waiting

A Kuwaiti court on Wednesday acquitted seven Kuwaiti Shiites, including two lawmakers, who were accused of eulogizing a slain Hezbollah leader in a ceremony and in a statement to Lebanese and Iranian TV stations earlier this year. The praising of Imad Mughniyeh — a leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group killed in a February car bombing in Syria — caused an uproar in predominantly Sunni Kuwait, where many blame the Lebanese Shiite figure for the hijacking of a Kuwait Airways flight in 1988 and the killing of two of its passengers. Attorney Jalil al-Tabbakh, who represented the defendants, said the criminal court found that eulogizing Mughniyeh as a martyr and a hero was "not a crime." After the militant's death, hundreds of Shiites turned up in a Kuwait City suburb to mourn him. Prosecutors subsequently charged the seven men with "spreading false news about the situation in the country" which "weakened the position of the state abroad." According to court documents made available to The Associated Press by al-Tabbakh, prosecutors said Mughniyeh was a "terrorist" and accused the seven of preparing and distributing a statement in his honor. The statement was broadcast by Lebanon's Hezbollah TV station Al-Manar and Iran's state-run Arabic channel Al-Alam. All the defendants denied having anything to do with the broadcasts. The court ruling said the defendants were "merely expressing their opinions," a right granted to them by the constitution and had no "criminal intent." And even if they indeed wrote and sent the statement to the TV channels, it could not have affected Kuwait's national interests, the ruling said. Hezbollah and its Iranian backers have accused Israel of killing Mughniyeh. Israel has denied any role in the killing. Mughniyeh is also accused of killing hundreds of Americans in suicide bombings in Lebanon the 1980s. He was blamed for taking Westerners hostage and the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in which a U.S. Navy diver was killed. Shiites make up about 30 percent of Kuwait's 1 million people. Sectarian tensions surfaced during the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war because of Kuwait's support for neighboring Saddam Hussein's Iraq. There have also been signs of tension since the empowerment of Iraq's Shiite majority following Saddam's ouster after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, but there has been no violence. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/22/...t-Mughniyeh.php

Western concerns about global energy markets hit new heights last night when Russia, Iran and Qatar said they were forming an Opec-style gas cartel. The move by the three countries, which control 60% of the world's gas reserves, was met with immediate opposition from the European commission, which fears the group could drive up prices. Alexey Miller, chairman of Russia's Gazprom, said they were forming a "big gas troika" and warned that the era of cheap hydrocarbons had come to an end. "We are united by the world's largest gas reserves, common strategic interests and, which is of great importance, high cooperation potential in tripartite projects," he explained. "We have agreed to hold regular - three to four times a year - meetings of the gas G3 to discuss the crucial issues of mutual interest." Miller's comments, likely to increase pressure on the west to accelerate developments in wind and other renewable energy alternatives, followed a meeting in Tehran with Gholamhossein Nozari, Iran's petroleum minister, and Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, Qatar's deputy prime minister and oil and energy minister. Miller said the group was establishing a technical committee comprised of specialists and experts to discuss the implementation of joint projects embracing the entire value chain from geological exploration to marketing. The Russians avoided the word cartel but the Iranians spelled it out clearly. "There is a demand to form this gas Opec and there is a consensus to set up gas Opec," Nozari told a news conference. With Opec due to meet on Friday to look at ways of driving up oil prices, Miller said fossil fuels were going to cost more. "We share the opinion that oil price fluctuations don't put in question the fundamental thesis stating that the era of cheap hydrocarbons has come to an end." The European commission said last night that it would oppose the creation of any organisation that could restrict competition. "The European commission feels that energy supplies have to be sold in a free market," said its spokesman, Ferran Tarradellas Espuny. The west already suspects that Russia and Iran are happy to use energy to pursue political goals. The cutting off of gas by Moscow to Ukraine in the middle of a political and commercial spat caused outrage and worry in western Europe. For its part, Iran, in its stand-off with world powers over its nuclear programme, has threatened to choke off oil shipments through the Persian Gulf if it is attacked. A gas cartel could extend both countries' reach in energy and politics, particularly if oil prices bounce back to the highs seen this year, prompting politicians, businesses and consumers to look toward cleaner-burning natural gas and other alternative fuels. The gathering in Iran needs to be ratified by further meetings in Qatar and Russia but is the most significant step toward the formation of such a group since Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, raised the idea in January 2007. The European Union depends on Russia for nearly half of its natural gas imports. Moscow, which controls many of the pipelines from Russia and central Asia, already has a tight hold on supplies. "To try to manoeuvre the supply makes perfect sense," said James Cordier, president of the US-based Liberty Trading Group and OptionSellers.com. "Just because it doesn't have the clout of oil, it's still in their best interest to deliver natural gas where it needs to go and manage supply in order to help manage the price." Liquefied natural gas, a rapidly growing segment of the market, could be traded as a commodity similar to oil and the move by Russia, Iran and Qatar appears to anticipate that, said Konstantin Batunin, an analyst with Moscow's Alfa Bank. "My take is that it is just a commitment to create something in the future," he said. "It's just a first step." http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oc...prom-iran-qatar

