Obama, G8 leaders boost pressure on North Korea, Iran
Ontario (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama led the Group of Eight rich nations on Saturday deploring what they said was North Korea's sinking of a South Korean warship, and Obama said there must be consequences for such irresponsible action.
North Korea
The G8 closed its annual summit with a strong statement accusing Pyongyang of stoking tensions that could spread far beyond northeast Asia, and urged North Korea and Iran to halt atomic programs which have set the world on edge.
Obama said the United States firmly backed South Korea's push for the U.N. Security Council to condemn North Korea for the March 26 attack, which killed 46 South Korean sailors and sharpened tensions on the divided Korean peninsula.
"We are fully supportive of that effort and we think it is the right thing to do," Obama told reporters after a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Toronto.
"There have to be consequences for such irresponsible behavior on the international stage."
The G8 communique, issued after a two-day meeting in Huntsville, Ontario, north of Toronto, called for "appropriate measures" to respond to the attack. The G8 includes Japan, Russia and the United States, all involved in talks with China and South Korea to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program.
North Korea has denied responsibility for the attack and China, Pyongyang's main backer, has not said if it would be ready to back new U.N. moves against the unpredictable, nuclear-armed state.
In a review of the world's hotspots, the G8 pressed Israel and the Palestinians to work for direct peace talks, and said conditions in Gaza under an Israeli blockade were "not sustainable and must be changed."
It said it expected Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai to show "tangible progress" in security and governance, both key to Western plans to begin drawing down troops as the unpopular war nears its ninth year.
The G8 highlighted fears over nuclear proliferation, and fingered North Korea and Iran as major threats.
"The governments of Iran and North Korea have chosen to acquire weapons to threaten their neighbors. The world must see to it that what they spend on these weapons will not be the only costs they incur," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.
G8 nations helped guide through this month's new U.N. sanctions against Tehran -- boosting pressure on Iranian leaders who have vowed to maintain an atomic program they say is purely for peaceful purposes.
The rich nations club, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, called on all countries to fully implement new U.N. sanctions and said it appeared Iran was still on the path to develop atomic arms.
"We are profoundly concerned by Iran's continued lack of transparency regarding its nuclear activities and its stated intention to continue and expand enriching uranium, including to nearly 20 percent," the communique said.
AFGHANISTAN
The G8 leaders urged Afghanistan's Karzai to use a conference in Kabul next month to show he is delivering on promises made to donors and military allies that he would improve security, fight corruption and strengthen governance.
With U.S. forces in Afghanistan due to hit 100,000 this summer and allies contributing a further 47,000 soldiers, Western countries want signs of progress that will allow them to begin pulling out soldiers on schedule.
Doubts have grown about the overall strategy after President Barack Obama this week fired his top Afghan commander, General Stanley McChrystal, in the wake of an inflammatory magazine article.
The G8 said it supported Karzai's efforts to strike a peace deal with moderate elements of the Taliban, although how this unfolds on the ground could have serious implications for the U.S.-led battle against the insurgents.
The G8 urged both Israel and the Palestinians to keep working toward to direct peace talks, and expressed regret over the May 31 incident off Gaza that saw nine pro-Palestinian activists killed when Israeli commandos stormed an aid flotilla, earning international condemnation.
The group welcomed Israel's decision to set up an independent public commission to investigate the incident, and urged Israel to fully implement a decision to begin relaxing the blockade imposed on Hamas-ruled Gaza some three years ago.
"The current arrangements are not sustainable and must be changed," the communique said.
(Reporting by the Reuters G20 team; Writing by Andrew Quinn, Editing by Peter Cooney and David Storey)http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65P1I220100626?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=98
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Citing Iran’s failure to clarify nuclear ambitions, UN imposes additional sanctions
9 June 2010 – The Security Council voted today to impose a fourth round of United Nations sanctions against Iran, while demanding that the country suspend its enrichment activities and peacefully resolve outstanding concerns over the nature of its nuclear programme.
The text which received the support of 12 Council members – Brazil and Turkey voted against and Lebanon abstained – cited the proliferation risks posed by Iran’s nuclear programme and its continued failure to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has consistently stressed the importance for Iran to fully comply with all relevant Council resolutions and to cooperate fully with the IAEA to resolve all outstanding issues.
“These are the essential steps to restore the international community’s confidence in the exclusively peaceful purpose of Iran’s nuclear programme,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement issued after the vote, adding that the Secretary-General continues to support a “comprehensive and negotiated” political solution to this issue.
Iran’s nuclear programme, which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions, has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iran since 2006, including a ban on all items which could contribute to the country’s enrichment of uranium, a necessary step for both peaceful and militaristic uses of nuclear energy, and arms sales and a freeze on assets.
Last October, a draft agreement on fuel for a civilian nuclear research site in Tehran was put forward in which Iranian low-enriched uranium would be shipped for further enrichment to Russia and then to France to be fabricated into fuel, but Iran has yet to approve the deal.
