President Barak Obama has offered Iran a "new beginning" in an unprecedented taped message on the occasion of the Iranian new year. In the message, delivered at midnight on Friday, Obama used the occasion of Nowruz to speak directly to the people and leaders of Iran. 

"The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations," he said, adding the Iranian people "have that right - but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilisation."

The measure of that greatness is "not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create," he said.

Obama's message was greeted with cautious optimism in Tehran, where Ali Akbar Javanfekr, an aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "The Iranian nation has shown that it can forget hasty behaviour but we are waiting for practical steps by the United States."

"By fundamentally changing its behaviour America can offer us a friendly hand," Javanfekr told Reuters news agency.

Ahmadinejad had sent Obama a congratulatory message in November after he won the US Presidential elections. This was the first time since the 1979 revolution that an Iranian leader had reached out to an American President. Until now, the White House has not responded to the letter.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was hopeful that the message will "open a new chapter in relations with Iran" and that Iran will pay close attention to Obama's message.

The US-Iran relations, which have been fraught with tension for the past few decades, came under considerable strain during George W Bush's administration. As President Bush had infamously branded Iran, along with Iraq and North Korea, as part of the "Axis of Evil." Iran's nuclear ambitions have also been viewed with suspicion by the West, which believes Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon. The Iranians insist their goals are peaceful.

In his message, Obama acknowledged the fragile state of the relationship. "For nearly three decades relations between our nations have been strained," he said, but added, "But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together."

Directing his remarks to Iran's leaders, Obama acknowledged the "serious differences that have grown over time." He reaffirmed his administration's commitment diplomacy "that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community."

"This process will not be advanced by threats," he warned. "We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."

The President acknowledged the contributions of Iranian Americans, saying, "We know that you are a great civilisation, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world."

He said the US seeks a future "with renewed exchanges among our people, and greater opportunities for partnership and commerce. It's a future where the old divisions are overcome, where you and all of your neighbours and the wider world can live in greater security and greater peace."

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he would work to help parliament get back its previous powers.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, he vowed to return to parliament the authority that it lost in 2002 when former President Pervez Musharraf gave sweeping powers to the Presidency, including the power to dismiss parliament.

“We are committed to changing the system,” Gilani said. “My main endeavour is to end the politics of confrontation.”

He said he planned to cooperate with PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif. “I am sure we can work with Nawaz Sharif in strengthening the democratic process,” Gilani said.

“We have to return to parliamentary democracy on the lines of Westminster.”

Gilani’s remarks come after his own political credibility received a big boost this week when he helped to defuse the political turmoil that threatened to engulf the country. His new assertiveness stems in part from the backing he has received from opposition parties. Gilani said he would offer Nawaz Sharif the opportunity to rejoin the ruling coalition. “I hope we will go back to our relations,” Gilani said.

“I can offer Nawaz Sharif to join the coalition at an appropriate time... That shows our resolve for reconciliation.”

Islamabad, March 20
Pakistani authorities today freed 20 jailed militants as a "goodwill gesture" to carry forward the peace process in the Taliban-dominated Swat valley.

Among the militants set free was Noorul Huda, the brother of Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, officials in Swat were quoted as saying by state-run APP news agency.

The militants were released as per the provisions of a peace agreement signed last month by the NWFP government and Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM), a group of religious hardliners led by Sufi Muhammad, the father-in-law of Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah. 

Officials said the militants were freed as a "goodwill gesture" on the part of the government to move forward the peace process in the restive region.

The 20 militants freed this morning by security forces were handed over to a peace committee a day after the Taliban demanded that the authorities release 210 prisoners.

More than 30 Taliban prisoners have been freed since the pact was inked. The release of the militants followed long deliberations between the local administration, security forces, members of the TNSM and the peace committee.

The TNSM and the peace committee assured the government that the freed militants would not resort to any violence.

Western powers, including the US and UK, have expressed concern over the peace deal in Swat, with some saying it could help the militants to regroup. — PTI 

BRIEFLY

30 militants killed
KABUL: Afghan and US-led forces killed 30 militants in southwest Afghanistan, the US military said in a statement on Saturday. The operation, which US forces said was led by Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers advised by US-led coalition troops, took place in Gereshk district, some 530 km southwest of Kabul, on Friday. The statement added one ANA soldier was injured but no civilians were harmed.

Mandela’s home a museum
DURBAN: The humble one-bedroom house that South African freedom icon, Nelson Mandela, had purchased in 1945 has been renovated and opened as a museum. The house, number 8115 in the black township of Soweto in Johannesburg, was where Mandela stayed with his first late wife, Evelyn, and later with his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The house was declared a National Heritage site in 1999.

Lawsuit by Islamic body
KUALA LUMPUR: An Islamic body in Malaysia has said it will slap a lawsuit against the country’s top legal body for using the word “Allah” on its website. The Selangor Islamic Religious Council chairman Mohammad Adzib Mohd Isa claimed in a statement that the publication by the Malaysian Bar Council of the word had affected the sensitivities of Muslims, New Straits Times newspaper said on Saturday. He said the use of the word as a translation for the word ‘God’ was a subject of legal proceedings.

B’desh schools face ‘threat’
Dhaka: Islamist militants are making threats against English-language schools in the Bangladesh capital, the police said ON fRIDAY, after officials earlier linked militants to a mutiny by paramilitary forces last month. The police said principals of several English-language schools told them they had received threatening letters or phone calls from militants, and parents of students in the schools have been alerted of security concerns.

Row over condom campaign
London: A row has erupted in Britain over the government's new campaign to encourage young women to carry condoms, with Labour ministers being accused of promoting promiscuity. The £5.2 million publicity drive by the UK Department of Health tells women that men are attracted to females who carry contraceptives. The campaign labelled: "Condom confidence boosts sex appeal", advises that "men like nothing better than a woman who knows what she wants", the Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

—Source: Agencies