That's because they were being killed by the likes of people your "Arabo-Islamic (sunni)" friends. I wish that was the case. I really wish. I personally wish we had nothing to do with this whole "Palestine" (British colonial creation) business because it's been abundantly clear that "Palestinians" don't want us to. Unfortunately, they genuinely do believe in Palestine and are more genuine than your beloved "Islamo-arabic (sunni) ocean" which prefers to sit in coffee shops and shout slogans (as you have always done). The only thing you guys are good at is killing eachother. Look at how the abovementioned three groups have treated eachother, and then come back and talk about yoru "Islamo-Arabic (sunni) ocean". But most likely, you'll continue sitting in front of your computer and writing about the greatness of the "Islamo-Arabic (sunni) ocean".

Israel wouldn't handover 3 sq. m. of the West Bank, let alone the Golan.

Not only were the Lebanese Shi'is under the "shoe of a dictatorial regime" but were opposed by internal enemies inside the country as well. In other words, it's possible, but you are (as usual) fantasizing about things that never have existed nor will ever exist.

According to you, there is an "arabo-islamic (sunni) ocean" of 300 million (let alone that your claim is infactual). While there are 2 million Lebanese Shi'i. Possible scenarios: 1) The "arabo-islamic (sunni) ocean" doesn't exist outside of your head, 2) They exist, but have no interest in what you want to achieve, 3) They exist, have interest in what you say, but are useless cowards. Make your pick.

Are these the same "arabo-islamic ocean" that got defeated simultaneously in six (6) days, while a few hundred people from Hizbullah bravely maintained their positions during and after the war?

