If you enter the lions quarter in a zoo, and the lions eat you, can we then say that the lions kidnappet you?

THE ROBERT A. LEVINSON KISH ISLAND CASE

By the Editor-in-chief

When you are a former FBI Agent and enters Kish Island Iran you are on the same shallow level as with the mediocracy of the US Intelligen-ce in Dubai as I have experienced it in 2002. You simply do not know what you are talking about. In combination with an absolute disregard for the capability of the Iranian Intelligence Service. Mr. Levinson was a fool to consider even remotely entering Kish, where I myself have spent six weeks on three different occations between 1998 and 2002 taking part in two seminars, visiting the TOTAL supply base and had dialogue with many Iranian dignitaries whom I met with again later in Tehran.

Kish Island University of Kish 2001, from left Reza Saheri Contract Director at MJF Engineering and Harald Dahle Editor-in-chief showing his Vision of Iran Dialogue Film Concept.

Harald Dahle working card in Iran

Mr. Levinson was not "Kidnapped" as this below poster suggests. He freely, arrogantly and stupidly entered the Lion’s den as an Exclusive Enemy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, no less. What else can you expect! Total fiasco! The ongoing US media hype of this case underlines the collective facticious disorder in the American psyche with regards to the Islamic republic of Iran today. When will you folks wake up? (Read my article, The Islamic Republic of Iran already have nuclear strike capability)

Before criticizing other countries the United States should look more into it's own extraordinary rendition activities, also called irregular rendition or forced rendition It is the government-sponsored abduction and extrajudicial transfer of a person from one country to another with the purpose of circumventing the former country's laws on interrogation, detention, and torture. Recent renditions have been carried out for example by the United States government .

New documents released by the CIA have revealed details about the detention of Khalid al-Masri, a German-Lebanese man mistaken for an al Qaeda member in 2003. He is yet to be given compensation or an apology from the US. Other documents released by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have also revealed the Kafkaesque details of one of the most notorious cases of mistaken identity in the CIA's extraordinary rendition program during the hunt for al Qaeda.

Khalid al-Masri, a German-Lebanese man, living at the time in the southern German town of Neu-Ulm, was arrested on the border between Serbia and the FYR of Macedonia on December 31, 2003, only because - as was confirmed by the US Senate in 2014 - he shared a name with an al Qaeda suspect.

Macedonian authorities held him in a hotel in Skopje for three weeks before he was handed over to CIA agents, who then flew him to a secret prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, in late January 2004.

The newly released report signed off by CIA Inspector General John Helgerson in 2007 shows that he spent four months being interrogated, humiliated and mistreated, before he was eventually released in Albania in May 2004 and "clandestinely returned to Germany," as the report put it. Though the German government was informed then of his detention, according to a "Washington Post" report, the US asked it not to disclose any of the details.

Thank you.

    HE Hussein Nassiri President of the      Free Trade Economic Zone Islands

From left to right His Excellency Hussein Nassiri President of the Free Trade Industrial Economic Zone Islands of Iran and Harald Dahle-Sladek, Editor-in-chief of petrofilm.com seen here together in the office of Nassiri in Tehran in 2002.

THE UNIVERSITY OF KISH FREE TRADE ZONE INVESTMENT SEMINAR

From left Harald Dahle and friends from the University of Kish Free Trade Zone Invenstment Seminar, gathering of representatives from diverse Iranian industries.

TOTAL South Pars Supply Base Kish

Below, Harald Dahle with the owner of Dariush Grand Hotel on Kish, reception Hall

From right: Harald Dahle with translator and representative from the University of Kish

       ATA'OLLAH MOHAJERANI SEMINAR         AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KISH

       Mohajerani                                          Khatami

The development was not unexpected: Dr. Ataollah Mohajerani, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance resigned. Accepting Mohajerani’s resignation, President Khatami immediately appointed him as the head of the International Center for Dialogue among Civilizations and the cultural advisor to the President.

Mohajerani started his political career at the age of 26 when he was elected as the youngest member of the Parliament, representing the people of Tehran in the first Majlis. His appointment as the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance by President Khatami raised the greatest number of opposing votes in the Parliament, but he got a confidence vote and even survived an impeachment motion.

Mohajerani holds a speech in the Iranian Parliament Majiles 1983

Mohajerani always referred to his unsuccessful impeachment as a “golden opportunity” to defend his policies of reform and tolerance half way through his term. Serving at the crucial post of the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Dr. Mohajerani tolerated 40 months of sharp criticism to become an example of the tolerance that he promoted all along.

Iran’s cultural atmosphere during Dr. Mohajerani’s term was characterized by less state control over the activities of artists, formation of Iranian Journalists’ Syndicate, opening of the Artists’ House, establishment of different centers of culture and art, increased production and circulation of movies, books and the press, and further attraction of tourists. The variety in the press, cinema, art, books are also of recent achievements of the Ministry of Culture.

Mohajerani (right) with leader Khamenei at an international book fair 1999

In a farewell ceremony, the outgoing Minister of Culture pointed to the qualitative and quantitative increase in the cultural and artistic activities in recent years and noted that these developments have been in line with what was expected from President Khatami’s Administration.

