Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei has criticized the US for sanctions against the Iranian oil sector, saying Beijing’s crude import from Iran is “legal.”
"China opposes any country implementing unilateral sanctions on another country according to its domestic law," Hong said on Wednesday. "China legally imports oil from Iran through normal channels in a reasonable and fair manner," he added [Xinhua, 22 March].
Kurdish Leader Threatens to Hold a Referendum on Future of Kurdish-Iraqi Relations
In a move that can potentially unravel the balance of power in the region, Kurdish leader Massud Barzani has hinted at a break with the Iraqi central government. Barzani said the partnership that built a national unity government was now “completely non-existent and has become meaningless.” The Kurdish leader made the remarks during the Norouz (New Year) massage to the Kurds from Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.
“We are committed to our alliance with the Shiites but not with this group of people who have monopolized power and with their policies have even marginalized other Shiites,” Barzani said. “It is time to say enough is enough. The current status of affairs in unacceptable to us and I call on all Iraqi political leaders to urgently try to find a solution. Otherwise, we will return to our people and will decide on whatever course of action that our people deem appropriate.” [AFP, 21 March].
The latter reference was a poorly veiled threat to hold a referendum in Kurdistan on its future within or independent of the Iraqi state.
Barzani accused Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki of monopolizing power and building an army loyal to him only.
“There is an attempt to establish a one-million-strong army whose loyalty is only to a single person,” Barzani said.
He also harshly criticized Maliki’s keeping powerful ministries under his portfolio.
“Where in the world can the same person be the prime minister, the chief of staff of the armed forces, the minister of defense, the minister of interior, the chief of intelligence and the head of the national security council?” he asked.
Maliki has yet to appoint permanent ministers of defense and interior, more than two years after parliamentary elections.
Kurdish MPs hold nearly a fifth of the seats in parliament, and Barzani’s Kurdish Alliance bloc has five cabinet posts in the national unity government formed in November 2010.
The central government and Kurdish regional authorities have been locked in protracted disputes over oil contracts with foreign oil firms and the status of a swathe of disputed territory around the northern oil hub of Kirkuk.
Source: AFP; 21 March 2012
Photo: Kurdish leader Massud Barzani next to the Kurdish National Flag / AFP
Calls Israeli War Threats ‘Illegal’
Iran ruled out pulling out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In an interview with France 24 TV news channel, Iranian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Iran is determined to continue its nuclear energy program under the IAEA’s control. Soltanieh added that Iran remained committed to its international obligations “despite sanctions, war threats and even the assassination of its nuclear scientists.”
Soltanieh also condemned Israeli war threats against Iran as a violation of international laws. He said the IAEA Resolution 533 adopted in 1990 prohibits armed attacks against nuclear installations devoted to peaceful purposes.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay an official official visit to Iran on March 28 and 29. Erdogan will arrive in Tehran on his way back from 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in South Korea.
During his visit to Tehran, Erdogan will confer with senior Iranian officials and will inaugurate a new Turkish cultural center in Tehran.
File Photo: Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan / Press TV
A classified war simulation conducted by the U.S. military forecasts that an Israeli strike against Iran would lead to a wider regional war, potentially drawing in the United States and leaving hundreds of Americans dead, the New York Times reported today.
The war game, held this month, was not intended as a dress rehearsal for U.S. military action, according to officials who spoke with The Times. The game raised fears among planners that it would be impossible to keep America from becoming involved in a confrontation with Iran.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites, calling it a “huge mistake.”
“We believe this would be a huge mistake and we hope that this would never happen,” said Lavrov. “The use of force in this region would be catastrophic,” he added [Tolo News, 20 March].