DAMASCUS - Word is coming out of south Lebanon that Saudi money under United States urging is being pumped into the Shi'ite community - in vain - to create a bloc among Lebanese Shi'ites against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The Saudis are strongly opposed to Hezbollah, claiming that it is an extension of Iranian influence in the Arab world. More recently, the Saudis have began coordinating with former vice president Abdul-Halim Khaddam to break Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon. In testimony of just how influential Nasrallah is as secretary general of Hezbollah, the Saudis have stunningly failed - despite tremendous efforts and allegations of huge sums of money being spent - at creating a serious anti-Nasrallah team in places controlled by Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Party of speaker Nabih Berri. This applies to places like al-Dahiya, the Hezbollah stronghold in the suburbs of Beirut, and cities like Baalbak. That is why they have shifted their attention recently to other districts with "Shi'ite pockets" where Hezbollah does not completely reign, like Nab'a, and certain villages in south Lebanon. Coinciding with this story and probably related to it, are unconfirmed reports saying that Michael Hayden, the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, went to Beirut for a secret mission, probably aimed at working towards crushing - or at least disarming - Hezbollah. That coincided with another high-profile visit by US Under Secretary of Defense Eric Edelman to Beirut, where he met Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora, signing an agreement to grant automatic grenade launchers to the Lebanese army. The visit - Edelman's fourth in one year - raised eyebrows among members of the Hezbollah-led opposition, who were welcoming Michel Aoun, Hezbollah's main Christian ally, who was returning from a five-day visit to Iran. The Americans are trying - again - to implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, through strengthening "US-Lebanon bilateral defense" relations. Since 2006, the US has committed more than $410 million in military assistance to Lebanon - hoping that these weapons can be used to counterbalance the military might of Hezbollah. The Saudis and Subhi Tufayli The Saudis, however, are reportedly funding a rival wing of Hezbollah itself, modeled around Sheikh Subhi Tufayli, one of the party's original founders who has been sitting in the dark since the 1990s. Tufayli started out as a firm supporter of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, having studied Islam in Najaf (Iraq) during Khomeini's long exile in the holy Iraqi city, before the Islamic revolution of 1979. He returned to Lebanon and helped co-found Hezbollah - with Iranian support - during the Israeli invasion of 1982. The party broke from Amal, disgruntled at the party's increased secularization and its political rather than military approach, vis-a-vis the Israeli occupation. Men like Tufayli, Abbas Musawi and Nasrallah wanted action, and immediately clashed with Amal and its veteran leader (and now ally) Nabih Berri. Under Tufayli's leadership, Hezbollah managed to drive Amal from Beirut during the height of the Lebanese civil war in the late 1980s. Under his command rose the young Nasrallah in 1989, leading a commando force against Amal in Iqlim al-Tuffah, and becoming a member of the central command of Hezbollah at the young age of 29. Tufayli served as the party's spokesman from 1985 to 1989, then became secretary general from 1989 to 1991. Tufayli opposed taking part in national reconciliation talks in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and as a result was expelled (or asked to resign) from Hezbollah under the urging of then Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Nasrallah served as Hezbollah's "ambassador" to Iran in 1989-1992. During this time, Tufayli was replaced by Abbas Musawi as secretary general, who in turn was assassinated in 1992, many suspect by Israel. Nasrallah replaced him at the job, although the party's hierarchy showed that it should have gone to Sheikh Naim Qasim. Veterans of Hezbollah - headed by Tufayli - were surprised at the change of command, considering Nasrallah as too junior politically and religiously, and too young at 31, to become the Party of God's number-one man. A hardliner, Tufayli once said that his supporters did not dream of eradicating Israel in the near future, but plans to lead a battle that will last "for centuries". More recently, he has distanced himself from Iran for its firm support for Nasrallah, a man whom he respects but envies tremendously. He can't challenge him, beat him, or replace him as head of Hezbollah or the Lebanese Shi'ite community. He once said that some of the current members of Hezbollah "are taking the country towards destruction under the slogan of fighting the American policies in the region. If someone wants to change the government, does it not mean leading the whole country to chaos and civil strife?" Tufayli vetoed the "politicization" of Hezbollah, claiming that it should neither run for parliament, nor hold government office, and remain committed to what it knows best: guerrilla war with Israel. In July 1997, he organized a "hunger strike" of his followers in Baalbak, aimed at embarrassing the pro-Hezbollah government of then-prime minister Rafik al-Hariri. He has since called his small power base the Revolution of the Hungry, similar to the "Movement of the Dispossessed" that was created by Hezbollah's godfather, Sheikh Musa Sadr. Although the Lebanese government tried to arrest him, it has since let him live freely, keeping close tabs on his activities and making sure that he is absent from public life. In 2000, when Nasrallah liberated south Lebanon against Israel, Tufayli was believed to be politically finished, since Hezbollah was at the apex of its career and no Shi'ite with a right mind could challenge the charisma or popularity of Nasrallah. But on several occasions he came out and spoke against Nasrallah, objecting to the latter's alliance with Iran and claiming that he broke with Hezbollah because of the overt Iranian agenda of its secretary general. Earlier, in his final act of defiance, Tufayli clashed with the Lebanese state when his followers tried to take over a party-run religious school in Baalbak. The Lebanese army was asked to intervene, when Iranian cover was lifted off Tufayli, back when the armed forces were under command of pro-Syrian General Emille Lahhoud, who became president of the republic from 1998-2007. The army announced that it had mobilized against Tufayli "on charges of forming armed groups, endangering national security and killing soldiers and civilians". The Lebanese government of Siniora has tried in vain to get rid of Hezbollah, but was unable to do so due to the party's power base and the repeated victories it scored against Israel since 2000. The UN could not disarm Hezbollah, nor could the United States, or Israel in its failed 2006 war on Lebanon. According to veteran US journalist Seymour Hersh, the Americans and Saudis even worked towards creating an armed Sunni terrorist group to combat Hezbollah - in reference to Fatah al-Islam, inspired by al-Qaeda - which also ended in vain. Now, all parties are trying to break Nasrallah's kingdom from within, through splinter Shi'ite groups loyal to people like Tufayli and through the money of dissident Syrians. Any person who has seen how popular Nasrallah was in Lebanon in 2000 or 2006 realizes how foolish it would be to try and challenge him by resurrecting figures like Subhi Tufayli. Nasrallah is one of the most charismatic and popular figures in the Muslim world. Tufayli is a nobody. Nasrallah achieved victory for his party in 2000 and 2006, whereas Tufayli left behind a troubled - almost forgotten - legacy. Nasrallah distributes money to the poor in order to empower the Shi'ites of Lebanon. Saudi Arabian money is going to Tufayli's pockets, not to ordinary Shi'ites. Saudi Arabia will never be respected or seen as an honest broker in the Shi'ite community because of its ties to militant Sunni groups like al-Qaeda. That is why nobody aided or financed by the Saudis will ever be accepted by Lebanese Shi'ites. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JJ21Ak01.html

