Britain Says Iranian Government Reforming itself

WASHINGTON -(Reuters) - Britain believes the Iranian government can reform itself from within and sees signs it is moving in that direction, a British minister said Thursday. )--> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain believes the Iranian government can reform itself from within and sees signs it is moving in that direction, a British minister said Thursday. Foreign Office junior minister Geoff Hoon also said he had assurances that Iranian Jews detained on suspicion of spying will receive family visits and legal representation. "We judge that there is the prospect of real progress through the present (Iranian) regime," Hoon told reporters at the start of his first visit to Washington in this post. "They have taken the right steps in relation to opening up the media, allowing free elections and promoting real change inside Iran. Clearly that is a process. It has taken time to reach that position," he added. Iran and Britain agreed to exchange ambassadors in May, ending the long dispute over the 1989 fatwa which called for the death of British novelist Salman Rushdie. The agreement was part of a trend toward rapprochement between London and Middle East states with which the United States still has poor relations. Britain resumed ties with Sudan in June and with Libya Wednesday. On the arrest of the 13 Iranian Jews, Hoon declined to follow the United States and some European countries in prejudging the charges against them. The United States has described the charges of espionage on behalf of Israel and the United States, as "absurd." Germany said it viewed the charges "with great skepticism." "We are not in a position to interfere in the internal processes of the legal system in Iran. I''ve set out our concerns... Clearly there may well be consequences, depending on the outcome, but it''s not appropriate to begin to predict what they might be," he said. Hoon said he received some assurances when he met Iranian ambassador Gholamreza Ansari in London last week. He asked the ambassador about family visits, legal representation and an open, fair and transparent trial, if the case ever goes to trial. "The response of the Iranian ambassador was to the effect that they would be allowed to see members of their family, I understand that that has now happened, and that they would be entitled to legal representation," the minister said. "Clearly if they are then put on trial we and other members of the international community will be monitoring that trial very carefully," he added. Tehran newspapers reported Wednesday that the mother of one of the Iranian Jews had visited him in jail. They quoted her as saying the authorities were treating her son well and he was receiving kosher food in detention. Hoon argued that, with ambassadors in Iran and Libya, Britain would be better placed to encourage change in Iran and hold dialogue with the Libyan government. Asked what he thought of Washington''s decision not to follow suit on Libya, he said the feelings of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing were an important factor. In contrast, the family of Yvonne Fletcher, the British policewoman killed outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 was willing to put the incident behind it, he said. "The United States has different bilateral anxieties. The understandable attitude of the American Lockerbie families is rather different from the response of the family of Yvonne Fletcher. That''s something the U.S. administration has to recognize in its efforts to resolve its problems with Libya." A vocal group of Lockerbie families in the United States is strongly opposed to any rapprochement with Libya.

Iran Denies U.S. Human Rights Leader Meets Iranian

TEHRAN - XINHUA - An informed source at the Iranian Foreign Ministry Tuesday categorically denied the claim by U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson that he had met Iranian official recently in Switzerland. The London-based daily newspaper Al-Hayat recently quoted Jackson as saying that he met Iranian officials on the sidelines of the Crans Montana world forum. However, the Iranian source told the Islamic Republic News Agency that none of the Iranian delegates who participated the Crans Montana world forum on June 24-29 met and talked with Jackson. According to Al-Hayat, Jackson hoped to visit Iran to seek the release of the 13 Iranian Jews arrested on espionage charges. The arrest of the Iranian Jews has aroused grave concern of western countries, including the U.S. and Israel, which have denied any links between their intelligence services with the Iranian Jews. Iran has termed the stance taken by western countries as an interference in Iran's internal affairs.

Iran Studies Limits on Men's Divorce Rights

TEHRAN,(Reuters) - Iran is studying the possibility of limiting men's near absolute right to divorce, at the suggestion of a women's affairs body, a judicial official said in remarks published on Monday. "The Justice Ministry is studying our suggestion to limit men's right to divorce (as) laid out in...the civil code," Ashraf Golahmadi, a legal adviser in the judiciary's women's bureau, was quoted as saying in the daily newspaper Salam. Under the code, based on Islamic sharia law, a man can divorce his wife whenever he chooses, provided he meets certain financial commitments to her. Golahmadi said the bureau had also proposed introducing a course in family law at high schools for both boys and girls. Iran is currently experiencing a rise in the divorce rate, especially in the larger cities, which officials blame on economic difficulties, drug abuse and a "Western cultural onslaught." Golahmadi said half of the women going to the women's bureau were seeking divorce counselling.

