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Press TV has conducted an interview with James Jatras, former advisor to US Senate, about UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi saying that the Geneva II conference on Syria, set for January 22, would start \"without any preconditions.\"

Hamid is in love with his sister\'s friend Mahin. But when Hamid goes to ask for her hand in marriage, Mahin\'s authoritarian father refuses. When he realizes that Hamid truly loves his daughter, Mahin\'s father agrees to the marriage, but with some strict preconditions, including owning an apartment and a villa. Under the tutelage of Mahin\\\\\\\'s father, Hamid does whatever it takes, including lying and cheating, to become financially successful. But the process changes the previously happy-go-lucky Hamid, and when an instance of road rage on the way to their honeymoon leads to tragedy, it may be the straw that broke the camel\'s back.

After his reelection as Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad extends an invitation to his American counterpart Barack Obama for a debate before the eyes of the world. Addressing Iranian heads of medical universities on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad offered to debate President Obama at the United Nations headquarters in New York before the eyes of all nations of the world. President Ahmadinejad had previously urged a debate with former US president George W. Bush. The Iranian president wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush in 2006 that touched on religious values, history and international relations. The letter was viewed as an offer extended to the United States for dialogue. However, the Iranian official's letter never received an answer from the former US president. Under the former US president, Washington pursued a carrot-and-stick policy toward Tehran over its nuclear program and by setting preconditions, snubbed calls by President Ahmadinejad for talks on the long-standing dispute. Meanwhile President Obama has adopted a new tone for engaging Tehran, drawing a sharp line between his foreign policies regarding Iran and that of his predecessor. The call for talks come as earlier in February, Ahmadinejad expressed willingness for dialogue but stressed that negotiations should be held "in a climate of fairness with mutual respect." Earlier in May a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz said the United States had set October as its deadline for engaging Iran in the first round of talks over the country's nuclear activities. The report quoted the special US envoy on Iran, Dennis Ross, as saying that "unless the US sees a change in Iran's position on its nuclear program, Washington's stance toward Tehran will stiffen at that time." An Iranian lawyer has said that his client Hossein Rassam, a British Embassy staffer who remains detained over recent unrest, has been accused of "acting against national security." Lawyer Abdol-Samad Khorramshahi told AFP on Saturday that he was seeking permission to see his client, saying, "I have not met with him yet, but I will ask the judiciary for an appointment." "I was told by a close relative that he is accused of acting against national security,” he added. Iran became the scene of violence in recent weeks amidst rallies staged in protest at the outcome of the June 12 presidential election -- which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad elected for a second term in office. After warning other countries against interfering in its internal affairs, the Tehran government arrested nine Iranian nationals working at the British Embassy and said that these people had played a role in encouraging the post-election violence. The British government said that seven of those arrested in Tehran have been released. However, Iranian state television has said that just one of them remains in detention. In a statement on Friday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "urgently seeking clarification" from Iranian officials, dismissing allegations that the staffers were involved in any illegal act.

Israel's FM rejects freeze extension Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for extending Tel Aviv's partial settlement freeze in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Israeli official told his British counterpart William Hague on Saturday that Israel would not extend the moratorium in the West Bank. "Israel has made numerous gestures over the past year, and now it's the Palestinians' turn. Israel will gladly continue negotiating without preconditions, including those related to the moratorium," Lieberman said. His remarks came after the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have all called on Israel to extend the freeze to help the continuation of talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Last November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 10-month freeze on illegal settlement expansion projects, which will expire late September. Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has warned that he would leave the negotiations if Israel continues its settlement activities in the occupied territories. The Israeli foreign minister claimed that the freeze was merely an "excuse" for the PA to thwart the talks. "Those who look for excuses will find them even if the freeze is extended," Lieberman went on to say. The latest round of direct talks between Abbas and Netanyahu held in Washington, Egypt, and al-Quds (Jerusalem) ended with no progress earlier this week. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143041.html

