The urgency of which to reach an agreement appears to be increasing, as Washington and Tel-Aviv threaten a possible military response if diplomacy and sanctions fail to make Tehran restrain its nuclear program. With an Iranian election set for next month, Tehran is looking increasingly unlikely to back down over its controversial nuclear program. Negotiations held last week failed to bring about any major shift or concession from either party. Over the past few months, the IAEA and Tehran have held several talks in an effort to develop a structured approach to addressing the Iranian nuclear issue.“What we can say about the nuclear activity of Iran is that Iran is conducting nuclear activities in a quite steady manner,” Yukiya Amano, Director General of the IAEA told RT.The watchdog, based in Vienna, has on various occasions expressed concerns that Iranian authorities have denied its inspectors access to Iran’s nuclear facility in Parchin. The IAEA says it needs such access to allay international concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran maintains that its nuclear research is conducted for peaceful purpose only.“We are not saying that Iran has nuclear weapons or that Iran has decided to develop nuclear weapons but we have pieces of information that indicate that Iran was involved in activities relevant to the development of nuclear explosive devises,” Amano stressed.The head of the nuclear watchdog added “We do not draw conclusions but we put questions and we tell our Iranian friends that they need to clarify the issues.”Though closely linked, the talks between the IAEA and Iran remain separate from discussions that Tehran is holding with six world powers, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany.Last week Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator said that Tehran and the six world powers will resume talks on its nuclear program “in the near future,” most likely some time before the Iranian elections on June 14.But in the meantime, Amano underlined that “Cooperating with IAEA fully should be in the interest of Iran. They say all of their activities are for peaceful purposes and we would like to help Iran to clarify the issue.”The IAEA chief also stresses that a repeat of the Iraq scenario, where failure to cooperate was used as a pretext to invasion, is unlikely to happen with Iran. Asked about Israel’s double standards in regards to the alleged possession of nuclear weapons and Iran’s push for nuclear development, Amano said that international law applies differently to Israel as it is not a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.“Israel is not a member of the NPT so what IAEA can do is vary the activities in the facility which Israel decided to place under our safeguard, we do not have the authority to go beyond that.” The issue of Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons, which has not yet been officially acknowledged by Tel Aviv, is crucial to an international effort to create a region nuclear free zone. A conference on the introduction of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction was called for at a May 2010 conference to review the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The idea has failed to materialize, as Israel said it would not attend the international conference. “Many countries of the international community want Israel to attend a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Conference and the NPT. My role is to maintain the channel and share the information and advice,” Amano said.In regards to the use of nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster, the watchdog’s head said“Our safety features have been strengthened,” adding that the“Fukushima accident was a huge wake-up call for all the countries to enhance safety.” Despite the Fukushima accident, the use of nuclear power will continue and expand, Amano explained. … Read More
Assad insists he will not step down
http://www.youtube.com/v/GHCVjjd5Ogo?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Link: Assad insists he will not step down
Vermont approves assisted suicide bill
State lawmakers on Monday approved the bill, which is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Peter Shumlin, who has already pledged he would sign it. Legalizing assisted suicide “gives Vermonters who are suffering from a terminal illness and anticipating excruciating pain peace of mind in knowing that this is an option,” Shumlin told the Wall Street Journal.Physician-assisted suicide is already legal in Oregon and Washington, where it was approved through general elections and enacted in 1997 and 2009, respectively. A similar bill failed to garner enough voter support to pass in Massachusetts last November, and was defeated 51 percent to 49 percent. Vermont is the first US state to pass such a measure through the legislative assembly.Vermont’s legislation will let anyone over the age of 18 with an “incurable and irreversible disease” and a maximum of six months to live to get a prescription for lethal drugs. The measure requires two doctors to make the medical determination whether or not a patient qualifies for assisted suicide. The patient must also be capable of self-administering drugs, which would be difficult in the rare instances in which someone is fully paralyzed.In order to obtain the lethal drugs, a terminally ill patient must make written and oral requests to the prescribing physician and wait at least 48 hours before receiving the drugs. The requests would need to be witnessed by two “disinterested” individuals, which the bill defines as anyone that is not related to the patient, doctors or employees of the healthcare facility. Doctors will not be obliged to help the patient with his or her suicide.The state of Vermont has held internal debates on doctor-assisted suicide for about a decade, and while the decision might influence other states, Shumlin indicated that not every legislature has worked on it as long as his.“We’ve had a very respectful, dignified conversation about a difficult issue where there are strongly held beliefs on both sides,” he told Politico.Vermont’s House passed the bill 75-65, after the Senate’s passage last week, but some critics and religious institutions have starkly criticized it. “This, in our opinion, is a terrible thing to have happen to our state… because it sort of sanctions suicide as a way of dealing with many end-of-life health care issues,” Gerald McMurray, a board member at True Dignity Vermont, told Politico. The organization describes itself as a citizen-led, grassroots initiative in opposition to assisted suicide in Vermont.The Roman Catholic Dioceses of Burlington has also called on Vermont residents to urge the bill’s defeat before lawmakers voted on it Monday.“Physician-assisted suicide will forever transform the role of physician from the one who preserves life to one who takes life,” the dioceses told the WSJ.But for the governor, the legislature’s passage of the bill is a victory that both he and his 80-year-old mother are celebrating.“For me, it’s watching my own parents grow older and them begging me… to ensure that they grow older in a state where they have some peace of mind that if they have a terminal illness that is extraordinarily painful, they have this option,” Shumlin told Politico.Bills legalizing physician-assisted suicide have also been introduced in Connecticut, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Kansas. … Read More
US Prepares to Overthrow Malaysian Government
Without a doubt, this premeditated sedition aimed at Malaysia’s ruling government has been designed, funded, and directed from Washington on behalf of Wall Street and London, not by the Malaysian people on behalf of Malaysia’s best interests. … Read More
Putin against ‘filters’ for small parties in elections
“I don’t want to introduce any regulations that would restrict citizens’ access to ruling the country,” Putin stated at the meeting with the leaders of Russian parliamentary factions on Wednesday. During the gathering, the leaders of the Communist and Liberal-Democrat parties suggested that additional requirements should be met by political parties taking part in State Duma and presidential elections.Their proposals included raising the minimum required number of party members, or setting the minimum number of signatures needed for a party to register in a race at 200,000. “And 90 per cent [of parties] will fail to get through this filter,” Liberal-Democrat party leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky believes.Putin argued though that there is no need to create “artificial filters.”“I wouldn’t want to simply cut everyone off,” the president empathized. In any case, small parties will not be elected anywhere “unless they prove their efficiency,” he noted. At the same time, well-known political parties who have a strong supporter base have an “obvious competitive advantage” in elections, Putin observed.Russia’s political system should be absolutely transparent, flexible and democratic, the head of state believes. At the same time, he agreed with the MPs that it should also be efficient and stable.Last year, as part a large political reform, Russia passed a law that significantly simplified the procedure of registration for political parties. As a result, the number of officially registered parties that have legal rights and can take part in elections has rocketed from only seven to over 65. One technicality already highlighted is that such a number of participants could make the ballot paper over 1.5 meters long. … Read More
Jury Concludes that FRAUD Put President Obama on the Ballot in 2008
A decision handed down by an Indiana jury in late April 2013 has concluded that outright fraud put both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the ballot in that state in 2008. Two Democratic operatives in the state were convicted of the illegal scheme. A Fox News report provided the details: Former longtime St. Joseph [...] … Read More
Celebrations in Pakistan over possible Muslim League victory
http://www.youtube.com/v/shSvgBwPCUc?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Continue reading: Celebrations in Pakistan over possible Muslim League victory