Stating that the cultural policies were irreversible, Mohajerani said, “We are trusted by the nation and our relationship with the nation is based on ‘being grateful to them’.” Former minister of culture concluded that there was a close relation between the Culture Ministry and the International Center for Dialogue among Civilizations.

A man of dialogue and tolerance is taking charge of the International Center for Dialogue among Civilizations. President Mohammad Khatami, himself a former resigning minister of culture and Islamic guidance, made one of the most appropriate moves to bring in the “Year of Dialogue among Civilizations”.

Dr. Mohajarani discusses the Rise and the Challenges of Iran “as a New Power in the Region”

Dr. Ata’ollah Mohajerani and Dr. Marianna Charountaki

 “Iran’s Shia strategy in the region to control the Shia crescent is a creation of AIPAC”, said Dr. Ata’ollah Mohajerani who believes that Mr. Rouhani’s government has a number of obstacles and difficulties to face among which is Iran’s dual political structure in which state and government are two different institutions as far as the implementation of policies is concerned.

 Following a series of seminars on contemporary Middle Eastern politics initiated by Dr. Marianna Charountaki, post-doctoral fellow and sessional lecturer at Reading University, the Department of Politics and International Relations hosted former Iranian Minister, Dr. Ata’ollah Mohajerani, a researcher, writer and journalist, in a talk entitled “Discussing Iran after Ahmadinejad: A New Leaf?”. Dr Mohajerani discussed “The Obstacles and Difficulties of Iran’s recognition”; Iran under Hassan Rouhani; and he identified the new direction of the current government as well as its future implications.

Picture: Former minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ataollah Mohajerani, left, reads a document as his wife deputy Jamileh Kadivar, walks by in Iran's Parliament in this Oct. 22, 2000 file photo. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami accepted the resignation of the culture minister whose push for greater press freedoms outraged hard-liners Thursday Dec.14, 2000. Mohajerani's wife, Jamileh Kadivar, the most popular female legislator, is facing trial in Iran. She is accused of harming Iranian security by taking part in a Berlin conference on Iran in April, that hard-liners have condemned as opposed to Iran and its Islamic principles.

The speaker expressed his belief that “social media is not in a clash with the rules of Islam but even religious leaders use the internet today to answer religious questions”. Thus given that “4 million Iranians are on Facebook change is hard to stop” he added.

 Dr. Mohajerani also talked about the structure of decision-making in Iran, a process almost controlled by the Leadership and the Guardian Council as “all laws in Iran should be approved by these institutions”. The speaker also emphasized the notion that “Iran is getting stronger year by year” as “a new power in the region”. This belief is rooted in changes observed in the strategy of the Leadership vis-à-vis the June 2013 absolute free and fair elections, Khamenei’s statement that Iran should develop flexibility like heroes and cooperation with others along with his assertion that politics is not Revolutionary Guard’s main concern but the latter’s interference in it should be selective”. On these grounds Dr. Mohajerani assured the audience that “he is not concerned for Iran’s future”.

 Dr. Mohajerani also emphasized Syria’s importance for Iran not only due to mutual historical ties but also because of the former’s role as bridge for Iran to Lebanon and Hezbollah given the Israeli threat. Mohajerani remembered to have met Hafez Al Assad three times in his life time and shared the latter’s prophecy that “we (Syrians) supported Iran during the Iran-Iraq war because one day we will be left alone and the only one country to support us will be Iran”.

 As far as Turkey is concerned, Dr. Mohajerani said that, “Turkey thought that after 6 months Bashar Al Assad would go but after 3 years Turkey realized that Bashar is still strong. In the meantime, the change of government in Egypt weakened Turkey”. Therefore “strengthening relations with Iran became significant for the Turkish foreign policy”.

 In regional politics, regional states try to impose their own agendas. Dr. Mohajerani underscores that, “Every country wants to impose its order in the region and thus play many cards, as for instance is the case with Iran playing the Iraqi card, the cards of Hezbollah and Lebanon and the like.”

 According to the speaker, “sectarianism is not intrigued by Iran. Thus, in Bahrain for instance suppression of a Shia majority by a Sunna minority was only a natural reaction”.

 Going back to the time of the revolution he considers the Islamic Revolution of Iran as a landmark. “After revolution Iran tried to reestablish its nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes as member of IAEA; the social life of people improved; whereas every city in Iran has now a University and most importantly the decision making center is inside Iran, in contrast to the period before the Revolution. Thus, whereas morality, spiritually, economy, and the style of life changed, the problem of democracy is still apparent”.

 “Ultimately Iran as a strategic player aims to organize all countries in the region so that they strengthen their relations against the US and Israel as it is so often the case. This strategy sometimes has been successful and others not” the speaker concluded.

 All Pictures (C)1999-2008 Harald Jan Dahle

President of Free Trade Zone HE Hussein Nassiri and Harald Dahle

Arriving Kish Island

Hotel Dariush

Kish beach

Kish Hotel and Casino

Kish arriving first time 1998

Kish Iranian Seismic Vessel Pejwak

Examples of Iranian Dignitaries that Harald Dahle had a very good and respectful dialogue with: