Iran penentang AS No. 1

Hari ini saya menyelinap ke laman-laman web di internet dan menemui akhbar Republik Islam Iran Tehran Times menyentuh kejayaan indutsri hiburannya dan politiknya yang kukuh dan menggerunkan Amerika Syarikat (AS).

Filem-filem terbaik dari Iran berjaya menerima anugerah academy film antarabangsa kerana mutu perfileman termasuk nilai estetika, kemanusiaan dan pengarahannya amat tinggi. Walaupun ekonominya ditekan dari segenap penjuru oleh kuasa Barat dan Yahudi, namun Iran terus gagah sebagai negara penentang AS yang paling utama di dunia.

Iran tetap meneruskan program nuklearnya untuk pembangunan teknologi dan tenaganya sekaligus sebagai pengimbang kuasa dunia agar kegilaan AS menguasai dunia timur yang diduduki majoritinya oleh umat Islam dapat diatasi.

Rusia dan China, antara penyokong sekaligus menyertai blog Iran, merupakan gabungan kuasa untuk mengukuhkan lagi kedudukan Iran sebagai kuasa pengimbang dunia dalam percaturan politik Barat.

Sebagimana diketahui umum AS mahu melayak umat Islam sepuas-puasnya bagi merompak dan mengaut hasil bumi khususnya minyak dari telaga minyak negara-negara terbabit termasuk Iraq.

Sikap Presiden AS, George W. Bush yang tidak henti-henti melancarkan perang dingin dengan Iran, memerlukan kuasa-kuasa pengimbang lain termasuk Russia dan China memberi sokongan padu terhadap pembinaan logi nuklear Iran.

Jika tidak politik dunia menjadi semakin tidak seimbang apabila AS terus dominan dalam tindakan ganasnya terhadap negara umat Islam khususnya Iran, keganasan yang ditakrifkan dalam sekatan ekonomi untuk menyukarkan kehidupan rakyat negara berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun, sekatan ekonomi tidak akan berjaya dibuat selagi Iran mempunyai rakan-rakan setia setakat ini dari kuasa pengimbang dunia Russia dan China.

Bagaimanapun krisis kenaikan harga barang di Iran suatu fenomena baru dipercayai antara lain berpunca dari sekatan ekonomi AS.

Tetapi pimpinan tertinggi Iran Ayatulloh Ali Khameini menengaskan bahawa rakyat Iran sanggup berpuasa mendepani serangan jahat AS itu.

Pimpinan Iran perlu melihat punca segala permasalahan kenaikan harga barang keperluan harian hampir setiap hari dengan berikhtiar untuk mengatasi masalah sekatan ekonomi jika ia berkesan ke atas negara itu.

Media cuba memburuk-burukkan kepimpinan Presidennya Mahmud Ahmadinejad agar kelantangannya menentang AS dapat dipatahkan. Saya percaya orang yang darah perjuangannya tidak pernah sejuk, tidak akan takut untuk berdepan dengan apa-apa situasi sekalipun.

Penjenayah di mana sahaja mereka berada tidak pernah gentar ketika berdepan dengan undang-undang apabila dia merasa itu sahaja jalan keluar untuk meneruskan kehidupannya, apa lagi perjuangan menentang kerakusan kuasa dunia seperti AS itu.

Usaha Menguasai Iraq dan menimbulkan huru hara di Iraq sebagai suatu strategi atau platform untuk menyerang Iran dalam jangka waktu yang sesuai. Sudah pasti Iran terlebih dahulu menjadikan Iraq sebagai satu medan pertempuran pengajaran kepada AS bahawa tidak semudah itu negara polis dunia itu untuk menyerang Iran.

Iran sudah pasti mengatur strategi melemahkan moral dan kekuatan tentera AS dan sekutu-sekutunya di Iraq agar mereka terasa perit ketika berdepan kancah politik di sekitar negara Iran sebelum negara itu menghadapi serangan yang sebenar.

