The Iranian Times

Monday, September 14, 1998 / Shahrivar 23, 1377, No. 562


Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Shahin & Sepehr

CDnow


    Khayyam


    Cover story

    Afghan survey: Comments

    Iranians have achieved too much and have come too far in the past few years to fall in another costly and deadly conflict. A military conflict would certainly deliver another unnecessary blow to Iran's already ailing economy and make times even worse for the people of Iran. Furthermore, such a military conflict is precisely what the hardliners in Iran need to kill the emerging glimmer of free speech, media and s\political activism. Finally, Iran's recent efforts to mend its relationship with the outside world and certainly with the Arab world would fall a victim to this irresponsible adventurism. It is true that on an official and governmental measure, Iran possesses a considerably more significant military capability than the Taleban authority. But, please try to remember what the mountanous terrain of Afghanistan and the flood of Arab and American assistance did to the Soviet effort in that country. As the famous modern American proverb goes (often used to refer to an unwinnable situation), "this could be Iran's Afghanistan!... SEE MORE COMMENTS & FULL STATS

    Opinion

    National interests come first

    By Hooshang Amirahmadi

    Your survey questions on Afghanistan are well focused and relevant to the present crisis. However, a more important aspect of the problem has to do with the fact that the Iranian government has not handled the Afghan question with due diligence and strategic foresight For years, the political crisis was seen in light of the Sunni-Shia divide, ignoring the more important ethnic dimension of the struggle (the Taleban are Pushtoon majority). Besides, any response to the crisis must be placed in the context of regional and global geopolitics and how the chosen response can be sustained in the direction of attaining Iran's national interests, which have to be carefully defined in relation to the Afghan question... GO TO FEATURE


    Anyway

    "In the Interest of the Country"

    Al Gore and the Clintons are flying on Air Force One.

    Bill looks at Al, chuckles and says, "You know, I could throw a $100.00 bill out the window right now and make one person very happy."

    Al shrugs his stiff shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten $10.00 bills out the window and make 10 people very happy."

    Hillary tosses her perfectly hair-sprayed hair and says, "Of course, then, I could throw one-hundred $1.00 bills out the window and make a hundred people very happy."

    Chelsea rolls her eyes, looks at all of them and says, "I could throw all of you out the window and make the whole country happy."

    Thanks to: Elli


    History

    Revolution: 1979-1999

     NEW: Iran-Iraq war stories
    "We are not from Koofeh"


    More Letters

* No happier than chadoris

A.T. writes: The fact of the matter is, these supposedly happy (khosh-bakht) Iranian young females who have made it to the land of freedom and "golden" opportunities, no matter where they view themselves standing on the ladder of happiness, and whether they deny or confess to the fact that they finally need (in a broad sense of the word) a "shoowar," are no happier than their chador-clad sisters they have left behind in Iran... FULL TEXT

* We don't call this rape

Nana Farshad writes: There was the time when I used to play tennis at the Taj tennis club in Vanak and this prostitute was there at least three days a week with her pimp. Right after the revolution the only thing that changed was her white outfit which was replaced with a black chador... FULL TEXT

* Fellowship: Travel Fellowships for Iranian Scholars
* Stamps: Iran philately seminar, Los Angeles
* Conference: Dialogue of Civilizations?, Tehran

* Conference: Challenges for Iranians Abroad, Indianapolis"


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 More news 

Afghan Taleban call for talks after Iran warning

TEHRAN, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taleban called for negotiations with Iran under U.N. laws to defuse tensions after Iran warned the movement and Pakistan that their actions in Afghanistan could provoke a major regional conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it evacuated on Monday the bodies of seven of the nine Iranians whose killing by Taleban soldiers sparked the crisis which deepened with the Sunni Moslem Taleban's takeover of the Shi'ite Moslem stronghold of Bamiyan at the weekend ... FULL TEXT

Iran warns of major regional conflict

TEHRAN, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned the Afghan Taleban movement and Pakistan on Monday that their actions in Afghanistan could provoke a major regional conflict. ``I have...so far prevented the lighting of a fire in this region which would be hard to extinguish. But all should know that a very great and wide danger is quite near,'' Khamenei said in a statement read on Tehran radio ... FULL TEXT

Key Iran official survives gunmen attack-IRNA

TEHRAN, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The head of a powerful Iranian state foundation survived an assassination attempt on Sunday, the official news agency IRNA reported. It said unknown gunmen opened fire on Mohsen Rafiqdoust from hills overlooking his office in north Tehran. Rafiqdoust, 58, heads the Bonyad-e Mostazafan va Janbazan (Foundation of the Deprived and War Disabled) which is Iran's top economic powerhouse. It controls most hotels and hundreds of firms, including many industrial plants ... FULL TEXT

U.S. keen to use Khatami visit for thaw

LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The United States would like to use Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's visit to New York for the United Nations general assembly next week to accelerate a thaw in long-hostile relations with Tehran, diplomats say. But President Bill Clinton's domestic troubles and Iran's threats of revenge against Afghanistan's Taleban militia over the killing of Iranian diplomats make any spectacular rapprochement unlikely. ... FULL TEXT

Piroozi wins big

TEHRAN, (Hamshahri) - Piroozi showed what it can do with all its star players when it played in the first round of the Azadegan cup ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Women rifle shooters ready

TEHRAN, (Hamshahri) - Iranian women rifle team members are waiting to compete in world championships ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN


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Aankas keh beh eyb-e khalq pardaakhteh ast

ze aanast keh eyb-e kheesh nashnaakhteh ast

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