Today's Iran News (September 3, 2008) - IranVNC.com

European Parliament urges Russia to leave Georgia

European Parliament today adopted a resolution calling on Russia to "honor all its commitments" to withdraw its troops from Georgia in accordance with the six-point, French-brokered ceasefire agreement.

The resolution, adopted with 549 votes in favor and 68 against, also "strongly" condemned Russia's recognition of the independence of the two Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
For its part, the U.S., which has also condemned Moscow for its actions in Georgia, has sent Vice President Dick Cheney to the region in a show of support for Georgia and other Soviet states, including Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

Moscow today said it would wait to see how Cheney assesses the situation on the ground, but accused Washington of provoking instability in the region by encouraging Georgia to restore its military capabilities.

UN human rights office concerned at rising Iran executions

The United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights office voiced concern on Tuesday at a recent rise in executions in Iran and implored the Islamic Republic to stay death sentences handed down for all convicts accused of committing crimes as minors.

In a statement released from Geneva, The Commissioner urged Iran to stop executing teens following reports that the country recently put to death two teens. Reza Hedjazi is believed to have been executed Aug. 19 and Behnam Zaare on Aug. 26.

Quote: "We urge the government of Iran to stay the executions of both of them in strict compliance of its international human rights obligations and not to impose the death penalty on juvenile offenders in the future,"

Iran has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which ban the death penalty for crimes committed by people under age 18.
Iran is believed to have already executed 220 people so far this year, including six juvenile offenders

Bush praised McCain during RNC speech

President Bush addressed the Republican party last night via satellite at the second day of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota pledging his support for Republican candidate for President John McCain.

Praising McCain's stance on Iraq, Bush said quote: "One senator above all had faith in our troops and the importance of their mission, and that was John McCain...He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war."

Democrat turned independent and McCain's close friend, Joseph Lieberman also spoke last night in Minnesota, highlighting McCain's experience in his stance on the Iraq War.
Tonight the convention continues with a speech from McCain's running-mate, Sarah Palin, the Alaskan governor.

ADL Criticizes Shell and Austria's OMV

In a statement last week top officials of the US-based Anti-Defamation League [ADL] said that a decision by Austria's OMV and the multi-national oil company Royal Dutch Shell to sponsor a natural gas exports conference in Iran, next month, violates their business standards and their stated commitment to human rights.

"These two companies are co-sponsoring a conference by the state-owned energy company of the leading state-sponsor of terrorism and human rights violator," the officials said.
Reacting to the ADL statement yesterday, Austrian officials said that OMV, which is owned in part by that country's government, is not violating UN and EU sanctions against Iran by sponsoring the conference.

Shell declined to comment on its sponsorship of the conference but said it would continue to do preparatory work to develop parts of Iran's South Pars gas field.

© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Today's
• Iran
• News
• (September
• 2008)
• IranVNC
• .com