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North Korea rejects calls for formal end to Korean War

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

North Korea has rejected as premature a call by the South to declare a formal end to the decades-long Korean War as long as the “US hostile policy” toward Pyongyang persists.

North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae Song made the comment on Friday in response to South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s call for an official declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to restore peace on the Korean Peninsula.

“Nothing will change as long as the political circumstances around the DPRK remains unchanged and the US hostile policy is not shifted although the termination of the war is declared hundreds of times,” Ri said, using North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The US withdrawal of its double standards and hostile policy is the top priority in stabilizing the situation of the Korean peninsula and ensuring peace on it,” he added.

The North Korean diplomat underlined that American weapons and troops deployed in South Korea and its vicinity as well as regular US military drills in the region “all point to the US hostile policy toward North Korea getting vicious day by day”.

In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, the South Korean president proposed that the two Koreas, the United States, and possibly China declare the formal end to the 1950 war which is still technically being fought since a ceasefire was declared in 1953.

US President Joe Biden claimed in his address to the UN assembly on Tuesday that Washington wanted “sustained diplomacy” to resolve the crisis surrounding North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

North Korea has rejected US overtures as long as Washington presses on with its unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang and military drills near its coasts.

In a meeting held Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, senior diplomats from the United States, South Korea, and Japan discussed North Korea and other regional issues in the wake of a series of missile tests by Pyongyang. 

The meeting came after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast earlier this month and South Korea test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) for the first time just hours after.

The show of force marks the latest volley in an arms race in which both countries have developed increasingly sophisticated weapons amid fruitless efforts to start talks to defuse tensions.

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said her country is willing to resume talks with South Korea if conditions are met and the South drops its “hostile” stance, indicating it wants Seoul to persuade Washington to relax crippling economic sanctions.

She offered the talks while dismissing Moon’s call for a political declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to bring peace to the peninsula.

“Smiling a forced smile, reading the declaration of the termination of the war, and having photos taken could be essential for somebody, but I think that they would hold no water and would change nothing, given the existing inequality, serious contradiction therefrom and hostilities,” Kim Yo Jong stated in the statement carried by state media.

“Under such a situation it does not make any sense to declare the end of the war with all the things, which may become a seed of a war between parties that have been at odds for more than half a century, left intact,” Kim added.

She said North Korea is willing to restore “constructive” talks with South Korea to discuss how to improve and repair strained ties under certain conditions.

“What needs to be dropped is the double-dealing attitudes, illogical prejudice, bad habits and hostile stand of justifying their own acts while faulting our just exercise of the right to self-defence,” she added.

“Only when such a precondition is met, would it be possible to sit face to face and declare the significant termination of war and discuss the issue of the north-south relations and the future of the Korean peninsula,” she continued.

On Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Tae-sung said the situation in the region does not enable a peace treaty to be signed between Pyongyang and Washington yet.

“There no assurance that signing a declaration ending the war will make the US abandon its hostile policy towards North Korea, especially amid the current situation on the Korean Peninsula,” the statement reads. 

“Let them proclaim an end to the war hundreds of times, but nothing will be different until the political situation around us changes and the US’ hostile policy,” the senior diplomat insisted.

According to Lee Tae-sung, Pyongyang views the adoption of the relevant document as a premature step, which cannot resolve the existing disagreements.

“It is necessary to understand that currently, the declaration ending the war will not help stabilize the situation on the Korean Peninsula and can be used as a cover for the US’ hostile policy,” the diplomat added.

The deputy foreign minister pointed out that the main condition for ensuring stability on the Korean Peninsula was for Washington to ditch its double standards and aggressive policies.

Source: KCNA

Iran FM says Tehran ready to work with Portugal on fighting terror, narcotics

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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During the meeting, the Portuguese minister reiterated his country’s support for the multilateral and fundamental international policy and opposition to unilateralism and violation of law, saying Lisbon’s support for the Iran nuclear deal follows the same logic.

He said the foreign policy of a country should not be solely based on short-term interests or geopolitical topics, adding that common threats and interests across the globe should also be taken into account.

Santos Silva further stressed the necessity of avoiding politicization of people’s contact and normal trade among countries. He said Portugal seeks to expand its ties with Iran.

During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister also touched on the 500-year history of the relations between the two countries as a key boon to friendly ties between Iran and Portugal, saying Portugal has an important standing both in the European Union and in terms of geopolitical position. 

