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Malaysia warns Iran after cutting off gasoline supplies

WASHINGTON (NST 16/4/10): Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed yesterday that Malaysia has cut off gasoline supplies to Iran, warning Tehran it was close to facing new international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program.

Najib’s announcement came three days after he held talks with US President Barack Obama, who had called for the world to move “boldly and quickly” on additional sanctions on the sidelines of a 47-nation nuclear security summit.

“It’s going to be quite inevitable that additional sanctions will be imposed in the near future unless there is some movement in the right direction by Iran,” Najib, on a US visit, told reporters in Washington.

“The onus is on Iran now to react expeditiously to prevent additional sanctions.”

The 15-member Security Council, including China, has already imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt sensitive uranium enrichment and is considering the prospect of a fourth round of UN sanctions.

The United States and its allies believe Iran is covertly working on a nuclear weapon but the Islamic republic says it is pursuing only civilian power.

Najib said the gasoline supplies suspension was decided by Petronas after consultations with his government.

He did not say when Petronas stopped supplying gasoline to Iran but some reports said it was done in the middle of March.

Petronas is among a small group of non-Chinese oil companies supplying gasoline to Iran, the world’s fifth-largest crude oil exporter.

Najib said that while Malaysia maintained that Iran had the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, it must comply with the UN Security Council decision ordering it to suspend uranium enrichment activities until the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can verify they are exclusively peaceful as Iran claims.

“They must earn the trust of the international community and the only way they can earn the trust is to be fully transparent in whatever they do and allow full verification by the IAEA and there are some serious doubt as to whether this has been carried out or has been complied with by Iran,” he said.

A member of the OPEC cartel, Iran has been languishing in a dearth of investment in petroleum refineries as a result of US sanctions. It has resorted to importing about 40 percent of its gasoline needs.

Asked whether Malaysia was reviewing any current projects or possible joint ventures in Iran, Najib said, “We will see how it goes, we do not want to send the wrong signals.

“We appreciate the importance of our economic relations with Iran as well.”

Ambassadors from the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany — met for a second straight day in New York Thursday in what they described as “constructive” substantive talks on the sanctions issue.

On the table was a US draft resolution outlining sanctions in five areas: arms embargo, energy, shipping, finance and targeted punitive measures against Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, a diplomat familiar with the discussions said.

Iran insists it needs the higher-enriched uranium to fuel a research reactor which makes radioisotopes for medical purposes, such as the treatment of cancer, where the current fuel is expected to run out by the end of this year.

But Tehran has snubbed an IAEA-brokered deal that would have seen Russia and France fashion the fuel out of Iran’s own stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Najib said Petronas would “certainly” lift its suspension on gasoline supplies if Iran complied with the IAEA.

“We believe in engagement but Iran has to respond as well and there are some clear indications of their non compliance.” - AFP

Berkaitan:
Tamat kontrak wakil tetap ke PBB ada kaitan dengan APCO?

Harakah Daily (22/3/10): Ahli Jawatankuasa Kerja PAS Haji Mohamad Sabu mempersoalkan adakah tindakan menamatkan kontrak wakil tetap Malaysia ke Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu (PBB) di Vienna mempunyai kaitan dengan dengan nasihat perhubungan awam Apco Worldwide.

Perkhidmatan wakil tetap tersebut, Datuk Mohamad Arshad Hussain ditamatkan bulan ini setelah dipanggil balik oleh Kementerian Luar awal Disember lalu.

Menurut laporan Bernama, beliau dipanggil balik "bagi perbincangan selepas undi Malaysia pada mesyuarat IAEA bercanggah dengan prosedur kerajaan".

Pada mesyuarat itu, Malaysia bersama-sama dengan Cuba dan Venezuela, telah mengundi tidak menyokong resolusi menuntut Iran membekukan program penguraian uranium.

Mohamad Arshad juga adalah pengerusi lembaga gabenor IAEA yang dilantik.

"(Tun) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) sendiri mengaitkan pemecatan Mohamad Arshad dengan keengganannya menyokong resolusi menuntut Iran membekukan program nuklear.

"Oleh sebab tindakan pemecatan yang pro-Amerika Syarikat dan pro-Israel itu berlaku di zaman Apco menjadi tempat Perdana Menteri dan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) meminta nasihat, bimbingan, panduan dan tunjuk ajar, kita tertanya-tanya adakah tindakan itu hasil dari muslihat perhubungan awam yang ditagih oleh (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) dan kerajaan BN yang diketuainya dari firma yang didominasi Zionis itu?" kata Mohamad.

Beliau menyifatkan tindakan pemecatan yang pro-Amerika dan Israel itu meletakkan maruah negara ini di tahap paling hina.

"Para pemimpin Umno dan BN menjadikan perbuatan menuduh pembangkang memburuk-burukkan nama negara sebagai hobi dan perisai untuk melindungi kelakuan buruk mereka.

"Hakikatnya kerajaan BN di bawah Najiblah yang meletakkan maruah negara ini di tahap paling hina dengan pelbagai keburukan seperti misteri pembunuhan Altantuya Shaariibuu, pemecatan Mohamad Arshad yang pro-Amerika dan Israel itu dan pelbagai kelakuan buruk lain," kata Mohamad.

Pertengahan Disember lalu, dalam posting blognya yang bertajuk "Kita sudah tukar," Dr Mahathir menyatakan "duta kita dipanggil balik untuk disoal kenapa tidak sokong Amerika".

Secara sinis bekas Perdana Menteri itu bertanya: "Dasar-dasar lama memang patut dihapuskan. Tetapi inikah dasar baru kita?"

Tindakan menamatkan kontrak Mohamad Arshad itu kebetulan berlaku ketika Apco sudah memulakan perkhidmatannya untuk Najib dan kerajaan BN.

Tidak berapa lama selepas Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri, Apco membuka pejabatnya di Malaysia.

Menurut laporan Bernama, firma yang didominasi oleh tokoh-tokoh Yahudi itu menyatakan, tugasnya di Malaysia termasuk sokongan komunikasi untuk pelbagai inisiatif pembaharuan yang diambil oleh kerajaan Malaysia, terutamanya dalam bidang pekerjaan, promosi pendidikan dan mengukuhkan penyampaian perkhidmatan kepada orang ramai.

Januari lalu, memetik The Times Of India (TTI), Free Malaysia Today melaporkan bahawa APCO Worldwide juga memberikan perkhidmatan kepada diktator Nigeria, Sani Abacha dan presiden seumur hidup Kazakhstan, Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev.

Pelanggan-pelanggan lain APCO termasuk jutawan Mikhail Khodorkovsky, yang juga salah seorang pemimpin muda Parti Komunis Rusia. Beliau dikaitkan dengan kegiatan mafia.

TTI berusaha membongkar senarai pelanggan APCO selepas mendapati Ketua Menteri Gujarat, Narendra Modi juga menjadi pelanggan syarikat tersebut.

Narendra didakwa menjadi penyebab kepada pergaduhan ugama pada Februari 2002 dimana kira-kira 1,000 orang terbunuh, majoritinya orang-orang Islam.

Kerajaan Negeri Gujarat membayar US$25,000 sebulan kepada APCO untuk memulihkan imej Narendra.

Walaupun perkhidmatan APCO tiga kali lebih mahal dari firma-firma PR yang lain, APCO dipilih kerana ia mempunyai ramai ahli-ahli Democrat dan Republican yang berkhidmat sebagai perunding.

Akhbar The Edge dan laman berita Malaysian Insider tahun lalu melaporkan kerajaan Malaysia memilih APCO dengan kontrak bernilai RM20 juta sebaik saja Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri untuk memulihkan imejnya yang sering dikaitkan oleh media-media seluruh dunia dengan pembunuhan Altantuya serta misteri di sebalik pembelian kapal selam Scorpene.

Pembelian jet Sukhoi diselubungi misteri.

1 September lalu, APCO Worldwide membuka cawangannya di Kuala Lumpur selepas perjanjian yang ditandatangani dengan kerajaan Najib.

Di antara penasihat utama APCO ialah pakar-pakar yang pernah berkhidmat dengan rejim Zionis Israel termasuk bekas Ketua Agensi Keselamatan Israel, Doron Bergerbest-Eilon; bekas duta Israel ke Jerman, Shimon Shein dan bekas duta Israel ke Amerika Syarikat, Itamar Rabinovich.