Rafsanjani Aide in Dock for Iran Embezzlement

TEHRAN, (Reuters) - A close aide to Iran's former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and a dozen other former or present officials are in the dock for alleged embezzlement, newspapers said on Thursday. Hossein Mahlouji, a member of Rafsanjani's cabinet, appeared for a hearing at a Tehran court on Wednesday along with the other defendants. He was freed on bail of $60,000 pending trial, the government daily Iran said. Mahlouji could not be reached for comment. Mahlouji is accused of misusing public funds during his tenure as minister of mines and metals and head of the popular Pirouzi soccer club in the 1990s. Among the defendants are one of Mahlouji's top aides, Amir Abedini, a member of Tehran city council and current president of the Pirouzi club. Abedini is accused of illegally transferring funds from the Mines and Metals Ministry, where he was a senior official, to the soccer club. Abedini's lawyer told Iran newspaper that the transfer had taken place with authorisation from Rafsanjani and was spent on improving the soccer club, Iran's most popular side. The court first ordered Abedini held in detention but later released him on $180,000 bail. The other lesser defendants are accused of providing some of the resources of the ministry for use by the club -- such as public vehicles and traffic permits. Rafsanjani's former administration has been under judicial and public scrutiny for alleged financial mismanagement or corruption. Iranian courts are examining what they call the illegal transfer of state companies to private individuals at low prices during Rafsanjani's era. Mahlouji is the second member of Rafsanjani's cabinet to be tried on charges of financial mismanagement, after former Tehran Mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi.

Iranian American Jewish Federation Statement

LOS ANGELES, /PRNewswire/ -- According to media reports, four Rabbis from the ultra-orthodox anti-Zionist sect of Neturei Karta are currently on a visit to Iran and have made statements with respect to the Jewish prisoners in that country. It appears that these Rabbis have made no attempt to meet with the prisoners or their lawyers, see the files, or otherwise probe into any facts which might be relevant to establishing the guilt or innocence of the accused. Therefore we have to conclude that any statement they might have made in this respect emanates from their own ideological opinions, which in some ways are closer to those of the very people who are persecuting these prisoners, than to the opinions of fair minded, neutral, and educated observers. The Iranian American Jewish Federation again emphasizes the innocence of the prisoners with respect to the accusations leveled against them and continues to demand their complete acquittal and immediate release. This is not the first time that people or individuals who might otherwise be well intentioned, in their efforts to help the prisoners, have issued irresponsible statements or embarked on adventures that do not serve the interests of our community. SOURCE Iranian American Jewish Federation

Egypt Beats Iran In Soccer

By Afshin Valinejad Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran -- Egypt narrowly beat Iran in a penalty shootout Wednesday, but diplomacy was said to be the real victor in the first soccer match between the two nations. "Winning or losing is a secondary issue in these tournaments. They are more of a bridge between us and the participating countries for the expansion of friendly ties," said Mohammad Ghaffari, an Iranian soccer federation official, before the game. "We hope that football will serve as a means to improve political relations among us." The head of the Egyptian delegation, Azmi Quraitem, called the event "very symbolic." "We had a choice not to come, but we did so eagerly because we want the two countries to have better ties," he said. The match, part of a four-sided contest with South Korea and Macedonia, began after dozens of white doves of peace were released from boxes on the field. Egyptian-Iranian ties have long been strained. Iran opposes Egypt's 1979 peace with Israel and Egypt objects to Iran's naming a street in Tehran after Khaled al-Islambouli, the Muslim militant army officer who assassinated Egypt's President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Egyptian officials have often said that the street name must be changed before relations can be fully normalized. The roughly 45,000 spectators had to wait until the second half for a goal. In the 52nd minute, Egypt's captain, Hossam Hassan, kicked the ball home from inside the penalty box. Egyptian fans, who appeared to number no more than 10, jumped out of their seats and waved their national flag. Five minutes later, Iran's captain, Ali Daei, replied by heading a pass into Egypt's goal. When the final whistle blew, the two sides were drawn at 1-1. The first 10 penalties gave neither side the advantage. The shootout continued until Egypt went one up to win the match at 9-8.

Soccer Boosts Iran-Egypt Ties

By Afshin Valinejad Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran -Egypt narrowly beat Iran in a penalty shootout Wednesday, but diplomacy was said to be the real victor in the first soccer match between the two nations. "Winning or losing is a secondary issue in these tournaments. They are more of a bridge between us and the participating countries for the expansion of friendly ties," said Mohammad Ghaffari, an Iranian soccer federation official, before the game. "We hope that football will serve as a means to improve political relations among us." The head of the Egyptian delegation, Azmi Quraitem, called the event "very symbolic." "We had a choice not to come, but we did so eagerly because we want the two countries to have better ties," he said. The match, part of a four-sided contest with South Korea and Macedonia, began after dozens of white doves of peace were released from boxes on the field. Egyptian-Iranian ties have long been strained. Iran opposes Egypt's 1979 peace with Israel and Egypt objects to Iran's naming a street in Tehran after Khaled al-Islambouli, the Muslim militant army officer who assassinated Egypt's President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Egyptian officials have often said that the street name must be changed before relations can be fully normalized. The roughly 45,000 spectators had to wait until the second half for a goal. In the 52nd minute, Egypt's captain, Hossam Hassan, kicked the ball home from inside the penalty box. Egyptian fans, who appeared to number no more than 10, jumped out of their seats and waved their national flag. Five minutes later, Iran's captain, Ali Daei, replied by heading a pass into Egypt's goal. When the final whistle blew, the two sides were drawn at 1-1. The first 10 penalties gave neither side the advantage. The shootout continued until Egypt went one up to win the match at 9-8.

Iran Legislator Urges More Freedom

The Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran - A leading Iranian legislator on Tuesday called on authorities to stop censoring mail and eavesdropping on telephone conversations and promised a new reformist-dominated Parliament would work to restore basic rights. Mohammad-Reza Khatami, brother of President Mohammad Khatami, told the 290-seat Parliament that there was a greater need in Iran for press freedom, freedom of expression, and better living standards, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Mohammad-Reza Khatami, the top vote-getter in February's elections for the Majlis, or parliament, said the new session that opened May 27 would "work to restore the rights of the nation," IRNA reported. Reformist allies of the president took control of the Majlis from hard-liners for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution, after sweeping the polls and winning a political battle over the election results. But hard-liners, who have ruled with an iron fist since the revolution, still retain control of key institutions, including the judiciary, military and broadcast networks. The president's brother called on the government to "ban inspection of letters in post offices, other forms of surveillance and monitoring (telephone) conversations as well as censorship," IRNA said. Hard-liners have closed down nearly all reformist newspapers since April in a bid to preserve their own power, and continue to harass and jail outspoken supporters of the president.

Iranian Women Protest U.S. Treatment

By Ali Akbar Dareini Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran - Seven Iranian delegates to a women's conference at the United Nations complained Tuesday they were treated like criminals by U.S. immigration officials who demanded they be fingerprinted upon arrival in the country. The delegates from three non-governmental organizations returned home on the weekend, choosing to miss the conference, which began Monday, rather than submit to the procedure. "We had been invited by the United Nations, so U.S. immigration officials had no right to fingerprint us," said Sediqeh Hejazi, a member of the Islamic Revolution Women's Association. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it would protest to the United Nations over the incident, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said. The seven women were to attend a conference of grassroots activists parallel to a special General Assembly session on women. U.S. federal law requires nonimmigrant visitors from four countries that are on unfriendly terms with the United States – Iran, Iraq, Libya and Sudan – to be fingerprinted and photographed on arrival in the United States. However, the official Iranian delegation to the conference was allowed to enter the United States without being fingerprinted, Hejazi said. "We were taken by cars used to transport convicts at the airport. We were treated as if we were criminals," she said. U.S.-Iran ties soured after militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. But relations have improved somewhat since the May 1997 election of the moderate President Mohammad Khatami.

U.S. Still Backs Iran Dialogue

By George Gedda Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The State Department said Monday it continues to support an official dialogue with Iran despite new allegations that Iran was responsible for the attack on Pan Am flight 103 that killed 270 persons in 1988. The charges were made by a 32-year old Iranian defector, Ahmad Behbahani, who told the CBS News program "60 Minutes" he was an intelligence official involved in Iranian terrorism operations for a decade or more before his defection to Turkey. An administration expressed strong doubt about Behbahani's credibility. The official, asking not to be identified, said he was not at liberty to discuss the reasons except to note that Behbahani would have been about 20 at the time of the 1988 bombing, too tender an age to have been involved in such a mission either in its planning or execution. He surfaced in Turkey, where the country's secret service, the National Intelligence Agency, said he was seeking asylum in the United States. He told CBS that he proposed the 1988 Pan Am operation, brought on board a radical Palestinian terrorist living in Syria, then imported and trained Libyan operatives to do the job. The program said his motive was to avenge a U.S. Navy cruiser's mistaken shooting down five months earlier of an Iranian passenger plane. Iran vowed the skies would "rain blood" after the USS Vincennes, in what was described as a case of mistaken identity, shot down an Iran Air flight in July 1988, killing 290 persons. It was widely assumed at first that Tehran ordered the destruction of the Pan Am airliner with Syrian-sponsored help. Behbahani also said Iran planned the 1996 bombing of a U.S. barracks in Saudi Arabia. The attack killed 19 U.S. Air Force personnel. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the administration learned of the defection last week. He said Behbahani's allegation of Iran's role in the Pan Am 103 bombing, if confirmed, would not trigger a change in U.S. policy toward Iran. He noted that the United States seeks an end to Iran's role in terrorist activities, to its efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and to its opposition to the Middle East peace process. "We would like to see a government-to-government dialogue so that we could address those things and issues of concern," Reeker said. Two Libyan defendants are under trial in the Netherlands for the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing, which killed all 259 persons aboard the plane and 11 more on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland. Since the suspects are Libyan, there have been suspicions that the Libyan government ordered the bombing. But the testimony of Behbahani raises an alternate possibility. Reeker said the United States is prepared to follow evidence wherever it leads. "That's always been our position," he said. "Right now, we are assessing credibility of any information that may be provided. And that's all I have to say at this point." The Clinton administration has been attempting to reach out to Iran following elections in 1997 and this past February in which moderate forces have shown strength. The moderates have been challenging the supremacy of Islamic fundamentalists who have been in charge for two decades. This past March, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivered a speech in which she lifted a ban on the import of luxury items from Iran and invited that country to open a "new relationship" with the United States. Iran thus far has shown no interest in official discussions, preferring unofficial exchanges instead.