Iran, Tehran, 19 October /TrendNews corr. E.Namdari/ Iranian Parliament reported that a group of country’s parliamentary representatives met with US parliamentarians within the meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Iran representatives said at the meeting they agree to negotiate with any country, except Israel, said Mohammad Kazem Delkhosh, an MP of Iran’s Sumee Sara Province. “We can launch negotiations with the US representatives, should favourable conditions occur and the country stop interfering with Iran’s domestic affairs.” It is the first time for the recent 30 years that parliamentarians of the two countries held a meeting on this level. Iran-US relations were cut after attack on US Embassy in Iran following the Iranian revolution of 1979. In recent 30years, the two countries were continuously blaming each other for damaging each other’s interests. Delkhosh said the US parliamentarians wrote a letter to the former chairman of Iran’s Parliament Gholam Ali Haddad requesting to meet with Iranian parliamentarians. He did not specify whether negotiations with US representatives would be continued. Asre Iran website confirmed on 19 October that the negotiations are underway and said three representatives of the Islamic Council Assembly participated in the meeting, but did not divulge their names. “The official request of the US representatives so that to negotiate with Iran will be submitted to Parliament’s Speaker Larijani in near future,” according to Asre Iran. “US parliamentarians want to meet with MPs of the Iranian Parliament,” Ali Larijani said a while ago. While the parliaments of the two countries show interest to meet, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad many times requested to debate with US President George Bush and US presidential candidates. However, US administration rejected the calls. Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, makes the final decision on all issues in the country, including foreign policy issues. It is yet not known how Iran will reply to the official request of the US parliamentarians. http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=n...042〈=EN

RIYADH, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A leading group of Muslim clerics has called on Sunnis and Shi'ites to desist from efforts to win converts from the other, but blamed Shi'ite Iran for stoking sectarian tensions in Arab countries. Fears of a growing sectarian rift have bubbled since Iraq's Sunni Muslim leader Saddam Hussein was toppled by U.S.-led forces in 2003 and replaced by a Shi'ite-controlled government backed by Shi'ite power Iran. Leading Sunni cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi said in remarks to Egyptian and Saudi newspapers last month that Shi'ites now had a voice in traditional Sunni countries like Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco through proselytisation. He said this could lead to violence. Qaradawi's comments stirred controversy in Iran where he was attacked in the media and among Shi'ite communities in the Arab world, which are mainly concentrated in Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The International Union of Muslim Scholars, which met in Qatar this week to discuss the issue, said Iran bore responsibility for "sectarian strife" and urged each sect to respect the other's dominant position in different regions. "Organised attempts by the minority sect to proselytise in areas where the other is dominant should stop, as part of mutual respect between the sects," it said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran should bear its responsibility to end sectarian strife." "His (Qaradawi's) statements came from his legitimate responsibility to warn the Islamic nation about the efforts to revive sectarian conflict," the statement published on Qaradawi's website (www.qaradawi.net) said. It also called for an end to sectarian fighting and for protection of minorities. Iraq and Lebanon have witnessed sectarian fighting in recent years. Shi'ites in Saudi Arabia complain of second class status, and Sunnis say their brethren in Iran and Iraq are persecuted. The ageing Qaradawi currently heads the Union, which groups Sunni and Shi'ite scholars from around the world. Saudi daily al-Watan reported disputes this week among members with some favouring a more conciliatory line towards Shi'ites. The scholars who framed the statement included prominent Saudi Sunni Salman al-Awdah and Ali Fadlallah, son of prominent Shi'ite cleric in Lebanese group Hezbollah Hassan Fadlallah. Politically, Sunni governments are concerned that non-Arab Iran and its allies including Hezbollah are gaining respect among ordinary Arabs for championing resistance against Israel and U.S. political and military influence in the region. (Reporting by Andrew Hammond; Editing by Sami Aboudi) http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnLI563943.html