Amirabdollahian also talked about the recent virtual meeting of the common political committee of Iran and Portugal at the level of political deputies of the foreign ministries. He said this meeting created a basis for added impetus in the relations and called for the continuation of this process. 

The foreign minister also expressed readiness for cooperation in the fields of fighting terror, narcotics and organized crime, underlining the need for both sides to show political will in the negotiations on mutual understandings and agreements so that they are finalized.

Amirabdollahian also underlined that scientific cooperation and cooperation among universities are among the key elements in bilateral ties that can be further developed.

Iran Leader Condoles with Family of Teen Boy Ali Landi

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran’s Leader Orders Probe into Naval Accident

Ayatollah Khamenei’s office on Saturday contacted Landi’s bereaved family and conveyed the Leader’s thoughts and prayers to them.

15-year-old Ali Landi gave his life to save the lives of two of his compatriots.

He has turned into a national hero as his heart-wrenching death has resonated with most Iranians nationwide.

He died in hospital with severe burns on September 24, 2021.

Ali was visiting her aunt at her place as a guest that heard screams from the adjacent apartment block.

Ali immediately went to the neighbour’s house where he saw a middle-aged woman and her mother were caught in a blaze caused by a gas cylinder which had burst into flames.

Ali took the cylinder to take it away from the two women.

He was throwing it away when the liquid gas leaking from the cylinder poured on him and caught fire.

He was taken to a hospital in Isfahan with 90-degree burns, but succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

He was then taken to his final resting place in his hometown, Izeh in the southern Iranian province of Khuzestan.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has also, in a message, expressed condolences on his demise and termed him a national hero.

Cuba FM urges close cooperation with Iran against US sanctions

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The Cuban foreign minister said his country is ready to expand ties with Iran in the fields of health care and agriculture. He also said technology and heavy machinery are two other areas which have the capacity for more cooperation between Iran and Cuba.

Rodriguez noted that Iran and Cuba must overcome economic challenges in their relationship in order to see further development of ties. He said Iran and Cuba can defeat the US’s oppressive sanctions only through close cooperation. 

The Iranian foreign minister also hailed the close cooperation between Iran and Cuba especially in production of a joint anti-Covid vaccine. 

Amirabdollahian said the relations built in the past are the capital for today and tomorrow. He noted that Cuba is now a strategic partner for Iran with all necessary requirements and dimensions and the Islamic Republic has no limits for ties with Cuba. 

The foreign minister also said the Iranian administration, as a pragmatic government, is after implementing previous agreements. He invited the Cuban foreign minister to visit Iran with the aim of reviewing previous deals and draw a roadmap for relations. 

Amirabdollahian strongly condemned the US embargoes on Cuba.

Catalan separatist leader freed from Italy jail

By
IFP Media Wire
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“Spain never misses the opportunity to be ridiculous. NoSurrender,” Puigdemont tweeted after he left the jail. Mobbed by reporters outside the gates, he said of his less than 24 hours behind bars, “Very good, no problem. The police and prison guards were very professional, very serious people.”

The judge who authorized his release ruled hours earlier that Puigdemont was free to travel without restrictions.

Judge Plinia Clara Azzena told The Associated Press by phone from the courthouse in Sassari that while she found his arrest to be valid, based on the documentation she examined, “we didn’t restrict him in any way. He can travel” if he wants.

Azzena and two other judges will hold an Oct. 4 hearing to rule on extradition.

Earlier, Puigdemont’s Italian lawyer, Agostinangelo Marras, told reporters that when the judge during the brief hearing asked his client whether he wanted to go to Spain, Puigdemont replied “no”.

Puigdemont and a number of his separatist colleagues fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest after holding an independence referendum for Catalonia that the Spanish courts and government said was illegal.

He was taken into custody Thursday night when he arrived at the airport in Alghero, Sardinia. Sardinia has strong Catalan cultural roots and its own independence movement. Alghero, a city on the island’s northwest coast, is hosting the traditional Catalan folklore festival that Puigdemont planned to attend.

“Freedom, freedom,” shouted demonstrators outside the courthouse in Sassari. They held signs in a Sardinian dialect proclaiming, “Democracy, the Sardinian nation supports the Catalan nation”, and held the flags of Sardinia and Catalonia.

Although Puigdemont currently holds a seat in the European Parliament, that legislature stripped him of parliamentary immunity.

Puigdemont’s detention caused political commotion in Spain, where the topic of Catalan independence has for decades been a deeply divisive issue. Separatists demanded his release and scheduled street protests, while right-of-center parties said he should face justice.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said during an official visit to the Canary Islands on Friday that he has “respect for all legal procedures opened in Spain, in Europe and, in this case, in Italy”.

