The US and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since Washington severed ties with Tehran after Iranian students occupied the US embassy there and took 52 Americans hostage in 1980.

 
Iranian police said on Tuesday, 18th April 2006 they would launch a crackdown on "social corruption" such as women flouting Islamic dress codes, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"In accordance with the law, the police will confront those who appear in public in an indecent and inappropriate way," Fars quoted Tehran police chief Morteza Talaei as saying. "Police will seize women with tight coats and cropped trousers."

Enforcement of strict moral codes governing women's dress, Western music and mingling of the sexes became more lax after President Mohammad Khatami's election in 1997 on a platform of social and political reform.

But hardliners have been clawing back these concessions since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to power last year with the backing of conservative clerics and the Basij religious forces, who condemn such "un-Islamic" practices.

The Islamic dress code imposed after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution requires women to cover all their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise the shape of their bodies. Violators can receive lashes, fines or imprisonment.

Analysts said that taking a tough line on social offences could backfire on the government just when it wants support in its standoff with the West over Iran's nuclear programme.

"Iran is already under international pressure. A severe crackdown on social issues like the dress code could cause a popular backlash," said political analyst Saeed Leylaz.

Mina, a 17-year-old girl with heavy makeup, tight jacket and bright headscarf that barely covered her hair, said she had no intention of changing her style.

"They are so busy with international issues, they will have no time to pay attention to my improper dress," said Mina, who asked that her full name not be used.

MANY IGNORE CHADOR

Many girls, particularly in wealthier urban areas, ignore traditional head-to-toe black chadors, wearing calf-length Capri pants, tight-fitting, thigh-length coats and brightly coloured scarves pushed back to expose plenty of hair.

Some women, testing the boundaries of the law, have been seen recently with scarves slipped off while parking cars in the street, skiing or travelling to the northern Caspian coast.

The Islamic dress code is less commonly challenged in poor suburbs and rural regions.

The authorities -- whose campaign starts on April 21 -- tend to launch such crackdowns before the hot summer months when women like to wear lighter clothing.

Some parliamentarians, alarmed by the growing number of women wearing colourful scarves and tight coats, have criticised the clerical establishment for not acting sooner.

About 100 vigilantes gathered in front of parliament on Tuesday, demanding an official crackdown on "prostitution" -- women who wear colourful headscarves and figure-hugging coats -- Fars agency reported.

Talaei said the police would target taxis that carry women in "improper dress" and would sweep through popular shopping centres, where such outfits are sold. "Women who do not wear headscarves in public will also be confronted," he said.