The latest text – resolution 1929 – builds on previous sanctions by deciding that Iran shall not acquire an interest in any commercial activity in another State involving uranium mining, production or use of nuclear materials and technology.
The Council also decided that all States shall prevent the supply, sale or transfer to Iran of battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems. It also asks States to take all necessary measures to prevent the transfer to Iran of technology or technical assistance related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
In addition, the resolution contains provisions to help block Iran’s use of the international financial system, particularly its banks when they may be used to fund proliferation and nuclear activities.
Among other elements, the resolution also alerts States to the potential link between Iran’s energy sector revenues and energy-related technologies and proliferation, and establishes a UN panel of experts to help monitor and enforce sanctions implementation.
Last month Mr. Ban said the initiative by Brazil and Turkey regarding nuclear fuel for an Iranian reactor could be a positive step, and underscored the need for bolstered transparency to help resolve concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
He has also personally urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to restore international trust in the peaceful nature of his country’s nuclear programme by adhering to the resolutions of the Security Council and the IAEA.
In a related development, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano today informed the Agency’s Board of Governors that he had received letters from France, Russia and the United States concerning the provision of nuclear fuel for the Tehran research reactor.
The letters were in response to Iran’s 24 May letter officially agreeing to the Joint Declaration signed in Tehran last month by Iran, Brazil and Turkey. Mr. Amano said that he will continue to use his good offices to follow up on this new development with the concerned governments.read more...
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THE PERSIAN GULF IS THE PERSIAN GULF
From Focus on Iran publication By Dr. Assad Homayoun
“…When the American, like the British before them, grow weary of their imperial duties and sail away, Iran will dominate the Persian Gulf . It is ordained. No nation in the region can match Iran ’s size, population or power…The question is: what kind of Iran shall it be? “ Patrick Buchanan- The Washington Times , Commentary, January 14, 1998
Historical facts are known and self-evident. Throughout the years, a few of Iran 's neighbouring countries have claimed many of Iran 's men of sciences and letters as their own. Sadly enough, now there is yet a new vain attempt to re-name that body of water which for several millennia has been universally known as the " Persian Gulf ' to the " Arabian Gulf '.
There are those who are unaware of the historical truths and while they do not bother to study the history of the region, they unintentionally contribute to a psychological warfare against the Iranian people.
Among them, are certain elements in the U.S.
Defense Department, especially those who serve in Saudi Arabia , Kuwait and Bahrain . In order to appease local sensitivities, "they" use " Arabian Gulf " instead of the " Persian Gulf ' simply to please their hosts, unaware that they are refusing to accept historical facts and international usage.
Indeed they are offending the national feelings of the Iranian nation.
The ancient Greek geographers and historians called this body of water "Sinus Persicus". It is interesting that since before the time of Christ until as late as the 17" century, the world greatest historians and cartographer s from Strabon and Ptolemy to famous Flemish geographer, Mercator, along with Arab historians referred to the Gulf south of Iran as either "Sinus Persicus" or " Mare Persicum", as distinct from "Arabicus Sinus",
the name they used to refer to what is known as the Red Sea.
The " Arabian Gulf ' was the ancient name of the Red Sea , actually a gulf prior to being connected with the Mediterranean via the opening of the Suez Canal . For the last two millennia the term " Persian Gulf ' has been used universally by historians, geographers, scholars, strategists and politicians. Also Arab historians and geographers from Ibn al-Mujawir to Yusuf Kamal, author of "Monumenta Cartographica", used "AlKhalij al-Fars", or Persian Gulf . The late president Sadat of Egypt, in his book, "Revolt on the Nile ", correctly identified the Gulf by its historical and original name. Anyone who has troubled himself to look at antique maps, contemporary writings and research documents, historical accounts of the region and encyclopedias written either by western or eastern observers and scholars would conclude that there is but one single name that is applicable to the Persian Gulf . It is the practice of the White House, the State Department, the U.S. government agencies and also the United Nations Secretariat, and National Geographic Society, to use in the document and maps the term "Persian Gulf" to indicate the body of water between Iran to the north and east and a number of other states to the south and west. It is a long established usage that is followed by publishers of atlases and geographical dictionaries.
It was in the 1950s that and in order to manipulate the simple yet vital nationalistic sentiment of its people, that the then Iraqi president Colonel Abdol Karim Ghasem, ventured to refer to the " Persian Gulf ', as the " Arabian Gulf '. His intention was to create a new common enemy for the Arab world which were busy fighting Israel under the guidance of Egyptian Colonel, Gamal Abdol Nasser, and to divert the attention of Arab world from Nasser 's leadership in Egypt to his own in Baghdad . This strategy back-fired in the true sense of the word The scholastic community in Baghdad as a whole, and the faculty in the Baghdad University, especially due to overwhelming amount of historic and geographical evidence, reaching back to records as ancient as 2.5 millennia, refrained from supporting the belligerent and the unfounded claim of Colonel Abdol Karim Ghasem.
