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Tuesday, December 24, 1996

Headlines:

-- Nateq-Noori "talking as if he had already won"
-- Want to buy one of the shah's cars?
-- Green card lottery scams
-- Safa Haeri's Iran Press
-- New site: Raabet
-- Can't see THE IRANIAN and... on America Online

Iranian Hard-Liner Grooming for World Stage

By ELAINE SCIOLINO The New York Times December 22, 1996

TEHERAN, Iran -- The campaign for Iran's presidential election next summer has only just begun. But one man is talking as if he had already won: Ali Akbar Nateq-Noori.

The 53-year-old conservative cleric has used his power base as speaker of Iran's Parliament and his frequent television appearances to enforce stricter Islamic rule, block President Hashemi Rafsanjani's economic reforms and attack the United States and Israel.

But as his global public profile rises in anticipation of the election, he seems to be struggling to tone down his statements and repackage himself as a status quo statesman who will follow the line of Rafsanjani, his political rival, who is not permitted to run again.

"There will be no basic or fundamental changes in the policies," Nateq-Noori said this week in an interview in a reception hall in the Parliament building. "The construction of the country started by the president will continue. The five-year economic plan shall definitely be continued in my term too. And in foreign policy, the strategy has already been defined."

Nateq-Noori played only a marginal role in the revolution that led to the proclamation of the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. Nor does the speaker enjoy much popular support. He is regarded by many of Iran's more senior religious leaders as a second-tier cleric who holds only a bachelor's degree in Islamic philosophy and has never written an important religious work.

But Nateq-Noori is no ordinary mullah. He wears elegantly tailored and crisply pressed robes and does not lower his gaze when conversing with women. A father of eight, he smiles a lot -- a plus for any politician, even in Iran...

***

To see full text, go to:

//search.nytimes.com/web/docsroot/yr/mo/day/news/world/iran-election.html

NOTE: This link may have moved. If so, go to:

//www.nytimes.com/

and do a search for the article.

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From: Cyrus Mansouri <CMansouri@msn.com>

Iran to auction shah's cars

By Wayne Bodkin Sunday Times, London Geneva Dec 22, 1996

FOR the family of the late shah of Iran it is the final insult. Driven into exile by a bloody Islamic uprising, part of the shah's glittering collection of cars is set to be auctioned off to boost the coffers of the revolutionary government that deposed him and has been accused of sponsoring terrorism worldwide.

The sale of 10 cars - collectors' items which were the shah's pride and joy before he had to flee Tehran - is expected to raise more than £1m for the Islamic Republic of Iran, created by the late Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979...

But members of the late shah's family are determined that nobody will be allowed to drive the cars when they are shipped from Tehran to the Geneva Motor Show on March 12, where they will be auctioned. Outraged by the insult to their father's memory, they have threatened legal action. Reza Pahlavi, the shah's eldest son and heir, now living in exile in America, claims the sale is illegal under international law...

The vehicles, which include two Lamborghinis, an Aston Martin, a Ferrari, a Cadillac, a Daimler and several Rolls-Royces, are being offered for sale by Brooks International of Geneva...

***

To see full text, go to:

//www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Sunday-Times/stifgnnws01008.html?15 10584

NOTE: This link may have moved. If so, go to:

//www.sunday-times.co.uk/

and do a search for the article.

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From: Masoud Sadeghi <intcons@ix.netcom.com>

Green Card Lottery Scams

CONSUMER ALERT

Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection Office of Consumer and Business Education

"Washington, D.C. -- If you or someone you know is trying to obtain a green card--the right to live permanently in the United States--be on the alert for unscrupulous businesses and attorneys who claim that, for a fee, they can increase your chances of winning the U. S. State Department's annual green card lottery..

The Scam: Some businesses and attorneys use misrepresentations and unfair practices to promote services to consumers who hope to win a chance to apply for a green card through the lottery program. Among the deceptions scam artists use are statements that:

-- they are affiliated with the U.S. Government; -- special expertise or a special application form is required to enter the lottery; -- their company never has had a lottery entry rejected, and -- their company can increase an applicant's chances of "winning" the lottery.

In addition, some fraudulent companies jeopardize an applicant's opportunity to participate in the lottery by filing multiple entries; and try to force lottery-winning applicants to pay substantial fees to complete the visa and green card application process. A delay in processing a winner's application can kill their chances for a green card because the State Department selects more winners than there are visas available. The State Department awards visas on a first-come, first-served basis.

Protecting Yourself The best way to protect yourself from green card lottery scam artists is to understand how the State Department's lottery works.

-- Entering the green card lottery is straightforward and costs nothing. You can enter on your own by following the instructions available from the State Department or your local consumer affairs office. There is no entry form. Hiring an attorney or company to enter the lottery for you is your decision.

-- Do not submit more than one entry. If you do, you will be disqualified automatically. -- No special techniques or loopholes are available to increase your chances of winning the green card lottery. Selection of entries in the lottery is random. More information about the State Department's green card lottery, contact the U.S. Department of State hotelmen at 900-884-8840. The cost of the call is $5.10. You also may access the State Department's Website at //travel.state.gov. If you think you are a victim of a green card lottery scam, contact the Federal Trade Commission's New York Regional Office at (212) >264-1207. Or, contact the National Fraud Information Center (NFIC), a project of the National Consumers League, at 1-800-876-7060, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday, or at //www.fraud.org on the Internet."

I trust the foregoing will be of interest to the community..

Yours sincerely, Gulamabbas Dhala

PS: Interested persons should go to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Counsulate for DV/98 instruction

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From: Farhad Sepahbody <sepa@sedona.net>

Don't know if you have seen the Iran Press webpage yet. If not, check it out. It is created by Safa Haeri, a seasoned Iranian journalist who once upon a time wrote for Kayhan. Go to:

//www.iranpress.com

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From: Pejman <pejman@raabet.com>

Raabet is a new Iranian site, designed to offer various personal and commercial services. It also has a chat room. Go to:

//www.raabet.com

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In the past few days several people have complained about not being able to see THE IRANIAN magazine online with their America Online browser.

We asked and looked around of the Net and found out that AOL's upgraded browser blocks access to WWW sites that are served on certain machines (Apache), even though they are by far the most popular Internet servers in the world.

For more details and technical information on this problem, go to:

//www.apache.org/info/aol-http.html

A. Send a complaint to AOL. You are being denied access to a sizable chunck of the Internet.

B. Download Microsoft's Internet Explorer. AOL account holders can browse the Internet using the Explorer, which does allow you to see WWW sites rejected by AOL. You can download the Explorer at:

//microsoft.com/ie/default.asp

C. If you are a frequent user of the Internet, switch from AOL to direct Internet providers. Often they are not as busy and faster.

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