ID :
116051
Sun, 04/11/2010 - 11:59
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/116051
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Iran's EC approves biennial general elections
TEHRAN, April 11 (MNA) -- The Expediency Council has approved a bill calling for general elections to be held every two years, EC Secretary Mohsen Rezaii announced on Saturday.
During a session on Saturday, the EC members decided that presidential and city council elections should be held simultaneously and that Assembly of Experts and parliamentary elections should also be held simultaneously, Rezaii told reporters.
In his first press conference since Iranian New Year (began March 21), Rezaii stated that the Expediency Council strongly criticized U.S. President Barack Obama, saying his recent remarks violated international law and United Nations regulations.
Obama and U.S. Defense Minister Robert Gates recently elaborated on the new U.S. nuclear policy, he said.
Since they have mentioned Iran, all relevant government officials are duty bound to respond to such remarks in an appropriate manner, Rezaii noted.
The U.S. government released its new “Nuclear Posture Review” last week, which the administration called a manifesto "achieving substantial further nuclear force reductions."
Although it explicitly states that all non-nuclear weapons states are immune from nuclear attack, the statement reserves the right to use nuclear weapons against countries like Iran and North Korea, labeled as outliers in the paper.
Also, Gates said that non-nuclear states that abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty would not be threatened with nuclear retaliation by the United States -- even if they conducted conventional, biological, or cyber attacks.
However, he added, “If you’re not going to play by the rules, if you’re going to be a proliferator, then all options are on the table in terms of how we deal with you,” the New York Times quoted him as saying.
The Expediency Council secretary said Obama and Gates claim they have a new policy on nuclear weapons, but which makes Iran and North Korea exceptions to the policy.
“I think the abovementioned approach is unacceptable since Iran has abided by all international regulations and as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, all its nuclear activities have been within the framework of the treaty,” Rezaii explained.
“It is possible that Mr. Obama has made such remarks in an attempt to conduct psychological warfare against Iran,” he added.
If that is the case, Obama should be held accountable for his remarks, since making statements with the aim of psychological warfare is a violation of the norms of international conventions, he noted.
“In his early days in office, Obama raised the banner of peace, but today we see that he is advocating war and confrontation,” the EC secretary stated.
During a session on Saturday, the EC members decided that presidential and city council elections should be held simultaneously and that Assembly of Experts and parliamentary elections should also be held simultaneously, Rezaii told reporters.
In his first press conference since Iranian New Year (began March 21), Rezaii stated that the Expediency Council strongly criticized U.S. President Barack Obama, saying his recent remarks violated international law and United Nations regulations.
Obama and U.S. Defense Minister Robert Gates recently elaborated on the new U.S. nuclear policy, he said.
Since they have mentioned Iran, all relevant government officials are duty bound to respond to such remarks in an appropriate manner, Rezaii noted.
The U.S. government released its new “Nuclear Posture Review” last week, which the administration called a manifesto "achieving substantial further nuclear force reductions."
Although it explicitly states that all non-nuclear weapons states are immune from nuclear attack, the statement reserves the right to use nuclear weapons against countries like Iran and North Korea, labeled as outliers in the paper.
Also, Gates said that non-nuclear states that abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty would not be threatened with nuclear retaliation by the United States -- even if they conducted conventional, biological, or cyber attacks.
However, he added, “If you’re not going to play by the rules, if you’re going to be a proliferator, then all options are on the table in terms of how we deal with you,” the New York Times quoted him as saying.
The Expediency Council secretary said Obama and Gates claim they have a new policy on nuclear weapons, but which makes Iran and North Korea exceptions to the policy.
“I think the abovementioned approach is unacceptable since Iran has abided by all international regulations and as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, all its nuclear activities have been within the framework of the treaty,” Rezaii explained.
“It is possible that Mr. Obama has made such remarks in an attempt to conduct psychological warfare against Iran,” he added.
If that is the case, Obama should be held accountable for his remarks, since making statements with the aim of psychological warfare is a violation of the norms of international conventions, he noted.
“In his early days in office, Obama raised the banner of peace, but today we see that he is advocating war and confrontation,” the EC secretary stated.