Iran Calls on Israel to Release Missing Iranians

TEHRAN - XINHUA - Iran reiterated on Sunday that the four Iranian diplomats missing in northern Beirut in 1982 had been kidnaped by Israel and Tel Aviv should release them without any conditions. Issuing a statement on the eve of the 17th anniversary of the missing, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Israel should directly bear the responsibility for the missing of the Iranians with the consideration of evidences. Various evidences indicated that the missing Iranian diplomats are still alive and have been moved to Israel, the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted the statement as saying. It called on the Lebanese government to use all possibilities to probe into the case and seek the release of the Iranian diplomats and also urged international human rights groups to help clarify the fate of the Iranians. The ministry vowed that it would spare no efforts to find out the Iranian diplomats under any conditions. Iran and Israel entered a new round of tension following the arrest of 13 Iranian Jews on charge of spying for Israel and the United States. Both Israel and the U.S. have rejected the Iranian claims and called on Tehran to release the Iranians immediately. However, Iran has stated that the Iranian Jews would be tried according to Iranian laws and they might be sentenced to death for spying against the country's security.

Charges Rejected by House Committee, State Department

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department and the House International Relations Committee criticized Iran on Friday for arresting 13 Iranian Jews on espionage charges. "The charges are unfounded and unacceptable," State Department spokesman James Foley said. "The arrest of these Iranian citizens is a specious act and an indication that Iran is going backward," said Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y., chairman of the House committee. The Iranian foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, has rejected as insults to the authority of Islamic Iran demands for release of the 13. Kharrazi said this week that the Iranian Jews had "only been charged and no sentences have been issued against them." The Jews, rabbis and religious teachers, are charged with spying for Israel and the United States. If convicted, they could be executed. U.S., German and Israeli officials have demanded their release. "We've made very clear our views publicly," Foley said. "To describe publicly our efforts to persuade Iranian authorities to do the right thing and to drop the charges and release them are not necessarily those that would be best described publicly." However, Foley said, "rest assured that we're in contact with other governments, and we think this is a very important matter." Gilman's committee condemned the arrest in a resolution that also urged all countries with diplomatic and economic relations with Iran to condemn the arrests and demand that the prisoners be released.

U.S. Soon to Issue Rules on Sales to Iran

WASHINGTON - XINHUA - The Clinton administration will very soon issue new rules that would allow U.S. exporters to sell food and medicine to Iran, Sudan and Libya, a top U.S. government official said on Thursday. "We are in the very, very final stages" of issuing the rules, Stuart Eizenstat, undersecretary of state for economic and business affairs, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he would not give a specific date except to say the regulations will be finalized in "weeks." Eizenstat declined to say whether the final rules would require exporters to get administration approval for each grain contract they entered into, which exporters do not want, or if the administration would pre-approve grain companies to make sales to specified buyers in the three countries. "We believe the regulations, that will come out shortly, are ones the agriculture community will be pleased with," he said.

Rules on Sales to Iran Weeks Away-State Department

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The Clinton Administration is "weeks" away from issuing new rules that would allow U.S. exporters to sell food and medicine to Iran, Sudan and Libya, a top U.S. government official said on Thursday. "We are in the very, very final stages" of issuing the rules, Stuart Eizenstat, Undersecretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, told a Senate Foreign Relations committee. He would not give a specific date except to say the regulations will be finalised in "weeks." When probed by reporters, Eizenstat declined to speculate whether the rules would be ready by the middle of July, during the second half of the month or even by the end of July. Several weeks ago, the State Department official said that he expected the rules would be released by the end of June. Farmers have been anxiously awaiting the publication of the rules since the Administration announced in late April that it would change its sanctions policy to allow the sale of food and medicine to the three countries. U.S. grain groups had been lobbying the White House to ease sanctions on sales to the countries in an effort to boost lackluster farm exports and decrease a huge surplus at home. But any sales have to wait until the new rules are released. Eizenstat declined to say on Thursday whether the final rules would require exporters to get administration approval for each grain contract they entered into, which exporters do not want, or if the administration would pre-approve grain companies to make sales to specified buyers in the three countries, the option exporters prefer. "We believe the regulations, that will come out shortly, are ones the agriculture community will be pleased with," he said. Agriculture Department officials estimate that the easing of sanctions on Iran, Libya and Sudan could boost U.S. wheat and corn exports by up to one million tonnes each annually. Of the three countries, Iran is considered to have the biggest potential.