Islamabad - Pakistan's foreign minister said on Saturday that China will help the country to build two more nuclear power reactors to overcome its energy crisis. An agreement was signed during President Asif Ali Zardari's recent visit to China, Shah Memhood Qureshi told a news conference in Islamabad. "These two new units will increase electricity production by 680 megawatts, which will have positive effect on Pakistani economy," he said. Both plants are expected to be built at Chashma, about 300 kilometers south-west of Islamabad, in eastern province of Punjab. China has already installed a 325-megawatt reactor at Chashma and is currently working on another with the same capacity that is expected to begin producing in 2011. Pakistan is facing a deficit of 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts, resulting in between eight and 18 hours of daily power outages. It is looking desperately for means to meet the supply shortage and plans to produce up to 8,000 megawatts using nuclear energy in 10 years. Islamabad and Beijing also signed an agreement under which China will launch Pakistan's first telecommunications satellite, PakSat-1R, in 2011. With a lifespan of 15 years, the satellite will be put in orbit by a Long March 3B rocket to be launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province, the project's chief contractor China Great Wall Industry Corporation said early this week. Chinese companies also pledged to invest 1.2 billion dollars in various sectors in Pakistan by June next year. The developments came a week after India, Pakistan's arch-rival and neighbor, signed an atomic pact with United States, which is a key ally of Islamabad in fight against terrorism but has ruled out a similar nuclear deal with it. Relations between Islamabad and Washington have strained because of recently intensified US airstrikes inside Pakistan on suspected hideouts of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters launching cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan. Zardari's government is under public pressure to pursue a "look-eastward" policy and to rely less on the US, which is considered an unreliable friend by many Pakistanis. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/23...n-pakistan.html