(Last 9 min missing. We thank LitleButerfli for the upload.) Sayyed Nasrallah: Ready for Dialogue, Resistance Weapon Saved Lebanon Marwa Haidar As his eminence stressed that kidnapping of the Lebanese visitors would not change Hezbollah’s position from the Syrian crisis, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced his party’s decision to take part in the National Dialogue in Lebanon which President Michel Sleiman has called for. Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed that the Lebanese army has been the most important guarantee to establish security, urging Lebanese to support this service and to stand behind it. Addressing massive crowds who were marking the twelfth anniversary of Liberation in the southern city of Bint Jbeil, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the weapon of the resistance had defend Lebanon against the Zionist entity, adding that May 25 of the year of 2000 had hammered the last pin of the so-called “Greater Israel” coffin. Sayyed Nasralla also tackled the current developments related to the release of the Lebanese visitors who were kidnapped by Syrian opposition militants two days ago. Hezbollah S.G. thanked the three Presidents: Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Miqati as well as former Premier Saad al-Haririr for their efforts that helped in releasing the visitors. His eminence also underlined the importance of the magical formula: army-people-resistance, saying it was the main deterrent against the Israeli attacks. Tackling the latest unrest in the north, Sayyed Nasrallah criticized what he described as the chaos of weapons, refusing to compare between these arms and the resistance weapon. “FIRM STANCE ON SYRIA” Talking about the abduction of Lebanese visitors, Sayyed Nasrallah said Hezbollah’s position from the Syrian crisis would not change, as he thanked different Lebanese, Syrian and Turkish figures for their efforts that helped in releasing the visitors. “We thank God the abduction ended without negative consequences. However it may have some positive ones,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. “Since the first moment of the abduction, several national parties launched many possible contacts in order to release the kidnapped visitors.\\\\\\\" “We thank President Sleiman, PM Miqati, Speaker Berri and Saad al-Hariri, who exert special efforts to free the visitors,” Sayyed Nasrallah added. Meanwhile, Hezbollah S.G. hailed the people’s commitment to calls of calm, noting that the cutting off the roads was useless. “We also thank people who were calm and respond to calls of self restrain.” “Cutting off roads is useless as well as attacking Syrian citizens which is forbidden,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. On the other hand, his eminence said that Hezbollah’s stance on the Syrian crisis was firm and obvious, stressing that the political solution was the only way to end the unrest there. “To kidnappers I say: your act is condemned and it harms what you are working on.” “If you were aiming at changing our political position on the Syrian crisis, then your act is fruitless and has no sense,” his eminence also told the kidnappers. “Our stance is firm and clear, we support the political solution in Syria in order to end the current crisis.” RESISTANCE ACHIEVEMENTS Talking about the occasion, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Resistance and Liberation day was for all Lebanese sects without exception, assuring that the formula of army-people-resistance was the only formula to defend Lebanon. “May 25 is a day for the Lebanese state as well as for all the national parties who contributed to this resistance. This day is also for all who supported the resistance to achieve this victory.” Sayyed Nasrallah said that the resistance had foiled Israeli project against Lebanon. “Everyone knows that the Israeli occupation of 1982 was a part of a US-Israeli project which aimed at inserting Lebanon in the Israeli era; however the resistance foiled this project.” “The Israeli enemy thought that its army would stay in Lebanon, but the resistance gave it a clear impression that the Lebanese land was not safe to implement its projects,” Sayyed Nasrallah added. “This land was liberated with dignity and without any precondition or any accord of humiliation,” Hezbollah S.G. stressed. “The conspiracy planned for Lebanon by the Israeli enemy has failed, thank God.” Sayyed Nasrallah also stressed that the Zionist entity by virtue of the resistance could not dare to attack Lebanon. “Since May 25, 2000 and till now, except for July war in 2006, the Israeli enemy hasn’t dare to attack Lebanon by virtue of army-people-resistance equation.” “Israel which has been attacking us, it fears today that we may attack it, for that the Zionist entity started the construction of the wall along the Lebanese-occupied territories borders.” “May 25 hammered the last pin of the so-called Greater Israel coffin,” Sayyed Nasrallah assured. Meanwhile, Hezbollah S.G. talked about the wall which the Zionist entity has been building along the border with Lebanon. But Sayyed Nasrallah said that this wall would not defend the Zionist entity, stressing that the resistance’s rockets have been capable of reaching any location in the occupied territories. “The Zionist entity sought to dominate the region from Nile to Furat, including Litani River. But today there are people whose rockets can reach any location in the occupied territories.” CHAOS OF WEAPONS Talking about the unrest the Lebanese witnessed in the country’s north, Sayed Nasrallah talked about a chaos of weapons in the country. His eminence also noted that no party can deny its procession of weapons, refusing to compare these arms with the weapon of resistance. “Surely no party can deny it has weapons.. Everybody in Lebanon has arms, whether it were heavy or light weapons.” “What is the aim of these weapons which we witnessed? It’s unacceptable for someone to say they are individual weapons.” Sayyed Nasrallah wondered about the achievements of these weapons, as his eminence refused to compare between the two types of arms. “We believe that there is an essential difference between the two types of arms.” Although that the two types of arms were not similar, Sayyed Nasrallah said he had no problem in discussing the resistance’s weapon. “We are ready to discuss this weapon or that. Let us discuss the defense strategy, the strategy that concerns all the Lebanese people.” In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted the importance of the army-people-resistance formula. READY FOR DIALOGUE Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah said Hezbollah was ready to go on the national dialogue which President Sleiman had called for. “President Sleiman called for a national Dialogue. Hezbollah agrees to take part in the dialogue without any precondition.\\\\\\\" But Sayyed Nasrallah said that March 14 alliance should also take part in the dialogue without preconditions, as they must abandon the calls for the government to step down. Hezbollah S.G. also called on Lebanese to support the army and to stand behind it. “The important service in Lebanon is the army”, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that the army “is the last and the most important gurantee of the security in Lebanon.” “For that we must defend the army in order for it to do its duties,” Sayyed Nasrallah said further.

