Iran quietly wins a seat in the United Nation's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) without facing any objections from other member countries. On Wednesday Iran was nominated for membership of the CSW and since there were no objections to its nomination, Iran's term will start in 2011, during which it will help set UN policy on gender equality and the advancement of women. Earlier this week, more than 200 Iranian women's activists wrote an open letter to the UN, warning that Iran's membership would be a "serious threat" to the goals and mission of the CSW.
Members of CSW are elected by the 54-member Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which is the coordinating organ for United Nation's socio-economic work. Of the 11 available seats at the CSW, two were set aside for states in Asia and the Asia regional group just put forward Iran and Thailand to fill them. Had any other member of ECOSOC objected to the nomination, a secret ballot would have been called for and Iran could only have gained the seat if it received a majority of at least 28 votes.
But since the US, Canada, Australia and the 10 European countries raised no objection, the meeting elected Iran "by acclamation." Earlier Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that they will withdraw their bid for membership in United Nation's Human Right's Council to instead seek membership in the women's rights body and indicated that the decision was made in agreement with the Asian group.
The UN's tendency to fill position through "closed slates" that allow no competition has also allowed Iran to gain entry into three other UN bodies, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, and the Governing Council of the Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).
Iran on Friday threatened to “cut off Israel’s feet” if the latter attacks Syria, AFP reported. During a visit to Damascus, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said: "We will stand alongside Syria against any [Israeli] threat … If those who have violated Palestinian land want to try anything we will cut off their feet,” he said. Rahimi called Syria a “strong country that is ready to confront any threat” and said Iran “will back Syria with all its means and strength.”
The Obama administration Thursday warned Iran and Syria that America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable, and they should understand the consequences of threats to the Jewish state. In a speech, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Syrian transfers of increasingly sophisticated weaponry, including rockets, to terrorists in southern Lebanon and Gaza could spark new conflict in the Middle East. Additionally, she said a nuclear-armed Iran would profoundly destabilize the region. source: The Jerusalem Post
Prominent opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi announced that Islamic Republic’s mistreatment of political prisoners reveals the ruling class's "fear of people's movement." In a meeting with the Policymaking Council of the student organization Advar-e Tahkim on Thursday, Karroubi criticized government pressure on recently released political prisoners and described such actions indicative of their fear of the people’s movement. According to Jaras website, Mehdi Karroubi announced that the Green Movement is the "natural right of the people and the ruling class has to recognize this right. The more they delay this realization, the more they will harm the clergy, the system and Islam. We must start negotiations with all the groups within the system that can initiate an effective dialogue."
Karroubi warned that “ignoring the law has become a natural and ordinary matter for those in power and the obvious indication of it is the dismantling of all supervisory bodies and indifference to reports regarding the weakness and deterioration of the country's economic situation."
Today, Mehdi Karroubi also issued a message on the occasion of International Worker's Day, condemning the "absolute military control of the economy" which in addition to being unconstitutional, according to the opposition leader, is in complete violation of the rights and interests of all workers. In recent years, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Basij Militia have overtaken numerous economic projects in Iran and even established their own bank. The opposition has repeatedly pulled the alarm on the expanding influence of the armed forces in Iran's economy. source: Radio Zamaneh | |
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