World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (October 28-31, 2011)

“Iranian hero pilot gets cold shoulder” is an article published by The Washington Post. It says that An Iranian pilot whose spectacular emergency landing was captured on video will not be allowed to fly a plane for two months, the Fars news agency reported Saturday. The video shows the Iran Air flight slowly approaching Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on Oct. 18 with its nose landing gear jammed. As rescue workers prepared for the worst, Capt. Hooshang Shahbazi balanced the plane using only the landing gear under the wings until it came to a stop. Shahbazi complained to news media here that Iranian authorities have not expressed any gratitude for his efforts, which saved the lives of 94 passengers and 19 crew members.

The other article published by the same information agency says that Iran’s parliament is set to summon President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for questioning over an economic scandal and his polices after the required number of lawmakers signed a petition Sunday, the latest salvo in a long battle between the president and his rivals. Ahmadinejad would be the first president to be hauled before the Iranian parliament, a serious blow to his standing in a the conflict involving the president, lawmakers and Iran’s powerful clerics.

The same theme was touched upon by The New York Times. It reported that at least 73 lawmakers signed a petition to question Mr. Ahmadinejad, with a quarter of the 290 members required by Iran’s Constitution needed to call in a president. The Parliament’s presiding council acknowledged receiving the completed petition Sunday. This is just one of several economic misconduct cases against Ahmadinejad allies. The president has been struggling with members of Parliament and the clergy as crucial elections have drawn closer, including voting for Parliament in March and a presidential election in 2013.

The Turkish information agency Hurriyet Daily News reported that Turkey will forge ahead with democratic reform and human rights in the fight against terrorism, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday, a day after Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu urged Iraqi Kurds and regional countries to choose a side in the conflict against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). “More democracy is the antidote to terror. The solution to terror lies in insisting on human rights, justice and freedoms,” Erdoğan said in a monthly address to the nation. “The [terrorists’] dirty calculations will fail, and those who expect gains from terror will not succeed,” Erdoğan said.

“Iran foresees 'bright future' for Iraq” is an article published by the Iranian information agency Press TV. It says that Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi lauds the ongoing political progress in Iraq, stressing the importance of maintaining prudence and unity between the Iraqi government and nation in order to form a “bright future.” The Iranian minister, who is currently on an official visit to Baghdad, discussed ways to expand mutual relations and also examined the latest developments in Arab and Muslim countries with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari on Monday. Salehi expressed the determination of Iranian officials to prepare the ground for strengthening cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad.