Military Plane Crashed Near Mashhad (03/14/97)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- A military cargo plane crashed in the mountains near a holy city in northeastern Iran and at least 80 people on board were believed to have been killed, state-run media said. The crew of the C-130 broke off contact with the control tower at Mashhad airport Thursday evening, more than an hour after taking off from Dezful in western Ahvaz province. Tehran Radio said the pilot had reported technical difficulties, but did not elaborate. The plane crashed about 15 miles from Mashhad, a city holy to Shiite Muslims 435 miles northeast of Tehran. Rescuers were searching nearby mountains for the wreckage, the Islamic Republic News Agency said, quoting Mashad's governor, Vakili Pour. By noon today, the wreckage still had not been found. IRNA put the number of people on board at 80, while Tehran Radio said there were 86. They said all were believed dead. They did not say whether the passengers were servicemen or civilians. Iran's air force is a mix of Russian, American and Chinese aircraft. U.S. planes in particular have suffered from a lack of spare parts, and less than half are believed capable of flying. The air force was believed to have 19 American-made C-130s. Common throughout the world, that aircraft is easier to repair, and spare parts are generally available on the open market.

Visit Iran and Teach, Do Research or Serve as a Consultant (03/11/97)

The UN has a program which makes it possible for "expatriate nationals" to go back to their countries of origin to teach a short course, participate in a research project and/or offer expertise. The period of stay may be from 4 to 12 weeks. Travel cost is paid by the UN and reimbursement is paid in Iran for the services rendered. If required, temporary moafee is also arranged. To receive the application forms, write to: Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Ave., 34th floor New York, N.Y. 10017 To find out more about the TOKTEN program, write to: Executive Coordinator, TOKTEN/STAS c/o United Nations Development Programme One U.N. Plaza, Room TM 904 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: (212) 906-6310 Fax: (212) 906-5566

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati Visits Turkey (03/10/97)

intro: iranian foreign minister ali akbar velayati has arrived in turkey on visit partially aimed at defusing recent tensions between the two neighbors. amberin zaman reports from ankara. text: speaking to reporters following his arrival at ankara airport, mr. velayati acknowledged there is a crisis between turkey and iran. he said both governments are determined to see the crisis end. and he said what he described as the wisdom which exists in both countries would help overcome current difficulties in their relations. ties between the two muslim neighbors are strained during the best of times, because of iran's alleged attempts to undermine turkey's secular system. turkish officials accuse iran of arming and training islamic radical terrorists, and senior turkish military officials say iran is also helping separatist rebels of the kurdistan workers party, the p-k-k. but turkey's seven month old islamist-led coalition has sought to improve ties with iran. turkish prime minister necmettin erbakan's first official trip abroad was to tehran, where he signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to import iranian natural gas in defiance of pressure from the united states to isolate the islamic government. relations between the two countries, however, took a turn for the worse last month when the iranian ambassador in turkey attended an anti-israeli rally where he criticized turkey's close ties with the west. the ambassador was asked to leave. so, too, were the iranian consuls general in istanbul and the eastern city of erzerum, who made similar remarks shortly after. in retaliation, tehran ordered the turkish ambassador and a turkish consul general to leave iran last week. observers say mr. velayati's visit will help ease tensions between the two countries. mr. velayati is expected to meet with foreign minister tansu ciller and mr. erbakan before leaving turkey tuesday. he said he would invite turkish president suleyman demirel to a summit of the organization of the islamic conference that is to be held in tehran in december. 10-mar-97 10:18 am est (1518 utc) Source: voice of america

DEPORTATION OF 18-20 IRANIAN REFUGEES From Turkey (03/08/97)

According to the International Federation of Iranian Refugees and Immigrants Councils (IFIRIC)-Turkey branches 18 -20 Iranian refugees of concern to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were deported on Saturday March 8 to Zakho, Iraq. Police in Nevsehir attacked refugee homes in order to arrest the refugees. Many managed to flee and are now living in hiding in Ankara. Since its issuance of the November 1994 regulations which require all undocumented refugees to introduce themselves to the Turkish police within five days of entry at the border areas, many Iranian refugees are considered "illegal" for having failed to do so. Iranians refuse to acquiese to the Government of Turkey's unjust laws and only introduce themselves to the UNHCR. The border is unsafe, in an emergency zone and the police are known to violently beat refugees and regularly deport them or coerce bribes, particularly in Silopi. IFIRIC (and CHAIR which is a member of IFIRIC) urges all concerned inidividuals to immediately contact the Turkish embassy in Washington DC or Turkish government officials to condemn the deportations and demand an end to the deportation of Iranian refugees. Ambassador Nuzhet Kandemir Turkish Embassy Washintgon, DC fax: 202-659-0744 Minister Mehmet Agar Minister of Interior Ankara Turkey Fax: 011-90-312-417-2390 Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan Ankara, Turkey Fax: 011-90-312-417-0476 Minister of Foreign Affairs Tansu Ciller Ankara, Turkey Fax: 011-90-312-419-1547

