‘Iran welcomes Chinese investment’
Tehran Times--Iranian Ambassador to Beijing Mehdi Safari says the Islamic Republic welcomes foreign investments, especially from longtime trade partners like China
“The Islamic Republic sets no limitation for investment of Chinese companies in Iran,” IRNA quoted Safari as saying in China’s capital city of Beijing on Tuesday.
He added that Chinese firms have expressed interest in investing in different projects in Iran, including industries, road-building and energy.
The Iranian ambassador expressed hope that Chinese companies and organizations would see Iran’s economic potentials and further boost bilateral cooperation.
“We will make efforts to encourage different Chinese firms which have worked in Iran to invest in the country,” Safari said.
He pointed to Iran’s strategic position in the Middle East region, saying, “The Islamic Republic is a stable and influential country in the region and in the world.”
He expressed confidence that investment in Iran “will cover the entire Middle East region.”
Iran is currently China’s third-largest supplier of crude, providing China with roughly 12 percent of its total annual oil consumption -- nearly one million barrels per day.
The value of trade between Iran and China amounted to USD 8.6 billion in the first quarter of the Iranian calendar year (starting March 21st). About USD 5.4 billion of this sum constitutes Iran’s export volume.
China is the world’s third-largest economy. According to World Bank reports, China has favorable economic conditions while enjoying a stable macroeconomy status.
The Chinese economy is growing at a rate of 10 percent annually even as the world emerges from a deep recession.
US-led soldier killed in Afghanistan
Press TV--Another US-led soldier has lost his life in an attack in southern Afghanistan, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says.
The soldier "died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan," ISAF said in a statement on Saturday, AFP reported.
NATO did not disclose the nationality of the soldier or the exact location of the incident.
At least 623 US-led foreign soldiers have been killed so far this year, compared to 521 for all of 2009.
The year 2010 has become the deadliest year for the US-led foreign forces since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The announcement came a day after an Afghan soldier killed three American troops in southern Afghanistan.
NATO said on Saturday that the Afghan soldier opened fire on the troopers and killed them in the city of Sangin in Helmand province on Friday evening.
As the security situation continues to deteriorate in war-ravaged Afghanistan, US-led forces are killed by Taliban militants on a near-daily basis.
Western public opinion is growing increasingly tired of the war and mounting casualties. The United States and NATO have more than 150,000 troops in the war-torn country.
The developments come at a time when the United States and its allies have stepped up a bombing campaign in troubled southern Afghanistan.
US-led foreign forces have been criticized for military operations, which have led to death and destruction in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
The loss of civilian lives at the hand of foreign forces has led to a dramatic increase in anti-American sentiments in Afghanistan.
Larijani: US dark human rights record should be examined
IRNA – Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said the United Nations Human Rights Council should examine the US dark record of human rights to safe its own face
Making the remarks in Saturday’s Majlis open session, he said the presence of the Iranian nation in the Nov 4 ceremonies - which marked the anniversary of the siege of the US embassy in Tehran – exactly when the US human rights performance was being considered in the UN carried a special meaning.
He believed the UN Human Rights Council was facing a test of credibility since it lacked no evidences as to the US human rights behavior which is absolutely out of international laws and standards.
Referring to the terrorist actions happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, the speaker said the US should stand accountable to those events since both countries are under the US occupation.
Larijani said the recent elections in the US should teach the American administration a lesson since its result was an outcome of the US double-standard policies.
France: Nations united on update for uranium offer to Iran
Jerusalem Post--The six countries taking part in uranium negotiations with Iran are in agreement over the need to update an offer to send the Islamic Republic’s uranium abroad for enrichment, the French Foreign Ministry said Friday, according to AFP.
"There is no disagreement among the six (Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia the United States) on the need to update the offer made to Iran in the autumn of 2009 and there is also no disagreement on the principle and parameters of this update," the ministry said.
The six countries proposed in 2009 that Iran transfer 1,200 kilos (roughly 2,600 pounds) of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and after that to France for further enrichment for a Teheran research reactor, reported AFP.
Since then, Iran has increased its uranium stock and the six nations are now collaborating on updated offer, according to Paris.