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will travel to Iran soon to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria.During her weekly press briefing, Iran\'s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Brahimi is expected in Tehran early next week. The senior diplomat is currently on a regional tour to rally support for the Geneva-two peace conference-- likely to be held in November. Afkham further stressed that Iran favors a political solution to the Syrian conflict, and won\'t accept any preconditions for taking part in the Geneva meeting. She noted that Syrian people themselves should determine their country\'s fate.

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will travel to Iran soon to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria.During her weekly press briefing, Iran\'s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Brahimi is expected in Tehran early next week. The senior diplomat is currently on a regional tour to rally support for the Geneva-two peace conference-- likely to be held in November. Afkham further stressed that Iran favors a political solution to the Syrian conflict, and won\'t accept any preconditions for taking part in the Geneva meeting. She noted that Syrian people themselves should determine their country\'s fate.

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will travel to Iran soon to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria.During her weekly press briefing, Iran\'s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Brahimi is expected in Tehran early next week. The senior diplomat is currently on a regional tour to rally support for the Geneva-two peace conference-- likely to be held in November. Afkham further stressed that Iran favors a political solution to the Syrian conflict, and won\'t accept any preconditions for taking part in the Geneva meeting. She noted that Syrian people themselves should determine their country\'s fate.

Iran has rejected a US proposal for it to play a role on the sidelines of the Geneva conference on Syria. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Tehran will only accept proposals that respect its dignity. US Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier this week that Iran could help on the sidelines of the Geneva conference. His comments were a policy shift from the earlier stance of Washington, which is the only party opposed to Tehran\\\'s participation. Iran has expressed readiness to attend the event, but without preconditions.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon withdraws his invitation to Iran to join the upcoming Geneva two peace conferences on Syria. The UN was under intense pressure from the U-S to rescind the invite. Ban invited Iran to the conference on Monday saying Iran needs to be part of the solution to the Syrian crisis. Tehran also said it was ready to play a constructive role at the talks. But the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the foreign backed opposition were strongly opposed to Iran\'s participation. The U-S State Department said the UN must take back its invitation unless Tehran publicly backs the 2012 agreement on a transition government in Syria. And the so-called Syrian National Coalition threatened to withdraw from the Geneva Two conference. However, Russia said it would be an unforgivable mistake to exclude Iran from the talks. Tehran repeated that it would take part without any preconditions.