TEHRAN, Jan. 3 (Mehr News Agency) – The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) released a report in which the UAE was cited as Iran’s major trade partner in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (began March 20, 2008).

Iran’s exports to the UAE in the nine-month period amounts to 25.10% of Iran’s total trade, and imports from this major trade partner in the Persian Gulf totals 12.82% of its trade, up 6.10% and 40.94% respectively from last year’s corresponding period.

The UAE exports’ volume exceeded 8 million tons valued at $10.7 million where as Iran’s exports to UAE amounts to over 3 million tons, valued at $1.8 million, the Mehr News Agency quoted from the report.

Germany’s imports to Iran with 9.76% of the total amount of imports ranks the second, but stands the 19th with 1.58% in terms of exports. According to the report, China is the third trade partner of Iran in the nine-month period.

Germany, Switzerland, Britain, France, and Italy are among the top ten states in terms of imports from Iran. But Belgium is the only European state among the first ten exporters to Iran.

Iran’s exports to South Korea, Taiwan, Netherlands, Ecuador, and Malaysia had a dramatic rise, where as exports to Japan, Italy, Syria, Germany, Pakistan, Spain, Kuwait, Oman, and Hong Kong had a decrease.

Japan, Brazil, Taiwan, Malaysia, Spain, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Denmark decreased their exports to Iran in the said period.

Kourosh Ziabari, Ahmadreza Tavassoli: The Cinema Verite International Documentary Film Festival, which was held in Iran on the third week of October 2008, was undoubtedly an occasional opportunity for documentary filmmakers from 75 countries worldwide to congregate for a landmark event and share their precious artistic experiences together and become acquainted with the obscured and disputatious culture of Iran.

The festival, which was inaugurated by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Islamic Republic of Iran, has hosted a stack of artists, journalists, filmmakers and analysts from US; which is not in an official friendly and impartial stance toward Iran these days, though is considered as a close cultural and scientific ally of Iran on behalf of its independent and non-governmental organizations and communities.

Shannon Kelley, who is the Director of Programming of the Morelia International Film Festival in Morelia (Mexico), was among the guests who attended the festival from the United States and attracted many reporters, audiences and festival curators, as well.

Kelley is an independent movie consultant and has worked for the Sundance Film Festival as Associate Short Film Programmer since 1997; where presently she is serving as the Festival Senior Consultant to the Documentary Program.

The following is the text from the exclusive Asian Times interview with Shannon Kelley where we discussed a variety of art-related topics and explored her perceptions of being in Iran to attend the 2008 Cinema Verite Film Festival for the very first time.

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Iran was different to what I’d thought

Kourosh Ziabari - Atlantic Free Press: In our outlandish and bizarre era where the mogul warmongers are bombarding the innocent children and women, corporation media are planning to overthrow the popular and independent governments in developing countries and the excess of financial crisis is harming thousands of people worldwide, the most valuable thing that one can do is to find ways for upraising mutual understandings, friendships, cognations and stable peaces.

Finding shortcuts to escape from the brawls and tumults in the quarrelsome and chaotic world of 21st century is not actually an easy-to-do job, but would be an effective idea to highlight similarities and emphasize amiabilities so as to get rid of hostilities which are surrounding us increasingly.

Iran and South Korea are the notable examples of two close continental allies which are both among the developing countries with flourishing economies and bright prospect of joining to the throng of developed countries.

Giving prominence to such cordial relations that have never been flawed despite of the treacherous strives of inimical forces behind the scenes, could be exemplary and inspiring for the other nations that have already engaged in close relationships with other neighbors or friends; relations which are constructive for the two sides, moreover non-threatening for the other nations.

Historically, Islamic Republic of Iran has been a major ally of Eastern Asian countries. It still is. And it has particularly boosted its economic, scientific and cultural ties with South Korea, as an influential regional power in the past years.

Iran, as a giant Persian Gulf energy producer, counts on Korea as a main destination for its oil and gas exports. The two sides have also shown an eagerness to participate in each other’s industrial projects.

The current figure of bilateral transactions between Iran and Korea stands on $9 Billion, which has been anticipated to exceed $10 billion within the next months.