Sánchez, who recently opened direct talks with Catalan regional leaders, added that “dialogue is the only way to bring together Catalans who have distinct opinions and to bring together Catalans with the rest of Spain.”

Just under half of Catalans want to break away from Spain, opinion polls indicate. Most Spaniards don’t want Catalonia to be granted independence.

At the heart of the immediate legal matter was whether the warrant issued by Spain seeking Puigdemont’s arrest is valid. Gonzalo Boye, his lawyer, has insisted the warrant issued in 2019 that provided the basis for Italian authorities to detain him has been suspended.

Boye told Spanish radio station SER, “We have to see whether the arrest warrant is enforceable. That’ll be up to the legal authorities” in Italy.

The Spanish Supreme Court judge handling the case, Pablo Llarena, sent a letter to the European Union’s Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation stating that the arrest warrant is “in force and pending the capture of those accused of rebellion”.

Ultimately, it would be up to the Italian Justice Ministry to approve or deny extradition. Spain’s Supreme Court, which issued the European arrest warrant, made no official comment.

It’s not the first time Spanish courts have tried to detain Puigdemont abroad. After a Belgian court declined to send him back in 2017, the following year he was arrested in Germany but a court there also refused to extradite him.

Nine Catalan separatists later received prison sentences for their role in the 2017 referendum ranging from nine to 13 years. They were pardoned in July, but Puigdemont, who fled, was not.

Puigdemont’s being taken into custody in Italy at Spain’s request triggered anger by some Italian politicians, including Democratic Party lawmaker Romina Mura, who is Sardinian.

“To arrest a representative of the Catalan people who sits in the European Parliament, who is traveling to carry out his functions and on top of that arrest him in Sardinia in a city of Catalan tradition and culture like Alghero, is a relevant political deed, even if carried out as a judicial act,” Mura noted.

Alghero’s historic and cultural ties date with Catalonia date back to the 14th century, when a Catalan-Aragonese force won a naval battle off the Sardinian coast and the force’s commander triumphantly entered the city on Sardinia’s northwest coast.

Some 20% of Alghero’s residents speak a Sardinian dialect derived from the Catalan language and recognized by both the national government of Italy and the island’s regional government.

Source: The AP

Iran FM: Tehran not to tie its economy to nuclear talks

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister thanked the president and the government of South Africa for their messages of congratulation to the president and foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Amirabdollahian described mutual ties between the two countries as very good and reiterated that there is no problem in bilateral relations between Iran and South Africa.

He also touched on the past support the two countries offered to each other at international forums and expressed Tehran’s readiness to hold a joint economic commission between Iran and South Africa.

The foreign minister also said the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran pursues a pragmatic foreign policy. He said Iran will return to the negotiations on the nuclear deal but will not tie its economy to the talks.

He stressed that if the negotiating parties return to the implementation of their obligations, Iran will do the same.

During the meeting, the South African foreign minister also congratulated Amirabdollahian on his appointment as Iran’s foreign minister and underlined her country’s interest in cooperation and expansion of ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Naledi Pandor said the two countries now enjoy very good cooperation in the fields of science and technology. 

She said, during her visit to Iran, she witnessed the country’s visible progress in different domains, especially in the fields of science and technology. 

The top diplomat also touched on the mining and tourism sectors as other areas where the two countries can expand their cooperation. 

Naledi Pandor also noted that she deeply wishes for the nuclear negotiations to bear result, adding that her country wants anti-Iran sanctions to be removed.

She concluded by saying that South African seeks greater bilateral cooperation and cooperation in international bodies with Iran as well as contact between the peoples of the two countries.

Indonesia FM thanks Iran for exporting pharmaceutical items

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

During the meeting, the Indonesian foreign minister said Jakarta attaches importance to maintaining and improving relations with Tehran and expressed readiness to hold a joint commission between the two countries.

Marsudi thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for exporting pharmaceutical items to Indonesia and announced her country’s readiness to expand trade relations with Iran, including in the field of palm oil exports.

The Indonesian foreign minister also stressed the need to follow up on agreements previously reached between the two countries.

Amirabdollahian, for his part, referred to the seven-decade history of diplomatic relations between Iran and Indonesia, and clarified that the expansion of relations with Asia is one of the main priorities of the new administration in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that among Asian countries, Indonesia is one of the high priority countries in Iran’s foreign policy.

He also thanked and praised Indonesia for its stances and support for Iran in international organizations.

