Saturday, November 02, 2002

- Majles to vote on key reformist bills

- Hostage crisis anniversary

- Judiciary closes another magazine

- Contaminated meat investigation

- Bar association national conference

Majles to Vote on Presidential Powers and Election Reform

* The Majles prepares to vote on the bills to expand presidential powers and reform the election law, submitted by President Khatami as a last resort in the deadlocked internal power struggle. Conservatives have opposed both bills in their newspapers. The political destiny of the reformists is linked to these bills, even though they backed down on their threat to leave the government if the Guardians Council rejects these bills. (Siavash Ardalan)

Anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis

* On the 23rd anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis, foreign reporters in Iran see little hostility towards the US. Vice president Masumeh Ebtekar, who was a spokesman for the hostage holders, told reporters today that none of them imagined that their action would have such a lasting effect on the political history of Iran and the region. Recent opinion polls show that Iranians are tired of the extremists' effort to isolate Iran, and more than two-thirds favor relations with the US. (Fariba Mavedat, London)

Judiciary Closes Another Magazine

* Nationalist-religious activist Fatemeh Govarai tells RFE/RL that the judiciary closed the reformist weekly Hadis, published in Qazvin, after it printed an interview with her. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian)

Who Imported the Contaminated Meat?

It is still not clear who imported more than 100 tons of contaminated meat that had been distributed in 8 provinces of Iran. A special court set up to investigate the case summoned the head of the national veterinary organization. (Sazeman-e Dampezeshki).

* Tehran journalist Hasan Akbarnia tells RFE/RL that meat import licenses are issued by the agricultural crusade (Jihad-e Keshavarzi) ministry, the veterinarian examination has oversight, and the healthcare ministry issues consumption licenses. The three organizations blame each other for negligence. The contaminated Indian meat had been illegally imported from Persian Gulf Arab countries and distributed in Iran in trucks without refrigerators. (Shireen Famili)

Bar Association's National Gathering

* The 11th conference of the national bar association met in Shiraz today to defend fair trials, lawyers' immunity to prosecution, and press freedom. Farideh Gheyrat, a board member of the Tehran bar association, tells RFE/RL that article 17 of the bar association independence law holds lawyers immune to prosecution by regular courts, and only the bar association's tribunals have the authority to revoke a lawyer's law license. She adds that through the efforts of the bar association, the suspension of the license of Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah was repealed. Dadkhah is one of the six lawyers sentenced to jail terms and suspension of their law licenses for representing political activists and journalists. (Bahman Bastani)

Iran at the Baghdad Trade Fair

* More than 50 Iranian companies participated in the Baghdad trade fair, for the first time in more than 23 years. Commerce minister Mohammad Shariatmadari heads the Iranian delegation holding bilateral trade talks with Iraq on the sidelines of the trade fair. (Jamshid Chalangi)

Diverse Views on Foreign Policy

* Tehran University political science professor Naser Hadiyan discussed the diverse views of Iranian officials on foreign policy issues, including the possible US military action against Iraq. He said Tehran will remain neutral, but hard-liners oppose détente with the US and seek closer relations with Russia and China. (Homayoun Majd, Washington)

National Celebration of Islamic Puberty in Schools

* The education ministry named today a day for celebration for Taklif, or the Islamic age of maturation - 9 for girls and 14 for boys. RFE/RL's Paris-based education commentator Said Peyvandi says the official announcement follows a religious tradition without paying attention to its social and psychological consequences.

RFE/RL Roundtable: EU-Iran Relations

* The EU postponed resumption of trade talks with Tehran to December. Paris-based human rights activist Abdolkarim Lahiji, Tehran journalist and newspaper publisher Mohsen Sazegara and Germany-based commentator Hossein Shariatmadari, son of the late Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari, discuss EU-Iran relations. (Fereydoun Zarnegar)

ARTS AND IDEAS

Daily Internet Report

* Airlines add Internet services. Internet refrigerator brings e-mail, web-browsing and video conferencing to the kitchen. (Behnam Nateghi, New York)

Daily medical advice (Dr. Mansur Moslehi, Los Angeles)

Daily Book Review

* RFE/RL's Tehran-based book critic Kamran Fani reviews "Social and Political History of Iran: From Tamerlane to Shah Abbas" by Abolqasem Taheri.

Leiden University Conference on Iranian Literature

* Leiden University devoted this year's Persian studies conference to Iran's narrative literature. Leiden University professor Koshyar Parsi describes for RFE/RL his paper on modern writers Jamalzadeh, Hedayat and Nima. Professor Asghar Seyed Ghorab of Leiden University and Netherlands-based writer Amir-Hossein Afrasiabi will also read papers on contemporary literature. (Shahram Mirian, Cologne)

Daily Science Report

* By sending signals from good limbs to crippled limbs, Japanese scientists helped two handicapped men to walk. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington)

Song: Shazdeh Khanoom (Princess)

* RFE/RL's Frankfurt-based music critic Mahmud Khoshnam plays Shazdeh Khanoom by Mohammad Saleh Ala, performed by 1970s popular singer.

Shadi (Joy)

* Los Angeles DJ Afshin Gorgin spins the latest Persian pop tunes.

Los Angeles Report

* Kurosh Zolfaqari, who performed a modified version of the Persian santur in a concert at the California traditional music festival, tells RFE/RL that he made his instrument after finding the traditional santur too limited. Amateur musician Dr. Reza Torshizi, who played Persian drum with Zolfaqari, tells RFE/RL that he has formed his own band, Oshaq, since moving to Los Angeles from Tehran. (Fahimeh Barati)

WORLD

* Turkish voters to elect a new parliament next week among candidates of seven parties, according to London's Financial Times and the Guardian. (Fariba Mavedat, London)

* Kuwait declares half of its territory off limits in preparation for military maneuvers with US forces. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo)

* Sharon invites Netanyahu to his cabinet. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo)

* British Commonwealth countries vote to continue the suspension of Pakistan's membership. (Alireza Taheri)

* Indonesia interrogates the head of Jema'at Islamieh. (Jean Khakzad, Paris)

* Denmark rejects Russia's extradition request for secessionist Chechen spokesman Ahmad Zakayev. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow)

* Bahrain announces the result of the second round of its first parliamentary elections in 25 years. Shiite parties boycotted the elections in protest against the participation of women. The eight women candidates won none of the 40 seats. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo)

* French campaign for traffic safety. (Jean Khakzad, Paris)

* Euro rises against dollar. RFE/RL's Paris-based economic commentator Fereydoun Khavand says rising unemployment in the US and the prospect of war against Iraq pushed the dollar down. (Jean Khakzad, Paris)

* Amman conference of Arab women to discuss gender inequality in the Arab world. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo)