Terrorist Measures

TEHERAN/BERLIN (Own Report) - A new negotiation offer by Teheran to Berlin and the EU concerning the Iranian energy sector is accompanied by international competition. Extensive talks in the Iranian Energy Ministry with a German delegation of entrepreneurs have been announced for the second part of November. Also Washington declares its interest simultaneously to construct a natural gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia, which could interfere with plans of German corporations. While Berlin and the EU are increasing pressure on Teheran by blaming them for the increase of violations of human rights in Iran since the new government came into force, the province Chusistan in the South of Iran, which is rich of raw materials, is shaken by bomb attacks. An expert of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation (Bündnis 90/Green Party) declared, that it could "not be denied", that ethnic conflicts (like the one in Chusistan) "are fanned by foreign forces to weaken the central government".

The Iranian government wants to continue the talks with Berlin, Paris and London on their controversial nuclear program. A government spokesperson confirmed that the Iranian government would like to avoid any involvement by the UN Security Council. Before that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country had travelled to Beijing, where he conferred with his Chinese counterpart on the nuclear dispute.[1] Iran wants to intensify its relationships with the People's Republic of China, which insists on a settlement of the dispute in the frame of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In this way Beijing blocks considerations in Berlin to put the Iranian government under pressure by economic sanctions legitimized by the UN and to enforce a governmental change in Teheran.

Interlinking Europe and Asia

The new Iranian negotiation offer is accompanied by international disputes around the energy sector of the country. For the second part of November extensive talks in the Iranian Energy Ministry with a German delegation of entrepreneurs have been announced. Rising prices of crude oil enabled Teheran to "promote the extension of the energy and water sector as well as the waste management sector", as the German Near and Middle East Association in Hamburg states [2], which organized the journey [3]. The topics to be included are among others the privatization of the Iranian electrical power supply. Currently Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia work on a coordination of their combined systems ("energy corridor Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran"), which shall improve the electrical power exchange among the participating countries. The planned coordination should moreover allow connections among "combined systems of Europe and Asia".[4]

Competitors

Simultaneously Washington demands to be involved into the intended construction of the planned Iranian-Armenian gas pipeline. This was confirmed by the US-American Energy Minister during his visit in Eriwan, where the involvement of US-American firms into the energy sector of the South Caucasian country was discussed.[5] The United States aim at weakening the Russian influence in Armenia in this way; simultaneously it is taken into account to conduct the Iranian gas via Armenia and Georgia through the Black Sea into the Ukraine, from where it could be transported to Europe. Respective plans, which have been launched in Kiew during the past months, are in contrast to the interests of German energy corporations. Eon for instance conducted negotiations last spring about getting Iranian natural gas, providing a diversion of the crude gas via Turkey and Bulgaria ("Nabucco-Pipeline").[6] Eon considers the route also as favourable, because the German corporation plays an important role in the respective consortium through an associated company located in Hungary.[7]

Human Rights

While the international debates around the Iranian energy sector are exacerbated, Berlin and Brussels increase their pressure on Iran by blaming them for an increase of human rights abuses since the new government came into force. Teheran should take up again the "human rights dialogue" with the EU, as the EU commission demands. The government in Teheran attributes several bomb attacks in Chusistan, the richest province of the country in crude oil, to Western subversion policies. As the Iran expert of the Heinrich-Boell-Foundation (Bündnis 90/Green Party) confirms, the conflicts are on the one hand the result of a "not tolerable economic and cultural discrimination against minorities". On the other hand it nevertheless could "not be denied", that they are "fanned by foreign forces to weaken the central government".[8]

Destabilization

The argument of the Heinrich-Boell-Foundation, which is well-known for its interference into human rights policies, confirms in an unusual way Western attempts of destabilization, which do not even shrink from terrorist measures.

[1] China plädiert für Wiederaufnahme der Iran-EU-Nukleargespräche; China.org.cn 14.10.2005
[2] see also Hohes Niveau
[3] Vorankündigung: Deutsche Unternehmerdelegation in den Iran 19.-23. November 2005; Hamburg 06.07.2005
[4] Energiekorridor Russland-Aserbaidschan-Iran wird ab 2009 funktionieren; RIA Nowosti 12.10.2005
[5] USA am Bau von Gasleitung Iran - Armenien interessiert; RIA Nowosti 12.10.2005
[6] see also Attraktiv
[7] see also Brückenkopf
[8] Mehrere Pipelines im Süden gesprengt; Iran-Report 10/2005

see also Eingliederung und False Promises sowie Imperial overstretch


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