IEA Revises 1997 Call On Opec To 25.4M B/d, Up 0.2M B/d (03/07/97)

Dow Jones Business News -- March 7, 1997 IEA Revises 1997 Call On Opec To 25.4M B/d, Up 0.2M B/d 1Q97 Chg 2Q97 Chg 3Q97 Chg Demand: OECD 42.5 Unch 40.3 Unch 41.3 Unch Non-OECD 32.1 Up 0.1 31.4 Unch 31.3 Up 0.1 Total 74.6 Up 0.1 71.7 Up 0.1 72.6 Up 0.1 Supply: OECD 19.3 Dn 0.3 18.9 Unch 19.1 Unch Non-OECD 25.6 Unch 25.7 Dn 0.1 26.1 Unch Non-Opec 44.9 Dn 0.3 44.6 Dn 0.1 45.2 Unch Call on Opec: 26.8 Up 0.3 24.2 Up 0.1 24.5 Up 0.1 (Amts in mln of bbl/day; chg from previous report) Table Of IEA Crude Oil-Output Estimates By Region: Opec Feb Jan Quota OECD Feb Jan Saudi Arabia 8.00 8.00 8.000 N. Amer 11.40 11.32 Iran 3.70 3.71 3.600 Europe 7.23 6.97 Iraq 1.07 1.08 1.200 Pacific 0.71 0.71 UAE 2.29 2.29 2.161 Kuwait 1.80 1.81 2.000 NON-OECD Neutral Zone 0.53 0.52 FSU 7.06 7.16 Qatar 0.56 0.56 0.378 Asia 5.19 5.22 Nigeria 2.27 2.27 1.865 Europe 0.28 0.28 Libya 1.38 1.43 1.390 L. Amer 6.77 6.71 Algeria 0.85 0.86 0.750 Mid-East 1.94 1.93 Venezuela 3.12 3.09 2.359 Africa 2.83 2.82 Indonesia 1.42 1.39 1.330 NON-Opec: 44.98 44.68 TOTAL 26.98 26.98 25.033 LONDON -- The Paris-based International Energy Agency has revised its forecast for world oil demand in the first quarter of 1997 to 74.6 million barrels a day, up 0.1 million barrels. However, the forecast for demand for the whole of 1997 was unchanged at 73.7 million b/d. In its end-February report Friday, the IEA said total world oil supply in February increased to 74.79 million b/d, 350,000 b/d above its adjusted January level. Non-Opec supply was estimated to have decreased by 300,000 b/d in the first of 1997., while February Opec supply was unchanged from January at 26.98 million b/d. The estimated call on Opec oil was raised 300,000 b/d for the first quarter of 1997, to 26.8 million b/d, while the forecast call on Opec for 1997 as a whole was increased to 25.4 million b/d, up 0.2 million b/d.

International Non-Renewable Energy Sources Congress (03/09/97)

_ URL: http://www.uic.edu/~mansoori/INRESC.97_html ________________________________________________________________________________ The First Announcement and CALL FOR PAPERS The Second International Non-Renewable Energy Sources Congress INRESC `97 Kish Free Zone Island, Hormozgan, Iran December 16-21, 1997 ________________________________________________________________________________ SCOPE This is the second congress of its type addressing the subject of non-renewable energy sources from the point of view of appropriate production, conservation, and global environmental pollution control. Papers and posters are solicited which will address such questions for all fossil energy sources including natural gas, petroleum, heavy oil, tar sand, oil shale and coal. A number of prominent international scientists and scholars from all around the world are being invited to participate and present papers in the congress. TOPICS Fundamentals, Production, Processing, Storage, New Technology, Eco-Energy, Environmental Control, Energy Ethics, Safety ________________________________________________________________________________ INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Prof. G.Ali Mansoori (CHAIR), University of Illinois, USA Prof. Fegan Aliyev, President, Ecoenergy Academy, Azerbaijan Prof. Wiranto Arismunandar, Rector, Bandung Institute of Technolgy, Indonesia Professor Mohsen Edalat, University of Tehran, Iran Dr. Edward F. Freund, Director, R&D Refining Petrochemicals, IFP, France Prof. Dr. D. Kessel, Director, German Petroleum Institute, Germany Professor R. Zagid Syunayaev, Gubkin State Academy of Oil and Gas, Russia Prof. Teh Fu Yen, University of Southern California, USA ________________________________________________________________________________ DEADLINES Letter of Intent to Present a Paper / Participate in the Congress: July 1, 1997 Proposal (Abstract) for Presentation: August 1, 1997 Notice of Acceptance of Presentation: September 1, 1997 Manuscripts due to Congress Secretariat: October 1, 1997 Congress Registration Fee ($US 450.) Due on October 1, 1997 This includes: a copy of the proceedings, hotel and meals for the duration of the Congress Late registration fee if space available: $US 500. INRESC '97 Secretariat will request CONFERENCE-EXEMPTION for INRESC'97 early registrants with military service obligations from I.R. Iran ________________________________________________________________________________ For more information Please check URL: http://www.uic.edu/~mansoori/INRESC.97_html ________________________________________________________________________________ Professor Mohsen Edalat, Administrative Committ ee Chair Daneshkade Fanni University of Tehran Tehran, Iran Dr. Ali Haghtalab, Congress Secretariat Tarbiat Modarress University Tehran, Iran Professor G.Ali Mansoori, Scientific Committee Chair Thermodynamics Research Laboratory ChE Dept. - University of Illinois at Chicago 810 S. Clinton Street Chicago, IL 60607-7000, USA Ms. Shohre Hussaini, Administrative Secretary The National Research Council No. 31 Alvand Avenue / The Arjantin square Tehran, Iran

