The Los Angeles Times reports that Iran is pushing for nuclear talks in Turkey. Iran agreed to talks with the United States and other world powers on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, provided negotiations take place in neighbouring Turkey, officials said Sunday. The offer probably was meant to put diplomatic pressure on the U.S. and its allies. There was no word on whether the U.S. or other world powers had approved of the proposal.
Another article devoted to the Caucasus and Iran's relations was published by the LA Times - IRAN, GEORGIA: Washington wary of warming ties between Tehran and U.S. ally. In a turn of events that has both Georgian and American diplomats walking on eggshells, Georgia and Iran agreed this week to eliminate visa restrictions and resume direct flights between Tbilisi and Tehran. This new open-border policy comes at a time when Iran is desperate for a few friendly faces in its own backyard. But Iran's new-found friendship has Georgia -- the United States' closest ally in the Caucasus, and the recipient of roughly $4.5 billion in Western aid in the past two years -- dancing the diplomatic two-step. As for the U.S., the Embassy in Tbilisi so far has stayed silent about Georgia's cozy new relationship with Iran, perhaps because trade between the two nations accounts for less than 1% of Georgian imports.The LA Times also writes that U.S. gets some love, and hate, in Tehran. Officials praise Washington for placing an Iranian insurgent group on its terrorism list even as crowds mark the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy hostage-taking in 1979 with chants of 'Death to America.' Supporters of Iran's government took to the streets of the capital
Thursday to denounce the United States on the 31st anniversary of the takeover of the American Embassy compound, even as the nation's Foreign Ministry praised Washington for placing an Iranian militant group on a list of outlawed terrorist organizations. Organizers of the event also voiced support for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's plan to cut subsidies and redistribute some of the savings to government supporters.
"Nuclear energy and the retargeting of subsidies plans are both inalienable rights of Iranians," read a banner at the event, where free snacks were served.
The Washington Post reports that Iran's middle class to be hard hit as subsidy program is overhauled. Last year, Tehran's writers, doctors and small-business owners formed the backbone of a grass-roots opposition movement against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Now these middle-class urbanites feel they're being singled out by a government plan that will soon cut off state subsidies and boost the prices of a wide array of everyday products.
Hurriyet reports that the EU progress report criticizes pressure on Turkish press. Even though there is increasing open and free debate over sensitive issues such as minority rights, press freedom is still a problem in Turkey, according to an advance copy of the European Commission's annual report about the country. Other areas of concern in the report include parliamentary immunity, judicial independence, the Ergenekon case and cultural rights
Another news published by Hurriyet is that Georgia details nuclear smuggling. Georgian authorities detail the operation, which they seize bomb grade nuclear material in March, smuggled across the border from Armenia in a cigarette pack. For all its apparent success, the investigation highlighted the difficulty of stopping nuclear smuggling
in the Caucasus.
Hurriyet writes that Azerbaijan ruling party wins election landslide as Azerbaijan's ruling party. Monday won a large majority in parliamentary polls that cemented President Ilham Aliyev's tight grip on power but were denounced by the opposition as a shameful fraud. With votes from 99 percent of precincts counted from Sunday's vote, Aliyev's Yeni (New) Azerbaijan party had won more than 70 seats in the 125-seat parliament, with almost all the rest going to independent candidates loyal to Aliyev.
It also writes about Gates rejecting Israel call for military threat against Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday rejected comments by Israel's prime minister calling for a "credible" military threat against Iran to ensure it does not obtain nuclear weapons. "We know that they are concerned about the impact of the sanctions. The
sanctions are biting more deeply than they anticipated and we are working very hard at this," Gates told reporters on a visit to Australia for security talks.
PressTV cites Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has called for a new world order based on justice and respect where all nations play equal roles in global management. Addressing a meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in Tehran on Monday, the president said decades-long hatred, wars, and economic crises plaguing the world are the result of the current unjust world order.
Also Turkey is open to nuclear plant bids, reports PressTV. Turkey says it remains open to proposals about the construction of a nuclear power plant after failing to agree with a South Korean firm.
'US has become Iran's hostage' - a senior Iranian commander cited by PressTV. Through its presence in the region the US has become Iran's hostage, stressing that Tehran's power is not limited to the Middle East. Deputy Head of Iran's Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri made the remarks in response to
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who urged Washington on Saturday to use military action to "destroy" the Islamic Republic.
