The Iranian Times

Tuesday, January 19, 1999/ Dey 29, 1377, No. 647


Sehaty Foreign Exchange

Shahin & Sepehr


    Vahshi Bafqi


Economy

Pretend we have no oil
An economy based on taxes instead of oil

By Guive Mirfendereski

There is nothing national or self-reliant about an economy whose national budget has to look to receipts from international sale of a precious and nonrenewable resource at cut-throat international prices in order to finance, year after year, a huge governmental bureaucracy and its affiliated enterprises. In the long term, the continued dependence by the government on oil revenues does harm to the future economic and political health of the country for two reasons. First, the international price of oil will remain for the foreseeable future out of control of oil exporting countries. So, Iran's national budgetary priorities will remain hostage to outside factors. Second, what will the government and the economy rely on when the oil runs out or production costs exceed the price of oil on the international market? ... GO TO FEATURE


Outlook

U.S. Weighs Whether Purchase Might Serve to Improve Ties

By Thomas W. Lippman and David B. Ottaway
The Washington Pos
Tuesday, January 19, 1999

Just as the Clinton administration was reluctantly concluding late last year that its effort to rebuild ties to Iran was going nowhere, Iran surprised Washington with a request to buy more than $500 million in U.S. grain and sugar, a move described by Iran's U.S. purchasing agent as an effort to reach out to the United States.

The proposed transaction requires a Treasury Department license, and the administration is debating whether approval would appear to reward Iran undeservedly or whether denial would cut off a promising line of contact. The debate is complicated by uncertainty about Iran's motives in placing the order ...

The application for a Treasury license was filed by Niki Trading Co., which was formed last June by Richard W. Bliss, a veteran Washington lobbyist, and Yahya Fiuzi, an Iranian American who has lived in the area for the past 20 years. "Niki" means "doing good" or "goodwill" in Farsi, according to Pani Farkhan, Fiuzi's daughter, who also works for the company ... FULL TEXT


    Anyway

    Better believe it
    Top 10 reasons Cindy Crawford is Iranian

    By Bruce Bahmani

    10. There is no way she would go out with you.
    09. You know she is always waiting for someone better.
    08. Her eyebrows.
    07. Her khaal.
    06. She looks good in a roo-sari.
    05. Take a good look again at her khaal.
    04. She studied engineering.
    03. You know she's nasty but you can't get any proof.
    02. For some strange reason you can very easily imagine her eating chelo-kabaabwith piaaz.
    01. Her real first name is Sakineh.


    History

    Revolution: 1979-1999

    State TV & radio staff on strike


More Letters

* Stupid, disgusting

Hamid Tadjvar writes: Tell Hamid Taghavi that his "The Sub Man" was by far the stupidest, most wasteful, useless, and disgusting piece of writing (if you can call it that) I've ever read. The attempt to stereotype the school kids, asking foolish questions and making useless (unfunny) remarks..... Really!! You ought to have better writers than that.

* JAG star speaks Farsi?

Mehrdad Modjtahedi writes: I just read Armin Alaemani's article entitled, "JAGged," and I am not very sure if Catherine Bell can really speak Farsi. My father first pointed out that "the pretty woman on that JAG show was actually speaking Farsi last night!"

I finally got to see a rerun of the show. However, I noticed that everytime Ms. Bell spoke Farsi, her voice sounded completely different - as if someone was dubbing her lines and she was lip synching. I hope this was just my imagination, because I think it would be awesome to have a few role models on TV with Iranian backgrounds - especially one who is as beautiful as Ms. Bell ;-)

* Lecture: Murderers of dissidents on trial, Berkeley

The Ad hoc Committee for Defense of Freedom and Democracy in Iran in protest to the killings of dissidents in Iran will hold a public trial for those responsible for the killings.

Speakers (in Persian):

* Dr. Bagher Parham
Topic: Association of Iranian Writers and Its Role in the Transformations in Contemporary Iran

* Dr. Abbas Milani
Topic: Civil Society and Political Crisis in Iran

With the video of a memorial service for Parvaneh & Dariush Forouhar, Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Pouyandeh in Iran.

Time: Saturday January 23, at 7:30
Place: First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way at Dana, Berkeley


Book of the Week

The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam
From the Persian National Epic, the Shahname of Ferdowsi

By Jerome W. Clinton (Translator)

Recent featured books

THE IRANIAN
Bookstore

New! Bestsellers
New! Books on Rumi

More news

TV chief banned from cabinet meetings

January 19, 1999, TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- The head of Iran's state television has been banned from attending Cabinet sessions for airing a broadcast that blamed supporters of the country's moderate president for a string of recent slayings, newspapers reported Tuesday. Ataollah Mohajerani, minister of culture and the government's spokesman, demanded a public apology from Ali Larijani, who heads the country's radio and TV network ... FULL TEXT

Khatami seen winning row with state TV

TEHRAN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran's state-run television came under fire on Tuesday over an interview with a conservative cleric who had accused backers of President Mohammad Khatami of being behind a series of murders of moderate intellectuals. A top state committee condemned the television station for the interview and demanded that those responsible for the programme be punished. Iranian analysts saw the decision as a victory for the moderate president over the conservative-run state media and another step forward for his liberal political and cultural reforms ... FULL TEXT

Montazeri supporters arrested

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran produced more oil in recent years than outside experts believed and even more than its own officials disclosed, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson (DKBR) said. The bank said in a World Oil Report that Iran could pump sustainably at 3.9 million barrels per day (bpd). ``Broadly speaking, our own data agrees with the Iranian view that secondary market sources have substantially under-estimated Iran's sustainable production capacity in 1998,'' said the report by Mehdi Varzi, a director of research at the bank ... FULL TEXT

Iran oil capacity exceeds estimates-Dresdner Bank

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) - Iran's parliament Sunday defeated a bill that would have removed a virtual ban on car imports into the country. In a session broadcast on Tehran radio, deputies voted against a budget item that would have allowed car imports subject to heavy customs duties. Under Iran's protective laws, car imports are allowed only in few cases, including when the payment for the vehicles is made in hard currency obtained from exports ... FULL TEXT

U.S. says considering sale of farms goods to Iran

WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The United States is considering the sale of U.S. farm goods to Iran but no decision has been made, the State Department said on Tuesday. ``An application for a license to broker a sale of U.S. agricultural products to Iran has been filed with the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control and is under consideration,'' spokesman James Rubin said. ``I don't think any decision has been made on this,'' he said ... FULL TEXT

German chosen for under 21 coach

Tehran (Iran) - A German has been chosen to coach the under 21 Olympic team. Another German is an assistant on the Iranian national soccer team ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN

Derakhshan: We must learn form foreign coaches

Tehran (Iran) - "we must learn new things from foreign coaches," said Hamid Derakhshan in an interview with Iran newspaper. Amir Qalehnoii also comments on the pros and cons of hiring a foreign coach for the national team ... FULL TEXT IN PERSIAN


$ Rate

Updated Jan 18

The dollar now offered at up to 714-718 tomans

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

Business news


The Web

Iran

Iran-Toronto.com

Homepage of Iranians in Toronto, Canada.

Beyond Iran

Festivals.com

Searchable collection of events and parties around the world. Don't miss I'M B1FF, the International MPEG Bizarre 1st Film Festival.

More web sites


Quote Unquote

Cut-throat

There is nothing national or self-reliant about an economy whose national budget has to look to receipts from international sale of a precious and nonrenewable resource at cut-throat international prices in order to finance, year after year, a huge governmental bureaucracy and its affiliated enterprises.

Guive Mirfendereski
"Just pretend we have no oil"
The Iranian
January 19, 1999


Photo of the Day

Gas station, 1931

More photos


Music

Musician of the Week

Farhad

* Mard-e Tanha * Najva
* Windmills of Your Mind * Yesterday When I Was Young

Music artists index


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