Leader urges speedy Bam rebuilding
Tehran, Dec 30 - Bam should be built in a way that while supplying
people's different needs, it becomes a symbol of beauty, tradition and
solidity, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Khamenei said in a meeting with the head of Housing Foundation and Bam
reconstruction committee. He reiterated the restoration of Bam historical
citadel, saying "reconstruction of the quake-hit citadel city of Bam
should be carried out in a way to revive the architecture of the ancient
city with reinforced buildings".
Addressing Head of the Housing Foundation Mohammad Saeedi-Kia and
several other officials in charge of Bam reconstruction, the Supreme
Leader said that three factors should be taken into account in the
reconstruction -- the people should begiven partnership in reconstruction,
the architectural identity of the ancient city should be revived and the
buildings should be reinforced. The Supreme Leader drew attention of the
team of Bam reconstruction to the expectations of the people who urge
speedy action in the construction works and said that the team should
mobilize all the resources to respond to the demand of the people. He
expressed his happiness over paying attention to the three principles of
people's participation, maintaining identity and construction solidity in
the reconstruction of Bam and said: "This historical city should be fully
reconstructed on the basis of this right and main rule".
The Supreme Leader also called on the cultural institutes to carry out
cultural programs to boost the morale of the people living in Bam and help
them cope with the temporary hardship. Saeedi-Kia, who presides over the
reconstruction program in Bam, briefed the Supreme Leader on the
performance of his team.
Tehran, Dec 28 - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the three branches of government
were responsible for implementing the decisions of the High Council for
the Cultural Revolution. In a meeting with members of the High Council for
the Cultural Revolution on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of
establishment of the High Council, the Supreme Leader said that
administering the culture was crucial because of the need to safeguard
national culture and prepare the ground for its development. "Culture is
the token of national identity and the root cause of the positive or
negative developments taking place in every community. The public culture
may be influenced by national or international factors. With taking into
account all these parameters, the High Council should draw up the plan for
developing culture and understanding the shortfalls in this field," the
Supreme Leader said.
The Supreme Leader said that the High Council for Cultural Revolution
should have entered into the most fundamental issues of the society and
survey the questions arising in the country. Prior to the Supreme Leader's
remarks, the Head of the High Council President Mohammad Khatami offered a
report on the performance of the High Council and said that the High
Council had given attention to long-term policy making in the field of
science and culture. He said that the High Council sponsored development
of theories in the academic centers especially in the field of human
sciences.
Knowledge is key to power: Leader
Tehran, Dec 22 - The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei attended the graduation ceremony of the second group of Imam
Ali Military Academy cadets on Wednesday. The national anthem was played
at the beginning of the ceremony. After paying tribute to the martyrs of
the Islamic Revolution, the Supreme Leader reviewed the parade.
Addressing the ceremony, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to knowledge as
the key to power and added that Islamic ruling system associates welfare
with justice, scientific progress and development with psychological
security as well as power with brotherly behavior. Turning to studying and
promotion of courage as two major objectives followed by the national
military academies, he noted, "the glory and advancement of every nation
is dependent upon its power, while Iran's courageous and popular armed
forces are taken as the consolidated fortification of the nation in
tackling with the inclination towards tyranny and hegemonism," he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to elevation, progress, welfare, seeking
independence, freedom and justice as well as tackling hegemonic power
seekers as major objectives of every nation. "That's why the ideals of the
Iranian nation are known worldwide and this accounts for the respect paid
to them by the people of various nations," he added.
The Supreme Leader pointed to Hazrat-e Mahdi (AS) as a source of hope
for humanity and underlined that this life-endowing promise makes man
realize that similar to the foam floating on the water surface the world
hegemonic powers fail to resist the basic concept of truth and
spirituality.
For his part, the Commander of Imam Ali Military Academy, Brigadier
General Mousavi presented a report on various courses of the academy. At
the end of the graduation ceremony, the forces attending the field marched
past the Supreme Leader.
Colonialists Creating Sectarian Strife
Tehran, Islamic Iran, Dec. 20, 2004 (MNA) -- Supreme Leader of the
Islamic Revolution, and Leader of the Muslim Ummah, Imam Ayatollah Seyyed
Ali Khamenei(HA) said here on Monday that the recent remarks of certain
colonialist agents in Iraq criticizing the Islamic Republic of Iran are
meant to create disputes between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Addressing a group of Hajj ceremony directors, the Supreme Leader said
that the recent bombings in Najaf and Karbala should make Muslims aware of
the conspiracies, adding that fostering dissension between Shia and Sunni
Muslims is the main aim of the United States. However, he stressed, their
hopes will be frustrated due to the vigilance of Iraqis and Muslims across
the world.
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the Islamic Ummah (community) should act
vigilantly at this sensitive juncture and attempt to neutralize the plots
of the global arrogance by remaining unified and cohesive. He went on to
say that the Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies are undoubtedly behind
the recent unfortunate disasters in Iraq's holy cities. This is a plot to
distract the Iraqi people and make them lose the opportunity to hold
elections, the Supreme Leader observed.
Ayatollah Khamenei also said that the U.S. and Britain, despite their
sloganeering, do not intend to hold a real election in Iraq. He added that
both countries are trying to install their own agents in Iraq by staging a
fake election "therefore the Iraqis should act with complete vigilance."
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Supreme Leader called the Hajj pilgrimage
an exceptional opportunity for man to discover his true nature and for
Islamic nations to unite. Warning about a possible conspiracy to divide
Muslims during the Hajj ceremony, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the
U.S. is making efforts to gain access to the region's human and natural
resources through various plans including the greater Middle East
initiative. He described the Islamic nation as a living and able body,
stressing that the various plots of the global arrogance should motivate
the Muslims to take further action. The Islamic Ummah has proven that no
power can resist its will, Ayatollah Khamenei said in conclusion.
Tehran, Dec 20 - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei said Monday that US and Israeli agents were certainly behind the
weekend bombings in Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in which at
least 66 people were killed. "No doubt, the Israeli and American spying
services are behind these events and this is a plot aimed at keeping the
Iraqi people busy so that they miss the chance (to participate in January
30) elections," he told a group of Iranian officials here.
Ayatollah Khamenei warned against 'serious efforts of the world
arrogance, led by the Americans, to create differences' among Muslims,
urging them to maintain their unity. "The Islamic Ummah must act very
vigilantly at the current sensitive juncture and defuse the plots of the
world arrogance through maintaining unity and harmony," he said. Ayatollah
Khamenei stressed that 'despite their posturing and slogans, the United
States and Britain do not want genuine elections to be held in Iraq'. "They
are trying to bring their own agents to power by holding a superficial
election; thus, the Iraqi people are required to act very vigilantly," the
Supreme Leader added.
The following is an excerpt from the speech:
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
. . . Today, one of the main objectives pursued by the imperialists and
America in the Islamic world is to cause differences. The best way for
them to do this is to create differences between the Shi'is and Sunnis.
Just see what the imperialists and their stooges are saying in regards to
Iraq, what poison they are spreading and how they are sowing, what they
believe to be, the seeds of discord. This is what the imperialist and the
greedy Western powers have been doing for many years. Hajj is a very good
opportunity for them to do such things. They try to make the Shi'is angry
of the Sunnis and vice versa. They try to force them to insult each
other's sanctities. We must be vigilant. We have to be vigilant all year
round and in all arenas. A Shi'i-Sunni war is what America desires very
much. After centuries, it would like the Shi'is and Sunnis to sit opposite
each other and speak with each other with hatred and insult each other
like those who are at war. It is not very unlikely that, during these
sensitive days, they may hire people as mercenaries to create such
differences during the hajj ritual. You have to be vigilant. The people
have to be vigilant.
The clerics leading the caravans have to be responsible and understand
such things and know what the enemy is pursuing. It is a great ignorance
if a person thinks that he is defending right, but in fact he defends the
enemy's plan and works for the enemy. Others receive money to become
mercenaries and do this.
