The Iranian Times

Friday, February 26, 1999/ Esfand 7, 1377, No. 675


Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Shahin & Sepehr


    Rumi


Elections

200,000 seats
First local council elections in photographs

    People went to the polls to elect 200,000 city and village council officials. Here are photographs sent by news agencies in the last three days of the campiagn and on voting day: ... GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

Election test for reformists
Turnout was reported to be high

Tehran, Fbe 26, (BBC) - Iranians have finished voting in their first local elections since the Islamic revolution 20 years ago, to choose the powerful councils that run towns and cities.

Turnout in Tehran was reported to be large, particularly among young people, and authorities extended polling by two hours both in the capital and many other parts of Iran.

Nearly 200,000 seats were at stake - in Tehran, some 4,200 candidates competed for just 15 seats. There were about 330,000 candidates, including 5,000 women.

It has been a key battle between supporters of the reformist President Mohammed Khatami and his conservative opponents ... FULL TEXT

Also:

* BBC correspondent Jim Muir reports from Tehran:
- RealVideo ... WATCH HERE
- RealAudio ... LISTEN HERE


    Anyway

    Different perspective

... FULL TEXT

More Letters

* Excellent book

K. Bozorgmehr writes: Thank you for your timely excerpt of this excellent book ["Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah"] which covers a crucial, yet hitherto neglected, period in Iran's 20th. century history. The pre-packed "review" by Amazon Books is less inpressive and completely misses the main thrust of the subject.

* Concert: Shahin & Sepehr free Noruz concert

Washington, D.C. - D.C. recording artists Shahin Shahida and Sepehr Haddad will perform with the band from their 4th CD World Café in two free 45-minute concerts on Saturday, March 20, at 1:00pm and 4:00pm, at the MCI Center's Discovery Channel Flagship Store, located at 601 F St., N.W. ... MORE DETAILS


Book of the Week

Zoroaster
Life and Work of the Forerunner in Persia

Not really a collection of sacred texts, yet crucial to an understanding of one of the world's great religious traditions, is Zoroaster: Life and Work of the Forerunner in Persia.

Designed for a general audience, this biography of Zoroastrianism's prophet is sure to generate interest in the early religion of Persia from which Judaism and Christianity drew so much. -- Publisher's Weekly

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More news

Voting picks up in landmark Iranian poll

TEHRAN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Iranians voted on Friday in the country's first local elections, part of ambitious political reforms fostered by President Mohammad Khatami to challenge the centralised grip of the conservative clerical establishment. Voter turnout, light in the morning of the Moslem sabbath, picked up later in the day. Election officials said they expected the trend to continue into the early evening ... FULL TEXT

Key facts about Iran's first local council polls

TEHRAN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - These are the key facts about elections on Friday for city, town and village ``Islamic councils,'' the first such polls in Iranian history. All figures are from reports by state media: ... FULL TEXT

U.N. investigator urges Iran to continue reforms

GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A United Nations human rights investigator has urged Iran's government to continue on the path to reform but warned that opposition to change may be getting increasingly violent. Maurice Copithorne, the U.N. Human Rights Commission's special representative on Iran, said President Mohammad Khatami's reformist agenda had made progress since his last report, published in October ... FULL TEXT

Human rights improve in parts of Mideast - U.S.

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Human rights improved last year in parts of the Middle East, including Syria, Iran and the Palestinian territories, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. The report also saw ``some improvements in a few areas'' in Iran, even though that country's overall human rights performance was rated ``poor.'' The Iranian government eased the licensing for new publications, sparking an increase in reported circulation of print media, according to the report. However, the report said, ``There was an increase in the disappearances of prominent writers and dissident figures during the latter part of the year, many of whom were found dead.'' ... FULL TEXT

U.S. State Department's 1998 human rights report

Washingon DC, Feb 26, 1999 - Iran Country Report on Human Rights Practices released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, ... FULL TEXT

Majority of Italian deputies oppose Iranian presidential visit

ROME, Feb 25 (AFP) - A majority of Italian deputies have called for the cancellation of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's planned visit to Italy next month because he leads "a medieval dictatorship of mullahs." A letter signed by 320 of the parliament's 630 deputies has been sent to Italian Prime Minister Massimo d'Alema, said Forza Italia deputy Marco Taradash ... FULL TEXT

India, Iran studying Indian Ocean gas pipeline

TEHRAN, Feb 25 (AFP) - An Indian delegation is to visit Iran to discuss the possibility of building an Indian Ocean pipeline to ship Iranian liquified natural gas to the subcontinent, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said Thursday. Kharazi, in an interview with the official IRNA news agency in New Delhi, where the foreign minister is on a visit, said discussions were held with Indian officials on LNG purchases and the possibility of building a pipeline ... FULL TEXT

Iranian wrestling team in U.S.

Tehran, (Iran daily) - The Iranian wrestling team will be competing in the World Wrestling Chapionships in Spokane, Washington State, on April 2 and 3 ... IMAGE TEXT IN PERSIAN


$ Rate

Updated Feb 26

The dollar now offered at up to 825-835 tomans

Source: Sehaty Exchange (U.S.) Tel: 602-595-0777

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Quote Unquote

Shaping destiny

The elections are the greatest symbol of participation and political reform... They are to ensure people know their rights in shaping their destiny. It is also a giant step towards decentralisation, which is a goal of the new government.

President Khatami
Casting his vote in local elections
"Election test for Iran reformists"
BBC
February 26, 1999


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Cool grandma

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Music

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Vigen

* Beh khaater-e to * Mahtaab * Raghib * Saaqi

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