Namun begitu AS cuba menuding jari dengan mendakwa Iran turut terbabit dalam perang di Iraq dewasa ini. Bagaimanapun tidak ada bukti kukuh Iran terbabit dalam kancah perang di Iraq.

Saya percaya AS telah terpukul dan akan tersungkur di Iraq sebagaimana dia pernah tersungkur di Vietnam dan Afghanistan.

No opposition veto, no presidential election

Lebanon: Nasrallah: no opposition veto, no presidential election

03-01-2008

By Mirella Hodeib

BEIRUT, (The Daily Star) : Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Wednesday that the opposition acquiring veto power in the next government was the only solution to the 13-month old political standoff in Lebanon, adding that he and his allies were fighting against US plans for this country rather than against the ruling March 14 Forces.

The sayyed also accused March 14 of obstructing all international initiatives to solve the crisis in Lebanon.

"The governing coalition's refusing all attempts to set the foundations for a true partnership has proved to be the main obstacle hindering any solution," he said during an interview with NBN television.

The interview was aired simultaneously by Hizbullah's Al-Manar television.

Nasrallah's last public appearance came in November, when he delivered a speech to address "maneuvers" Hizbullah undertook in South Lebanon.

"The ruling coalition considers granting us a blocking minority as 'political suicide.' We say that the opposition acquiring veto power means blocking US plans in Lebanon," he said.

Nasrallah said the opposition was working on countering US influence in Lebanon.

"The US works on having a pro-US government in Lebanon which would facilitate the building of US military bases and follow the orders of the US administration," he argued, adding that Washington wanted to "forever abolish the spirit and culture of resistance in Lebanon."

According to Nasrallah, the US is also aiming to bring about the permanent resettlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, "not for humanitarian reasons of course but to jeopardize the Palestinian cause and the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland."

"Mind you, we don't see the settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon as jeopardizing the sectarian status quo," he added.

"Acquiring veto power inside the new government will allow us to foil such plans," he said, "and, most importantly, to monitor the economy of the country and protect it against dubious deals."

Nasrallah also confirmed that Hizbullah backed the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel Suleiman, for the presidency.

But "electing General Suleiman will not solve the problem," he warned. "We need a national unity government in which the opposition has veto power."

Speaker Nabih Berri has postponed for the 11th time a parliamentary session to elect a new president. The vote is now scheduled for January 12.

The country has been without a head of state since Emile Lahoud's term expired at midnight on November 23 without feuding political rivals having agreed on a successor.


The government and the opposition have agreed on Suleiman as the man for the job, but remain at odds over the election process and the shape of a new administration.

The opposition is demanding a "basket" of guarantees on the new government line-up ahead of any vote

Some of Nasrallah's comments were common opposition arguments echoed by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem earlier Wednesday.

Speaking during a news conference in Damascus, Moallem said Syria had agreed with France on a compromise that would give the opposition veto power in a new cabinet but that parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri refused to sign on.

Nasrallah said the opposition would not "remain silent" in face of the ruling coalition's attempts to "monopolize rule."

"We are waiting for mediations to succeed," he told NBN, "but if they fail and the situation persists there will be a move by the opposition," which would "resort to civic and legitimate means."

Asked whether Hizbullah endorsed calls to revisit the Taif Accord that ended the 1975-1990 Civil War, Nasrallah said his party never considered the pact "as the core of the deadlock."

"We don't consider the Taif Accord as the core to the problem; we never called for it to be amended and we will never do unless all the Lebanese agree to that," he said.

He acknowledged, however, added that Hizbullah had "comments" on Taif, and called for "accurate implementation" of the agreement, which altered Lebanon's system of confessional power-sharing.

"We demand that some unclear constitutional articles be interpreted or at least explained, such as the quorum to elect the next president or shares of Cabinet seats," he said.

Tackling the issue of political assassinations, Nasrallah reiterated earlier accusations that Israel was responsible.

Addressing the issue of media reports alleging divisions inside his party, Nasrallah said they "make the Hizbullah team laugh and these are attempts to mutilate our image."