Undoubtedly if they witness a reaction on our behalf, they have
achieved their goal. This is what they want. They want us to be at each
others' throats. Horrific incidents such as the ones in Najaf and Karbala,
are taking place in Iraq. The explosion of a bomb which resulted in the
death of dozens of people and the injury of more, should turn a person's
attention to bigger problems and issues. It is clear that the hands of the
world of imperialism are continuously at work in the Islamic world. If
these bloody incidents which have resulted in the death of people, were
merely a terrorist act, then we should deplore them. However, this is more
serious. On the threshold of the elections, they want to preoccupy the
Iraqi people, spread lies and insults and sow the seeds of discord in
order to deprive the people of this unique opportunity.
I have no doubt that the American and Israeli espionage services are
involved in these incidents. They either do it themselves or they may
deceive a few people and force them to do it. However, it is they who plan
such things.
After many years the Iraqi people want to choose their destiny despite
the hubris of imperialists. They want to determine their own faith. That's
not what the occupiers want. They are interested in rubber-stamp elections
and not in holding elections in the true sense of the word. They do not
want someone who is elected by the people, who has the public interest in
mind and whom the people trust to take charge. They want to appoint one of
their agents who follows their orders in order to be in charge. So that,
on the surface, it would seem that there is democracy in the country, but
deep down they want the American and the British representatives to run
the country and to safeguard their interests. That is the reality. This
should alert us, the Iraqi nation and the Islamic nation. These issues can
be observed in all the Islamic world in different ways.
The American plans, like the plan for the Greater Middle East, is
really aimed at juxtaposing all the interests in this region and
satisfying the insatiable appetite of satanic American imperialism. This
is their plan.
They are not satisfied with what they have. They want to have absolute
power over the whole world, including this region which is full of natural
and human resources and is a very sensitive and important spot. Nations
should be vigilant, and so should the governments. One should not miss the
opportunity that hajj provides us to familiarize ourselves with these
facts and to express our disavowal of imperialism and America. The world
of Islam must know what it is confronting. These things should bring the
world of Islam happiness and dynamism. Their propaganda suggests that
these moves are useless. They want to prove that imperialism is in control
and can take charge and that nothing can be done about it. This is
impossible to accomplish. But, this is not true. The truth is that the
Islamic nation is a dynamic, capable nation. If it wants to do something
and puts its mind to and heart in doing something, then not only America,
but not even superior powers can do anything to stop them. . .
Tehran, Dec 17 - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyyed Ali Khamenei here on Thursday called for promoting science and
academic researches as the most important priority of the Islamic Republic
of Iran in efforts to progress toward development. Ayatollah Khamenei,
speaking at a meeting with university professors, said Iran needs
appropriate management mechanisms to promote its scientific advancement.
He called for drawing plans to identify and train elite academics,
stressing that the establishment of Iran Elites Foundation is an important
step to that effect. Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the need for
university professors to pursue researches which could benefit the country
the best. He also said there is an "spirit of obligation" among the
academics towards Iran's various issues, particularly social issues, and
called for adopting scientific as well as practical measures to further
strengthening of this spirit. Ayatollah Khamenei said Islam stresses
learning sciences while the Western world believes that religion and
sciences cannot live together.
The academics, in their meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei, stressed the
need for Iran to develop its educational system and to promote research
studies in schools and colleges. They also stressed the need for Iran not
to give up on its rights to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The academics further called for preventing efforts to use universities to
promote the agenda of a certain political party or group.
Leader visits great Karkhe dam
Khuzestan Prov, Dec 9 - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei visited the various parts of the great Karkhe
Dam in northwest of Andimeshk on Wednesday evening and was briefed about
its technical aspects by Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and the dam's
managers. Bitaraf referred to the ongoing drinking water crisis around the
globe that he said would become more acute in near future, adding, "Water
management and safeguarding of the subterranean water resorts is therefore
of utmost importance today."
Referring to the high potentials of the Iranian technicians in
designing and constructing huge dams, the energy minister offered a
comprehensive statistical report about the process of dam construction in
Iran and the Iranian achievements in constructing hydro-electrical
generators. Following Bitaraf's report a series of photos were cast on a
screen, showing the various stages of Karkhe Dam and Karoun III Dam's
construction. Iran's greatest dam, the Karkhe Soil Dam, is mainly made up
of clay soil, fully designed and constructed by Iranian technicians over
Karkhe River in Khuzestan province.