Furthermore, cultural relations between two countries are increasingly being expanded as a source of mutual interest, as the recently held “Glory of Persia” exhibition in Seoul reveals.

Iran has also signed several contracts with Korean TV stations to translate and broadcast the popular Korean TV series “Jewel in the Palace,” the most predominant of popular foreign TV series in Iran. Lee Young Ae has said she was honored to have such multitudinous fans in Iran.

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Media Left - Kourosh Ziabari: Nowadays, you hear the name of Iran for the most catastrophic reasons in the global media headlines. Nuclear weapons, terrorism, mass destruction, violation of human rights, abduction of freedom activists etc. Such hostile approach for the coverage of Iran news which has been taking by the corporation media since long times ago would easily sequence to an international pessimism toward the people of Iran, the culture of Iran and the history of Iran. That’s why, Iran is somehow interpreted as the most misrepresented, misunderstood country in the world that is being distorted by image despite of its richness of civilization.

Speaking to an American scholar of Persian Culture who has devoted almost 15 years of his lifetime to studying the furthest angels and brinks of Persian culture and Iranian lifestyle is worth reading at least once for it gives a clarified and impartial viewpoint of Iran, what the outgoing President of US calls the “Axis of Evil”.

James Russell is a world-distinguished figure, a well-known name for those interested in Persian culture, Persian civilization and Iranian studies. He is a Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University and the a former Associate Professor of Ancient Iranian studies at Columbia University while teaching at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem priorly.

At the time being, Professor James Russell of the Harvard University is writing a book on a medieval Armenian collection of tales whose source he believes to be the Buddhist Lotus Sutra, an important scripture written by and for the Silk Road peoples, most of whom spoke Iranian languages.

I conducted an interview with Prof. James Russell with the aim of learning more about the viewpoints of an American university professor about Iran, the misrepresented and misinterpreted country that you can not discover the truths about, unless you travel and sense it face-to-face.

In the brief debate, we talked about various topics such as the life of Persian poet Mowlana, the customs and rituals of Iranian people, the history of Persian Gulf and the richness of Persian literature.

I invite you to come with us to walk you through the corridors of 7500 years history of Greater Persia; certainly you would learn more things, knowing not before!

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Persian Carpet, the most attractive rug in the world

Populist America - Kourosh Ziabari: Nowadays, Iran is promoting itself as an emerging power of politics, economy and culture which modifies the global equations directly a great deal.

Intrinsically, a new surging power would not be favorable for the western states who are seeking international dominance and hegemony perpetually, so there must be ways to get rid of this new-born power or hamper it down anyway.

With the extending amount of Iran’s exports in mind as the world’s 3rd largest oil supplier, and regarding the excessive augment of national GDP in the country which surpasses the GDP value of countries such as Portugal, Czech Republic, Israel, Ireland, Finland, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Luxemburg - the American statesmen and their close allies might tell themselves that China and Japan are sufficient for Asia to be the continental giants; so a new pole i.e. Iran is totally additional and unwelcome…choking it is more rational rather than allowing it traverse all of the stages of progress and development.

In such intricate circumstances, the nuclear dossier would be the best pretext of pressuring and lobbying to isolate Iran by disguising that the country is pursuing the mass destruction weapons and atomic bombs; a deceptive and compelling story which intimidates the public opinions and confutes them to shun Iran, otherwise there would not be any subterfuge for picking a quarrel with Tehran.

Obviously economical and financial competitions are the main reasons of US and western powers crippling the nuclear case of Iran, otherwise they know better than all of us that Iran has not the goal of developing nuclear weapons and never had been before.

The ex-presidents Reagan and Carter both confessed publicly that the main depositors of atomic arsenals are the neighbor countries of Iran who produce mass destruction materials under absolute corroboration without being any restricted or demanded to dismantle.

US and European cronies though, test-fired all of their “soft missiles” toward Iran and its people during the past few years by imposing bunches of sanctions, cautioning against nuclear strike and funding the terrorist groups inside the soil of country to spread violence and instability in the oil-rich Iran and fulfill their desired conclusion which is the relinquishment of Tehran from achieving nuclear technology.

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