An earlier TMV post talked about the Iranian former President Mohammed Khatami, who is currently on a lecture tour of the United States of America. Khatami was given a tourist visa and the Bush administration came under attack from certain quarters in America for extending this facility to Khatami.
Now see this news item alongwith this bit of news. The UN chief Kofi Annan, who was on a visit to Iran, “eased the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme yesterday when he stopped short of condemning it for ignoring an international deadline to suspend uranium enrichment and appeared to accept a key part of its negotiating stance.”
So far no strong reaction from the US administration (let us keep our fingers crossed). Will President Bush agree to take the effective but dull/slow route to world peace – known as international diplomacy – considering that the election season not far in the USA?
But let us go on with the The Guardian story: “Speaking in Tehran at the end of a two-day visit, Mr Annan’s comments contrasted with those of President George Bush, who demanded ‘consequences’ after Iran missed last week’s UN security council ultimatum. Mr Annan said that he understood the issue better after meeting senior Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ali Larijani, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, and the foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki.
“His comments followed an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report which confirmed that Iran had defied a UN resolution to freeze uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to make atomic bombs. The agency also said it had been unable to confirm Iran’s claim that its nuclear programme was peaceful because of a lack of cooperation. The west believes the programme is designed to produce nuclear weapons.
“But rather than rebuke Tehran, Mr Annan pointed to an assurance from Mr Ahmadinejad that Iran wanted compromise. “The president reaffirmed to me Iran’s preparedness and determination to negotiate and find a solution to the crisis,” Mr Annan told a press conference. He said Mr Ahmadinejad had told him that Iran “does not accept suspension [of uranium enrichment] before negotiations”.
“But he added: “Iran has said it is open for negotiations. All issues can be discussed at the negotiations.”
“That comment appeared to mirror Iran’s position that the demand for suspension should be included in general negotiations and not set as a precondition.
“Mr Annan’s remarks came in the face of a US-led clamour for sanctions. They appeared destined to further slow the momentum after EU foreign ministers gave Tehran another two weeks to clarify its position and called for negotiations.
“The security council is expected to meet soon to discuss a new resolution that could include punitive measures. But hard-hitting sanctions are unlikely because of the opposition of Russia and China, which have strong economic ties to Tehran.
“Mr Annan also said he had secured Iran’s support for the UN-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon. He said Iran had promised to work with the UN to help rebuild Lebanon’s shattered infrastructure. But no mention was made of Tehran’s relationship with Hizbullah, which it is generally accepted used weapons supplied by Iran.”
Meanwhile oil fell more than a dollar to around $68 a barrel on Monday, pulled lower by expectations that any sanctions against oil producer Iran were some way off and would not necessarily disrupt export flows, says a Reuters report.
“U.S. light sweet crude was down 90 cents at $68.29 a barrel by 1516 GMT. London Brent crude was $1.22 a barrel lower at $67.93, just off a session low of $67.83, which was the lowest level since June 21.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.