Cyprus-Forum.com

[Saint Jimmy]

businessmen from several enterprises - including state-run weapons exporter Ukrspetseksport - in the US, Cyprus and Iran shared hefty profits from several illicit defence deals.

Just what we need, to get caught up in such bulls**t

[insan]

Latest Iran News
Iran says it will never scrap nuke program
Iran urges EU to speed up nuclear talks

U.S. official consults Arabs on Iran nukes

Iran expects benefits from Iraq election

Sen. Biden, Iran minister clash over nukes



http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ ... SITE=MNROC

[insan]

US: Pakistan Still Keeping Nuclear Secrets By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
02 February 2005

Gul report - Download 290k
Listen to Gul report


U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker tells VOA that Islamabad has done a good job in breaking up Abdul Qadeer Khan's illegal nuclear black market network.

"The steps taken by the government of Pakistan to dismantle the A.Q. Khan network and to set in place the safeguards to ensure that that kind of activity never takes place again are certainly most welcome," he said.

But he adds that the full extent of the illegal sales have yet to be determined.

"They continue to pursue the investigation into the activities of A.Q. Khan,” he added. “It is very important that they do so because we don't think that all the answers are in yet. The government of Pakistan has undertaken that they will fully share anything that they learn with us. And I think that it is very important that they keep at this."

Mr. Khan is considered a national hero in Pakistan for helping the country to become a nuclear weapons power.


http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-02-02-voa60.cfm

[insan]

House Urges EU to Maintain Arms Embargo
By JIM ABRAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House on Wednesday strongly condemned the European Union's plans to lift a 15-year-old arms embargo on China, saying such a move would endanger both Taiwan and U.S. troops stationed in Asia.


"The EU is directly undermining the security of one of Asia's most vibrant democracies, our close ally, Taiwan," said Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif.


The EU arms embargo has never totally stopped the flow of arms to China and the resolution pointed out that in 2003 the sales from larger EU countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, doubled to about $540 million. It urged the EU to close gaps in the current embargo rather than lift it.



http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stori ... 09510.html

[insan]

IRAN REPORTS DEFENSE TIES WITH RUSSIA


NICOSIA [MENL] -- For the first time in years, Iran has reported defense and military relations with Russia.

Iran's ambassador to Russia reported defense and military cooperation between the two countries. It was the first time a senior Iranian official asserted that the two countries were engaged in defense and military projects.

"Russian-Iranian cooperation is also developing in the military and technical sphere," Iranian ambassador to Moscow Gholamreza Shafei said.

Shafei was quoted by the Russian Itar-Tass news agency as saying that Iran sought to develop cooperation with Moscow. Shafei did not cite any defense and military projects between the two countries


http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/ ... _03_1.html

[insan]

Iran Not Interested in Missile To Reach Europe: Minister
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, TEHRAN


Iran’s defense minister on Feb. 2 insisted that the Islamic republic was not seeking to develop a ballistic missile with a range greater than 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles).

“Iran has the technical capacity to respond to its needs but does not need to make such a missile,” Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani was quoted as saying by student news agency ISNA.

“This is just Zionist propaganda,” he said, when asked if Iran was seeking to boost its missile range to 3,000 kilometers — and bring parts of eastern and southern Europe within range.



“There is no threatening target in Europe,” Shamkhani said.

Iran has recently upgraded the Shahab-3 ballistic missile — believed to be based on a North Korean design — which some officials say has a range of at least 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles).


http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=631929&C=mideast

[insan]

Payvand's Iran News ...


2/2/05
European companies to continue investing in Iran
Brussels, Feb 2, IRNA -- European companies will give a deaf ear to calls by American officials not to invest in the Islamic Republic. "European companies have invested in Iran and do invest in Iran," the European Commission's spokesperson for trade, Claude Veron- Reville, told IRNA in Brussels.
She said the Commission, the EU's executive arm, was not aware officially of any US calls on European companies to wind up their activities in Iran as reported in the Western media.

In 1995, US President Bill Clinton prohibited any investment in Iran by American companies. In July, 1996, the US Congress passed the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 (ILSA), which extended sanctions to cover foreign companies that made investments in Iran's oil sector in excess of $20 million.

The EU spokeswoman said that the EU and the US had reached "an understanding" in 1998 that European companies will not be targeted.

In July 2001, the US Congress extended ILSA for another five years.

At that time, the Commission had issued a statement regretting the US Congressional decision.



http://www.payvand.com/news/05/feb/1021.html

[Saint Jimmy]

"Six missiles destined for Russia ended up in Iran'',the letter said. It said the exports occurred during 1999 to 2001.

NICOSIA [MENL] -- For the first time in years, Iran has reported defense and military relations with Russia.

These guys are asking for it, aren't they?
Holy shit

[insan]

Payvand's Iran News ...


2/2/05
UN nuclear watchdog calls on US to join Europe in talks on Iran’s activities
UN News Center, 1 February 2005 – The United Nations atomic watchdog agency says it is “vital” for the United States to join European efforts seeking a diplomatic solution to problems arising out of Iran’s nuclear programme and is underscoring the urgency of pre-empting nuclear proliferation and potential acts of terrorism.

Giving prominence to a series of media interviews by its Director General last week at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) highlighted efforts to achieve nuclear verification in Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.


http://www.payvand.com/news/05/feb/1016.html

[insan]

Iran Determined to Be Nuclear Fuel Exporter


2005-02-02

By Louis Charbonneau

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran, accused by Washington of developing nuclear weapons, is determined to become one of the world's suppliers of nuclear fuel, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday.

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, last year proposed a five-year moratorium on the creation of new nuclear fuel production facilities around the world, which would include Iran's uranium enrichment facilities.

But Sirus Naseri, a senior member of Iran's delegation to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said such a moratorium would be tantamount to handing the world's few existing nuclear fuel suppliers a monopoly.

"The five-year moratorium proposed by ElBaradei is equal to exclusivity of supply," Naseri told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Iran says its program is aimed solely at the generation of electricity but the Americans and the European Union feel its nuclear fuel production capabilities could one day be used to produce high-enriched uranium for use in atomic weapons.


http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wned/ ... _ID=734483