Hizbullah issued a statement last month dismissing reports about new appointments in the group's high command. The Saudi-owned London-based Ash-Sharq al-Awsat daily and Israel's Maariv newspaper reported early in December that Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had stripped Nasrallah of his military authority and appointed his deputy, Sheikh Naim Qassem, as commander of the party's armed wing.

"Hizbullah is one of the most homogenous groups," Nasrallah said during the interview. "There is harmony among us all."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=87783

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Iran’s mysteries give its cinema power: Carrière

Tehran Times Art Desk

TEHRAN -- “Iran is a country full of secrets and mysteries and that is why it has powerful cinema,” French actor and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière said here on Tuesday.

He made the remarks during a lecture he delivered during a session with Iranian cinematic figures held at Iran’s House of Cinema on January 1.

The French cineaste praised the Iranian cinema industry, saying it is currently producing some of the world’s best films.

Carrière said he is very happy to be able to visit Iran, adding, “When I am in the House of Cinema, it is as if I am in my own house and everything looks familiar to me.”

He described himself as an author of books, screenplays, and plays who has always been interested in discovering new methods of writing.

Carrière has worked as the principal of a French film school, written books on films and screenwriting, and hosted a debate program on French television.

He said that he believes a screenwriter is not a novelist but rather a member of the crew, since cinema has its own language and a screenwriter must know the language.

Commenting on his screenplay adaptations of some of the world’s major literary works, he stated, “Some of the literary works have the potential to be turned into a film, and in writing a screenplay I only think of the movie not the literary work, because if I keep referring back to the literary work, I will not be able to create a screenplay, rather, it will turn into an illustrated book.”

Carrière also mentioned his joint project with Peter Brook entitled “The Conference of the Birds” and said that the play was written based on Attar’s “Mantiq at-Tayr”, adding, “The symbolic language of Attar compelled us to perform it in the form of a play, and it was very difficult to make the cinematic version.”

He went on to say that a good play is not predictable, adding, “As Chekhov believes, one should never ask a character to define himself but should put him in a position in which he can define himself.”

In conclusion, he said, “Every time I come to Iran I feel that I am in a country where the unseen is more important than what is seen. There are always many hidden things in a film which are as important as its other major elements. Many beautiful films have been made in Iran over the past 30 years, and I have nothing new to teach Iranian cinema.”

House of Cinema Managing Director Reza Mirkarimi also gave a short speech at the session in which he said, “We share a common interest in cinema with Carrière. He is very attracted to the art and culture of the Middle East, especially Iran’s, and has created works based on the works of Iran’s great masters of literature and poetry. This can be an effective method of cooperation.”

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Alireza Raiisian, Mohammad Shirvani, Mojtaba Raei, and other Iranian cineastes also participated in the session.

Google takeover of DoubleClick cleared by competition watchdog

America's competition regulator has given the green light to Google's $3.1bn (£1.6bn) takeover of online advertising company DoubleClick in spite of opposition from industry rivals who fear that it will give the search firm unfair dominance.

The Federal Trade Commission said: ""After carefully reviewing the evidence, we have concluded that Google's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick is unlikely to substantially lessen competition.""

The decision was welcomed by Google, though the takeover is far from complete. It is still being scrutinized by the European commission and an outcome is unlikely before April. ""The FTC's strong support sends a clear message - this acquisition poses no risk to competition and will benefit consumers,"" said Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt.

Microsoft is among the takeover's fiercest critics. It maintains that Google will be able to use a vast store of search data about customers' habits to target advertising. Addressing a senate committee in September, Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith, said: ""Google is already Amazon and is already Fed Ex and now they are trying to buy the post office.""

A telecoms analyst, Scott Cleland, backed the view by telling the senators that the deal was the equivalent of merging the top 15 Wall Street investment banks with the New York and London Stock Exchanges, while throwing in data providers such as Bloomberg, Experian and Equifax.

Google has said that competition clearly exists and points to the fact that Viacom this week abandoned DoubleClick and took a $500m advertising deal to Microsoft's Atlas platform. A Google spokesman said: ""Google has argued all along that the online advertising space is highly competitive.""

(Source: Guardian)