The dam's average height is 127 meters, its crown's width is 3,030
meters long, and the dam crown's average thickness is 12 meters. Some 13
million Cubic meters of soil were removed in the process of Karkhe Dam's
construction, while another 32 million cubic meters of soil were dumped in
erecting its crown. Also 1,347 million Cubic meters of cement were poured
in construction of the dam's side walls and related structures. In
addition to controlling the destructive annual floods of Karkhe River, the
Karkhe Dam reserves enough water for irrigation of 320,000 hectares of
agricultural lands and its hydro-electrical generators produce 934 million
mega watts electricity.
After visiting the dam and its hydro-electrical generators, Ayatollah
Khamenei in an interview evaluated the construction of Karkhe Dam by
Iranian technicians as "a great and worthy achievement" reiterating, "Achieving
such a great objective is proof for the strong will of the pious,
revolutionary, and prestigious youth of this country, who have once again
proved that relying on self-esteem we can achieve great objectives."
Pointing out that only 13 dams were constructed before the victory of the
Islamic Revolution, all by foreigners, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "After the
victory of the Islamic Revolution the Iranian technicians constructed 72
dams, and their experience in this sensitive and important field is an
asset for this country and the Iranian nation." The leader said, "The huge
Karoun III cement Dam is one of those 72 dams, that can reserve many times
more water and generate many times more hydro-electrical power than the
Dez Dam, the biggest dam constructed by foreigners in Iran before the
victory of the revolution."
Emphasizing the importance of the strong will of the pious and
revolutionary manpower of the country, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Although
Iran ranks among top countries capable of constructing different types of
huge dams today, some of the shortcomings inherited from the past are
still creating difficulties, making up for which calls for more serious
efforts."
Leader inspects war game zone
Tehran, Dec 8 - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that knowledge and perseverance in
the way of God Almighty are two features which have grave role in the
military related issues and in the big `Followers of Velayat (Guardianship)'
maneuver.
Addressing the Army commanders and troops, involved in the wargame,
Ayatollah Khamenei called on the audience to try to follow knowledge and
perseverance in their performance. The Supreme Leader hailed the military
exercise as "good and praiseworthy" on the whole and said such maneuvers
would further increase vibrancy, joy and combat readiness of the troops
and different regiments.
He said the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Islamic
Republic Army should put staging such maneuvers on their agenda. Referring
to the tactics employed in the war game, the Supreme Leader stressed the
need for the Army and the IRGC units to maintain their links and raise
their speed of action, while adopting latest military tactics, initiatives
and methods.
The last stage of the "Followers of Velayat' war game is staged on one
of the general operation zones of the maneuver south of the country on
Wednesday in presence of the Supreme Leader. The Supreme Leader inspected
certain military and armored equipments deployed in the area as well as a
well-equipped camp hospital, designed and set up by the Islamic Republic
Army's experts. In the last stage of the war game, the rapid deployment
forces of the Islamic Republic Army went into action and launched ambush
and defense operations against the hypothetical enemy upon noticing its
movements and the troop deployment operations.
Concurrently, the Islamic Republic Army's Air Forces bombarded the
positions of the enemy, as its positions, equipments and helicopters were
targeted by shoulder missiles. Many tactics of asymmetrical wars were used
in that stage of the war game and several surface-to-air missiles and
Naze'at surface-to-surface missiles were fired on the enemy targets. The
Supreme Leader closely watched the operations, while being briefed by
Commander of the Army's Ground Forces and Commander of the Military
Exercise.
Prior to the maneuver, the Supreme Leader attended a meeting, where
Commander-in-Chief of the Army Major General Salimi provided him with
brief account of the operation and the goals behind it. Salimi said that
the operations, the biggest maneuver held by the Army, applied a mix of
the tactics of the asymmetrical wars, and of the systemic and unsystemic
wars, while building-up and assessing the combat readiness of the forces
and commanders.
