Ashgabat to Host 34th IDB Meeting

Ashgabat to Host 34th IDB Meeting

The 34th annual meeting of the board of governors of the Islamic Development Bank will open in Turkmenistan’s capital city of Ashgabat tomorrow, according to MNA.
Iran’s Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Seyyed Shamseddin Hosseini, heading a high ranking delegation, are scheduled to attend the two-day meeting, the director of the Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran said on Monday.


Behrouz Alishiri added that the IDB holds annual meetings regularly attended by economy ministers of its member states.


The Islamic Development Bank is an international financial institution established in pursuance of the Declaration of Intent issued by the Conference of Finance Ministers of Muslim Countries held in Jeddah in December 1973.


The purpose of the Bank is to foster the economic development and social progress of member countries and Muslim communities individually, as well as jointly, in accordance with the principles of Islamic Law.


IDB currently consists of 56 member countries.

Sadr: Obama has subtle plans to control world

Iraq's senior cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says Barack Obama's speech indicates that the US wants to take a different avenue to bring the world under its control.

"The honeyed political speech expressed only one aim -- America wants to take a different avenue to bring the world under its control" compared to the former US president George W. Bush's strategies, Sadr said in a statement released to journalists in the holy city of Najaf on Thursday.

"Obama cannot change the American policies... which were and are still hostile to Islam, and that will continue," he added.

The Iraqi cleric further pointed out that he would trust the US president "only after their (the US) withdrawal from our beloved Iraq and Muslim Afghanistan and their withdrawal of support for the Israeli enemy, and I hope for this from him."

"Let him know that the resistance and the opposition will continue. We don't believe his words," he noted.

The US president pledged to forge a "new beginning" for Islam and America in his speech in Cairo, vowing to purge years of "suspicion and discord."

The American leader vowed to end mistrust, forge a state for Palestinians and defuse a nuclear showdown with the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Thursday that US President Barack Obama's Cairo speech had signaled no real shift in US policy in the Arab world.

Supreme Leader Hails Iran's Democratic Electoral System

TEHRAN (FNA)- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei lauded the democratic system of holding elections in Iran, saying people's vote is of paramount importance and plays the main role in the Islamic Republic's election system.


Addressing thousands of people at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Supreme Leader also called for a massive turnout in the upcoming presidential election, and said all the people should make efforts to protect the Islamic Revolution and thwart enemies' plots to portray Iran's elections as undemocratic.

He also cautioned the presidential candidates against slandering each other in election campaigns and debates to garner support of the people.

The 10th Presidential Election in Iran is due to be held on June 12. Four applicants have qualified to stand the upcoming presidential election, including incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi Khamene, ex-Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi and Principlist politician and former chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai Mir-Qaed.

The candidates officially started their campaign on May 22, which will last for 20 days.

The Iranian interior ministry has said the final results of the presidential election will be declared a day after the event, i.e. June 13.

Iranian officials have said that 46.2 million Iranians are eligible to vote.

Obama seeks fresh start with Muslim world

US President Barack Obama calls for a "new beginning" between the US and the Muslim world, saying that his roots come from a Muslim generation.

"I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims," Obama said Thursday in a speech in which he touched on the story of his life and religious beliefs.

Addressing a cheering crowd of Egyptians and Muslim dignitaries at Cairo University, the American president called for an end to ongoing tensions between the US and the Muslim world.

"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles."

Obama went on to say that some extremists have fueled tensions between the West and the Muslim world to further their agenda and have managed to build up hatred toward Muslims in the West.

"Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust."

Obama quoted passages from the Qur'an, Talmud and the Bible and called for peace while praising peacemakers.

"There is one rule that lies at the core of every religion -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples," Obama continued. "The people of the world can live together in peace."

While acknowledging that Islam is a religion of peace and compassion, Obama promised to do his utmost to fight against all efforts to create "negative stereotypes of Islam".

My experience, he said, "guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't... And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

Obama's Middle East tour is viewed as an effort by the 44th US president to reach out to the Muslim world.

On the first leg of his trip, the American president visited Saudi Arabia Wednesday.

After debate, Leader warns against rival defamation

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution warns presidential hopefuls against resorting to defamation strategies to 'prove' themselves for the presidential post.

Addressing crowds at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei raised the issue of character assassination in relation to the June 12 presidential election.

"It is not decent for a [presidential] hopeful to resort to slandering another candidate in a speech or a debate to prove himself," the Leader said on Thursday, after two presidential candidates held a controversial debate late on Wednesday.

Ayatollah Khamenei also called upon the masses to go to the polls in large numbers to thwart efforts aimed at portraying Iran's elections as undemocratic, adding that all should work toward the protection of the Islamic Revolution.

The Leader noted that Iran enjoys a democratic electoral system, which puts the votes of the Iranian nation first.

With only one week left before the presidential election, hopefuls are doing their best to garner support by taking part in speeches and rallies, as well as televised debates.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the last prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi held the second face-off among candidates on Wednesday to defend their policies.

During the 90-minute debate, the two contenders exchanged criticism over various issues including foreign policy and economic management.

Ahmadinejad took a swipe at two former presidents Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, accusing them of masterminding a plot to push him out of power.

Ahmadinejad underlined what he believed were examples of mismanagement and corruption during those two presidents' administrations.

He also claimed that Rafsanjani had promised the fall of his new government to Saudi Arabia after he lost the 2005 election to Ahmadinejad.

In response, Mousavi attacked Ahmadinejad for accusing people who were not represented in the debate. He said the tactic was adopted by the incumbent President because Ahmadinejad had not found anything against him.

Mousavi brought into question Ahmadinejad's foreign and economic policies, saying that his denial of the Holocaust had resulted in dire consequences for the country.

President Ahmadinejad's attacks were not limited to former presidents. He also accused the two other presidential hopefuls -- Mohsen Rezaei and Mehdi Karroubi -- of trying to downplay his government's achievements, saying there have been massive plots underway against this government.