Transcript
News Wrap 5-15-2008
Iran's central bank woes
The governor of the Central Bank of Iran [CBI], Tahmasb Mazaheri, has criticized the latest monetary policy of President Ahmadinejad to arbitrarily set interest rates at 10 to 12 percent, well below inflation. Mazaheri has been advocating an interest rate hike to counter widespread lending practices which economists blame for the country’s high inflation rate.
This is the latest criticism of Ahmadinejad’s economic policies. In April his economy minister, Davoud Danesh-Jafari, resigned in protest to what he called “unscientific” policies of Ahmadinejad’s administration.
Iran’s package avoids nuclear issue
Iran’s package of proposals for resolving global peace and security problems contains little to resolve the ongoing dispute over the country’s nuclear program.
The proposal, entitled “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Proposed Package for Constructive Negotiations,” focuses on “common security threats,” including terrorism, narcotics, organized crime, poverty and inequality, trade and the sharing of energy.
Tehran also calls for the installation of “enrichment and nuclear fuel production consortiums” in the Islamic Republic and around the world.
State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said earlier this week that he has low expectations about the package’s potential to resolve the U.S.’s political conflicts with Iran.
Nuclear Iran would be “unforgivable”
President Bush told Israel’s parliament today that allowing Iran to obtain nuclear arms would be an “unforgivable betrayal of future generations”.
Bush, referring to Iran as “the world’s leading sponsor of terror,” said that Israel and the U.S. must stand together to bar the Islamic Republic from possessing “the world’s deadliest weapon.”
Ahmadinejad said yesterday in a speech that Israel is “dying,” adding: “The world cannot do anything to help this regime because today the world despises this fake regime.”
Bush is in Israel for a three-day trip to celebrate the countries 60th anniversary, and to try to jump-start the faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace process. However, he never mentioned a time-table for his plan to help resolve the conflict and only mentioned the Palestinians once in his speech.
Arab League - Lebanon negotiations
Arab league representatives in Beirut are expected to announce an agreement between Lebanon’s government and the Hezbollah-led opposition easing political tensions that have engulfed the country in violence for six days. The opposing sides are due to meet in Doha, Qatar for talks.
Hezbollah was due to lift the roadblocks on Thursday following an announcement by Lebanon’s Information Minister that the government was reversing its earlier decisions against the group “in view of higher national interests.”
The latest developments strengthen Hezbollah’s hand, which former Israeli intelligence chief Amos Yaldin on Thursday called “the strongest power in Lebanon.” He added the militant group could have taken control of Lebanon if it had chosen to do so.
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