International Milad-un-Nabi Conference 1997 (03/07/97)

As-Salaamu Alaikum, The Naqshbandyia Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) is dedicated to serve Islam and Tasawwuf (Sufism). NFIE promotes Muslim unity through love, tolerance, mutual respect, peaceful conflict resolution, balanced self-esteem, and positive thinking. We are organizing the International Milad-un-Nabi Conference 1997. Date: Saturday, July 26th Time: 9 am to 10 pm Place: University of Illinois, Chicago Circle Center (Illinois Room) 750 south Halsted, Chicago, Illinois, USA Theme: The Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wa sallam) as the "Living Qur'an" Contact: Ahmed Mirza, President NFIE P.O. Box 3526 Peoria, IL 61612-3526 Phone: (309) 655-7979 Fax: (309) 655-7808 Registration: Registration, meals, and baby-sitting are all FREE. Accommodations: Days Inn of Chicago (Phone: (312) 943-9200 Special room rate (NFIE-Milad) $85.00 Travel Arrangements: Supersonic Travel, (Contact Hafeez Khan) Phone: (972) 239-7782 Invited Guest Speakers: -Shaykh Muhammad Masum Naqshbandi, Eminent Naqshbandi Shaykh and Shafi'i Scholar from Kurdistan. -Syed Afzal Hussain Jamaiti, Eminent Naqshbandi Shaykh and Hanafi Scholar from Pakistan. -Maulana Sayyid Jafar Muhyiddin Al-Qaderi, Ph.D., College of Sharia, Al-Azhar University, Qaderi Shaykh, President Al-Seerah Society of North America. -Justice Bahauddin Baha, Former Supreme Court Judge (Afghanistan), Eminent Hanafi Scholar and Author. -Dr. Marcia K. Hermansen, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, San Diego State University. -Dr. Alan Abd-Al Haqq Godlas, Assistant Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Georgia. -Dr. Arther Buehler, Assistant Professor of Islam and Indo-Pakistani Culture, Colgate University. -Dr. Vincent J. Cornell 'Mansur al-Majahid', Assistant Professor, Department of Religion, Duke University. -S. Abdallah Schleifer, Director, Adham Center for Television Journalism, American University in Cairo, Egypt. -Abd-al-Hayy Moore, American Muslim Poet and Author (Maulud in English) -Waheed Chugtai, International Naat Khawan (Pakistan), Recipient of multiple awards. (Maulud in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Panjabi) Please contact NFIE for further information. Video tapes of 1994, 1995, & 1996 conferences are now available. Wa-Salaam, Ahmed Mirza M.D., President NFIE

Iranians may freeze after quake (03/07/1997)

The Associated Press By ANWAR FARUQI TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Plunging temperatures and a snowstorm Friday threaten the lives of 40,000 people living in government-provided tents since an earthquake destroyed their homes in northwestern Iran. Roads were badly damaged in the Feb. 28 quake, and were completely cut off Friday by snow, according to state-run Tehran radio. The storm began Thursday and intensified Friday, dumping more than three feet of snow in areas. Ardabil province, site of the magnitude-6.1 quake, was the coldest region in Iran on Friday, with daytime temperatures of 18 degrees. The earthquake killed nearly 1,000 people by official estimates. Aid workers suspect the figure is closer to 3,000. About 20 villages were destroyed, and roads, electricity and water supplies were badly damaged. The government has sent mountain climbers and soldiers to the area, the radio said. It appealed to the public for donations of food, clothing and plastic sheets. In addition to bad weather, wolves and wild dogs have hampered the rescue effort.