The Iranian foreign minister mentioned the talks previously held on expanding cooperation in various fields, including health, industry, agriculture and technology. He stressed that Iran is ready to hold a joint commission at the earliest opportunity and also to finalize the preferential trade agreement.

He also noted that it is necessary for the two sides to focus on activating areas such as tourism and public exchanges.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Iran Pres. Sends Condolence Message on Demise of Brave Teen Burnt to Death

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

In a message, Ebrahim Raeisi said Ali Landi will always be remembered as a national hero.

“The passing of my dear son, Ali Landi, this brave young boy from [the Iranian town of] Izeh, caused pain and sorrow,” said Raeisi.

“The name of this dear teenager, who bravely ventured into the fire to save two humans, will be registered among the heroes of this land,” he added.

“I express condolences on the sorrowful death of our dear child and I ask God Almighty to bestow patience and consolation upon his survivors,” he noted.

Landi was rushed to hospital due to severe burns after he saved two people from a fire, but passed away due to the severity of his injuries.

Polls show Biden facing dropping approval rating

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Forty-four percent of American adults approve of Biden’s handling of his job while 53 percent disapprove, according to the poll, a sharp decline in his poll numbers since July.

Two months ago, Pew found that 55 percent approved of Biden’s handling of his job as president and 43 percent disapproved. Biden has seen his approval rating among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents drop 13 percentage points since then, declining from 88 percent to 75 percent. His support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents has declined from 17 percent to 9 percent.

Overall, confidence in elected officials of both parties is declining, according to the Pew poll.

Pew finds that, since April, public confidence in GOP congressional leaders has declined by 5 percentage points while confidence in Democratic congressional leaders has declined 11 percentage.

Biden has entered a difficult stretch of his presidency as his White House has grappled with a resurgence of coronavirus infections among the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated and a chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The White House is also trying to unite Democrats behind passing Biden’s economic agenda in totality, which has proven increasingly difficult as moderates and progressives have sparred over the substance, size and timing of the packages.

The poll does have some good news for Biden — it finds his economic proposals to be largely popular among the public, consistent with past polling. According to Pew, 51 percent of respondents said they support the Senate-passed $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, while only 20 percent oppose; the remaining 29 percent are unsure.

Meanwhile, 49 percent favor the $3.5 trillion budget package, while only 25 percent oppose and the remaining 25 percent are unsure.

And despite Republican complaints of Biden’s tax proposals, 66 percent of respondents to the poll said they support raising taxes on large businesses and corporations and 61 percent support raising taxes on households making above $400,000.

On specific issues, Biden has seen confidence in his handling of the coronavirus decline from 65 percent in March to 51 percent — still a majority — in the most recent poll. Forty-eight percent are somewhat or very confident he will make good decisions on economic policy, whereas 51 percent not at all or not too confident.

Forty-five percent are somewhat or very confident he will make good decisions on foreign policy, while 54 percent are less confident. And only 34 percent are somewhat or very confident Biden will bring the country closer together — one of his main campaign pledges — while 66 percent are less confident.

The Pew survey comes on the heels of Biden hitting an in-office low 43 percent approval rating in a Gallup poll out earlier this week.

Source: The Hill

Norway calls for the revival of JCPOA

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The Norwegian foreign minister reiterated that Iran will maintain its special place in her country’s foreign policy despite the changes that are going to happen in Norway’s government in a few weeks. 

Eriksen Søreide referred to the situation in Afghanistan and called for more disciplined talks on the issue. She said the developments in Afghanistan have far-reaching implications for the region and the world. 

The Norwegian foreign minister also spoke of the Iran nuclear deal and said that the agreement is highly important in international politics. She also expressed hope the nuclear deal will be revived. 

Amirabdollahian also said Iran is interested in holding a joint political commission with Norway at the level of deputy foreign ministers for political affairs. He also invited the Norwegian foreign minister to visit Iran.

Amirabdollahian also referred to the high potential for expanding relations with Norway, saying Iran’s new government’s priority is to deepen economic relations with other countries and that this administration is ready for expanding ties. 

The Iranian foreign minister said there is much room for serious cooperation between Iran and Norway. He stressed that the situation in Afghanistan can only be resolved through genuine dialog among Afghan factions and through the formation of an inclusive government. Amirabdollahian warned that if all groups do not help with the process, serious challenges could arise in future. The Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic of Iran has done its utmost to give assistance to the Afghans. He said Iran is ready for cooperation with Norway for the purpose.

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