Larijani reinstated as majority leader
Press TV--Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani is reinstated as head of the majority Principalist bloc at the chamber for the third consecutive term.
Larijani on Sunday garnered 25 out of the 47 votes to secure a narrow win over Seyyed Shahabeddin Sadr, another member of the Principalist camp’s central council, IRNA reported.
Larijani, who took the helm of the parliament in 2008, is reelected as the chairman of the ruling Principalist caucus for the third time in a row.
Meanwhile, Seyyed Mohammad Hassan Abu Torabi Fard with 26 votes and Mohammad Reza Bahonar with 25 votes were elected as the first and second deputies of the bloc respectively.
Other members of the bloc’s central council, Esmail Kowsari, Vali Esmaili and Seyyed Kazem Delkhosh, were elected as the secretaries of the camp.
The highly influential speaker of the Iranian parliament is considered a heavyweight principlist, who was previously Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.
In October 2009, rumors of some principalist lawmakers’ bid to oust Larijani as the majority leader went around, due to being regarded as "too mild" by some of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s more ardent supporters.
US: Military threat not sole way to stop Iran
Washington Post-- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says although military action against Iran remains an option; the threat of force is not the only way to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the U.S. this week, is turning up pressure on the Obama administration to take a tougher line. If Israel concludes that Tehran is close to a bomb it could launch its own military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities within months.
But Gates rejects the notion that Iran will only listen if it thinks it’s about to be attacked.
He says the latest international sanctions are hitting Iran harder than that country’s ruling regime had expected, and should be allowed more time. He spoke in Australia.
Iranian, Omani officials discuss bilateral ties
IRNA– Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki reviewed ways of promoting bilateral relations with the visiting Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah.
Mottaki described the visit of bin Alawi important in that it took place with the major objectives of reviewing bilateral cooperation and participating in the important multi-lateral meeting on transit cooperation as well as the meeting of Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in Tehran.
The Iranian foreign minister noted Iran’s first priority in the past five years has been to develop relations with its neighboring states, especially with those in the Persian Gulf region.
Iran has gained great achievements to this end, the foreign minister said adding that Tehran and Oman should not allow any delays in their plans of mutual cooperation.
For his part, the Omani minister said, his country is proud of its close and cordial relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Alawi bin Abdallah called the meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue as an important event and hoped it will achieve successful outcomes.
Tehran is planned to host the 9th ministerial meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue from 8 November to 9.
ACD, which was set up on the basis of dialogue, seeks to strengthen cooperation in different fields, especially in the economic and developmental areas.
The past eight rounds of the event have been held in Thailand, China, Pakistan, Qatar, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka from 2002-2009. Thailand hosted the first two rounds in 2002 and 2003 with the participation of 18 member states.
ACD is a body created in 2002 to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to help integrate separate regional cooperation organizations such as ASEAN, SAARC and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council.