Even later, when President Gamal Abdol Nasser under the pretext of enhancing his Pan-Arabist ideology proceeded to use Ghasem's self-invented term for the "Persian Gulf', he was instantly reminded of his own earlier comments wherein he had emphatically described the boundaries of the Arab World as: "Menal Moheet al-Atlasi elal Khalij-ol Farsi " (from Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf)
As mentioned before, throughout history, educators, historians, travelers and geographers have always referred to this region as the "Persian Gulf"not only because of the vast coastal lines of various Persian Empire or the number of its Persian/Iranian inhabitants, but simply, and in their own words, to recognize the noble notion that, "The Persians were the first to have developed and greatly improved this part of the earth"
Therefore, to apply the term "Arabian Gulf' or any other name to the Persian Gulf is an error, and indeed is to become a party to the psychological warfare mainly aimed against the Iranian people. Thus, this change of historical name, especially by some in the service of the U. S. government who are serving in the region is entirely absurd, counterproductive, and does not serve the interests of the United States .
We can hope that sooner or later, the rule of reason and rationalism will triumph in Iran and liberty and democracy will replace the Theocratic regime in Tehran . Iranians and Arab must live together in peace. The Untied States and the Arab nations of the region need to deal with the people of Iran , in a just and equitable manner, just as the Iranians need to deal similarly with their neighbours. Furthermore Iran must re-establish friendly relationship with the United States on the basis of mutual trust and equality. The U.S. Department of Defense and especially the Navy which always take geo-strategic factors into consideration, must also take seriously the historic sensitivity and the rightful concerns of the Iranian people.
It should be remembered that for three decades prior to the revolution in Iran , the Pentagon trained close to 30,000 members of Iranian Armed Forces and considered Iran a principal element of the regions stability. It ought not forget the past and close the door to future friendly relationships that will indeed be essential for stability and peace in the Persian Gulf . It should be remembered also that the Iranian Navy played a crucial role as the stabilizer for two decades following the British withdrawal from the Persian Gulf in 1971. Indeed it was the Iranian Armed Forces which defended both north and south of the Strait of Homuz against Marxist subversion. On one hand it prevented the fall of Oman, and on the other hand thwarted the Yemeni inspired guerrillas to undermine the Persian Gulf Sheikdoms.
Iran is a land bridge between two centers of the world's most important energy zones, and the only power among the Persian Gulf states that has the capability to undertake military operation beyond its own frontiers. Iran is in the heart of the Eurasian Corridor. Because of its geo-strategic location, population, resources and cultural identity it can play a decisive role in the security of the Persian Gulf .. Iran was once a moderating force and it could, once again become a moderate regional force, friendly to the United States.
For more information and clarification we would like to refer the readers to following publications mostly written by historians, geographers and scholars regarding the Persian Gulf . We are certain that only through rational channels we can shed light on and sort historical facts from baseless propaganda, which were at one time aimed to toy with the territorial integrity of Iran , albeit currently being directed in reaction to the short-sighted policies and irresponsible political behaviour of the ruling clerical regime of Tehran .
1) Revolt On The Nile, Anwar Sadat, John Day Inc. New York , 1957
2) Monumenta Cartographica et Aegypti ( Le Caire), Yusuf Kamal, 1926-51.
3) Geographie, De Strabon, Paris, 1805
4) Historical Geography of Iraq , Mohammad Rashid, Baghdad University , 1965
5) Science and Civilization of China , J. Needham, Cambridge University Press, 1959
6) The Past History of Arabs and Islam, Omar Abdol-Nasr, Beirut , 1962
7)Political History of Islam, Dr. Hassan Ibrahim Hassan. Cairo , 1935
March 1998
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Persian Gulf
Brief Description
Persian Gulf
(Ref: Wikipedia)
The Persian Gulf is an extension of the Gulf of Oman in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. This inland sea of some 233,000 km² is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz, and its western end is marked by the major river delta of the Arvand-Rood, which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris.
The Persian name for this body of water was borrowed by almost all the old languages (including Greek) as - the Persian Gulf - and has been in use everywhere since ancient times, for it signifies the first major nation-state in that area, namely the Persian Empire (now Iran). In the 1960s, with the rise of Arab nationalism, Arab countries began to call The Persian Gulf, the "Arabian Gulf". However, the Iranian government led two resolutions in the United Nations to officially recognize that body of water as the Persian Gulf. The first announcement was made through the document UNAD, 311/Qen on March 5, 1971 and the second was UNLA 45.8.2 (C) on August 10, 1984.
Countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf are (clockwise, from the southeast): United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar on a peninsula off the Saudi coast, Bahrain on an island, Kuwait and Iraq in the northwest, and Iran in the north. The Persian Gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of crude oil and related industries dominate the region. Various small islands lie within the Gulf and some are contested between neighboring states.
The Persian Gulf was among the scenes of the Iran-Iraq War that lasted from 1980 to 1988, as with each side attacking the other's oil tankers. In 1991 the Persian Gulf again was the background for a Persian Gulf War as Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back during what is now predominantly known as the Persian Gulf War, despite the fact that this conflict did not focus primarily on the Persian Gulf.
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