Tehran's Mayor, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, has been judged the world's eighth best mayor from a shortlist of 50 top city leaders in 2008. The World Mayor website (www.worldmayor.com) announced that Qalibaf took eighth place for his public service and modernization of the capital's infrastructure. Tehran's mayor was chosen as one of 800 mayors from around the world in the first round of the 2008 World Mayor Contest in 2007. He was later selected as one of 50-long-listed finalists, the website reported. More than 200,000 citizens from all over the world then voted via the internet from January to June 2008 to choose who they believed to be the world's best mayor, 2008. Helen Zille, Mayor of South African capital, Cape Town, took the top spot, and other successful mayors were placed as follows: 1. Helen Zille from Cape Town, South Africa 2. Elmar Ledergerber from Zurich, Switzerland 3. Leopoldo Eduardo Lopez from Chacao, Venezuela 4. Phil Gordon from Phoenix, USA 5. Ulrich Maly from Nurnberg, Germany 6. Jaime Nebot from Guayaquil, Ecuador 7. Marides Fernando from Marikina City, Philippines 8. Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf from Tehran, Iran 9. Goran Johansson from Gothenburg, Sweden 10. Salvador Gondara from Villa Nueva, Guatemala 11. José Fogaça from Porto Alegre, Brazil Qalibaf was appointed as Tehran's mayor after failing in his bid to become president in Iran's 2005 elections. The finalists for the 2008 World Mayor Award were chosen on the number of votes received and, more importantly, on the persuasiveness and conviction of supporting statements. Below we publish a representative selection of comments received about Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, Mayor of Tehran, Iran. Comment: Since Dr Ghalibaf started as mayor of Tehran we can see many positive changes in the city. I have lived in Europe for some years and even can say that some of his ideas could be copied by European cities. I wish him a good luck and success. Comment: He is a perfect mayor for Tehran and his work is improving the city. Comment: Mayor Ghalibaf is very brave in challenging economic mismanagement of national government. Comment: Understanding the complexity of power and political environment of Iran, give Mr Ghalibaf more credit, in comparison to other mayors of metropolitan cities such as London or Rome. Those mentioned complication make the Mayor of Tehran’s job a mission impossible. Mr Ghalibaf, apparently by staying away from centre of political dispute, especially by being patience and rather moderate (until recent dispute over the very early presidential battlefield) could prove his capabilities. I think what he has done for Tehran, as I said earlier by considering the various contexts (political, social, economical and cultural) of Iran, is extraordinarily good. I live in Europe and am teaching Urban Design in University, and always follow the news about the urban change and regenerations in Iran. Good luck Mr Ghalibaf and long live Iran. Comment: Dr Ghalibaf is open minded, market oriented, a reformist, conservative pragmatist and provides administrative efficiency. The ideal mayor for a city like Tehran or indeed President of Iran. Comment: A survey showed that majority of people are satisfied with Mayor Ghalibaf. He made a lot of changes to Tehran's public transportation. He has improved Tehran's cinemas and theatres as he believes that art is really important for Tehran's people, He made a lot of parks and for the first time he published how much he spent in the town hall because in the past there was fraud there. He knows how to manage the crisis in Tehran. Comment: He has done fantastic job changing Tehran into a modern city. Comment: I do not know whether Dr Ghalibaf is the best mayor in the world, as I haven't followed other mayors activities carefully. But he is certainly a very good mayor. The reasons include: • He put a clear time line for many big projects by big banners near that project, and tried to complete them in time, which for the most part he succeeded. • He increased the investment (both foreign and local) significantly, resulting in many cultural and civil activities. • For the first time since the revolution new cinemas are being built. • He built 500 high quality small football yards in the city and children now have a good place to play. • He built more than 60 bases for crisis management overall the city, in order to be able to deal with a crisis like earthquake. • He recently started many big renovation and rehabilitation projects in order to secure the building in the poor parts of the city. • He started many cultural activities, like building a very large theatre hall, building a huge book garden, and many sport complexes. • He founded the 'women' organization, for the first time in Tehran municipality. • He nearly doubled the activities related to building metro. • He built more than 60 sport complexes for women. Women do not have good opportunities to have athletic activities in Iran. • He built many small parks in many neighbourhoods. • He built a large BRT line that connects the eastern-most point of Tehran to its western-most point. • He installed many CCTV cameras in highways and nearly tripled the length of fiber optic network in the city, resulting in better monitoring, and hence better management. • He used many people from the reformist party in Iran, although he does not belong to that party. This is not ordinarily done in our country, as the atmosphere is highly political. • He managed this winter’s snow crisis so well that even his opponents admired him. • He attached to every project an environment saving project, in order to secure the environment from non-sustainable development. • He has just been mayor for 2.5 years. I think that's enough for that period! Comment: I live in Tehran and see what he did and is doing in Tehran. He is the most useful mayor of Tehran since Iran's Islamic revolution. Comment: He is realy the best mayor Tehran had during the past 50 years. He has strategic ideas and is going to develope Tehran and improve its urban services. Comment: Educated, anti-goverment, handsom, open to Information Technology. Comment: He is an excellent manager with clear ideas and very resolved in his way. However, he is not as good a politician as he would like to be. Comment: The government hates Ghalibaf but I love him. He is the best mayor for Tehran. Comment: Though I'm not interested in his political view, he's the perfect manager for the metropolitan district of Tehran! Comment: It is an extremely difficult job to be Mayor of Tehran, but it is even more difficult to clean up the mess his predecessor left behind! http://www.worldmayor.com/contest_2008/comments-tehran.html

TEHRAN (AFP) — Private Iranian carrier Mahan Airlines announced on Thursday that it will operate three flights a week between Tehran and Baghdad, the first scheduled air link in nearly 30 years. Services were halted on the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980. Mahan's first flight landed at Baghdad's international airport on Tuesday with 192 passengers on board. The company, which flies to Britain, Germany, India, China and Thailand, as well as to domestic destinations, said the Tehran-Baghdad flights are scheduled for Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Mahan also said it has eventual plans for flights from the Iranian holy city of Mashhad (the burial place of the eighth Shiite Imam) to Baghdad and Najaf (the burial place of the first Shiite Imam). No date was given. Mahan was established 16 years ago. In November 2005, an Iraqi passenger plane landed in Tehran, marking the first time in 25 years an Iraqi aircraft touched down there. Iran and Iraq are both majority Shiite Muslim countries and many pilgrims from each country visit holy sites in the other every year. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hgu3qY...tpm-xJvIBdE2FUQ

What facts (notice: opinions are not facts) do you base this statement on?

Alright. Enough. Either post about the topic, or don't post at all.