World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (November 2, 2011)

The Washington Post reported that Israeli defense officials say the military has successfully test-fired an advanced missile from a base outside of Tel Aviv. One official says the launch tested a “rocket propulsion system” and that the exercise had been planned long ago. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of security restrictions, and declined to give further information. Foreign news reports, however, said the test involved firing a long-range Jericho missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and striking Iran.

The same information agency reported that Iran’s parliament has rejected a resignation tendered by a conservative lawmaker to protest the house’s failure to summon President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over a long list of accusations, including corruption. Ali Motahari last month said he was quitting because he felt he could no longer represent the people who elected him. He had also said he would withdraw the resignation if the house actually moves to question Ahmadinejad. Iranian lawmakers in the 290-member house voted Wednesday 155-31 against Motahari’s resignation. There were 12 abstentions and the remaining lawmakers didn’t attend the session.

“Russian spies were succeeding, FBI official says” is an article published by The Los Angeles Times. It says that the agents, whom the U.S. sent to Russia in July 2010 in the largest spy swap since the Cold War, are not accused of stealing any U.S. secrets. But they were more dangerous than commonly believed, C. Frank Figliuzzi, FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, said in an interview. They were "the cream of the crop" of trained Russian intelligence agents, he said, and they were sent here to blend in and befriend American policymakers. They were succeeding, Figliuzzi said. "Several were getting close to high-ranking officials," he said. One had gone to work for a confidant of a U.S. Cabinet member, he added, declining to offer details.

The Turkish information agency Huttiyet Daily News published the article headlined “Turkey joins probe to solve Rabbani murder.” It says that Turkey has stepped up to ease tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan, whose tempers steamed after former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated six weeks ago. Hosting the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan yesterday for a trilateral summit to resume dialogue between the two states, the parties decided to designate a trilateral mechanism for the investigation of the Rabbani assassination. “We have decided to establish a cooperation mechanism to clarify the Rabbani assassination,” Turkish President Abdullah Gül said yesterday at a joint press conference with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts.