“Getting this fuel in one year is impossible. It takes at least one and a half years to have this”, the news agency AFP quoted the unidentified ambassador as saying.

“There is something tricky there, but we will see in a year. It is still too early”, he added.

The comments of the ambassador came following Iran officially filed the uranium swap agreement at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday.

Attempting to escape from a new round of UN sanctions, the Iranian government on Monday submitted its plan to exchange some of its low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel intended for its research reactor. It added that the responsibility was now on Western powers to ease the tensions by accepting the agreement.

The proposal, which was shared to the news agency the Associated Press, did not address the generalisations already defined a week ago. Therefore, it would not probably dissuade the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council–France, Britain, China, Russia, and the US–which reached an agreement on a draft for the fourth round of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

The nuclear swap agreement would require the Iranian government to export 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for higher-enriched fuel rods that will be utilised for an American-constructed medical research reactor.

In a joint appointment with the press, the Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights have censured the renewal of the parliament of the decree in a government-supported vote last Wednesday.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are wary “… that the (two-year) renewal… was decided so as to be used during the elections” for parliamentary positions in the later part of this year and in the presidential poll scheduled in 2011, according to Hafez Abu Saada.

Arab Centre’s Nasser Amin stated that the administration had “retained all the measures allowing the executive to restrain” protests and to initialise arrests on the grounds of suspicion.

Approximately 10,000 people, of whom a great number are Islamic activists though they are also secular opposition personalities, are presently held under the conditions of the law which was instituted after Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981, Abu Saada said.

Other NGOs have also expressed concern regarding the renewal in spite of the assurance of the government that it will only be used to combat terrorism and to fight drug-connected crimes.

“In practical terms, this means more emergency in Egypt, more arrests, more restrictions on liberties and more obstruction of the law and constitution”, they concluded.

However, the premier pledged that the law, which grants police broadened powers and defers constitutional rights, will only be applicable to cases of narcotics and terrorism.

“The government as it requests an extension of the state of emergency for a duration of two years, commits itself … not to use the extraordinary measures made available under the emergency law except to confront the threat of terrorism and narcotics”, the premier said to the People’s Assembly.

The controversial law has been widely criticised by international advocates of human rights, who stated that prisoners numbering to thousands have been arrested without charges. Many of them have been incarcerated for 10 years or more.

This is not the initial instance that the administration has promised to restrict the application of the law to narcotics and terrorism. Human rights advocates and opponents have continuously censured the administration for failing to live by its promise.

The premier promised that this time the restrictions of the application of the law will be made clear in the resolution at the parliament.

A press release of the government said that the law will not anymore permit authorities to check all kinds of communication, censor or monitor the media, isolate and evacuate particular areas, and confiscate property.

MPs are scheduled to vote regarding the resolution on Tuesday.

The state of emergency was instituted in 1981 after President Anwar Sadat was assassinated, and it has been continuously renewed thereafter. The law will expire on 31 May, and the parliament will be voting to extend it from 1 June to 31 May 2012, said Mufid Shehab, a cabinet minister.

It is said that the two officials have “agreed during a telephone conversation last night (Monday) to meet next Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh”, a resort where the Egyptian leader is recuperating following an operation last month.

“The two will discuss all sorts of matters, especially the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians”, noted the official.

Egypt has served as a long-time negotiator between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations were deferred in December 2008 following Israel’s military attack on the Gaza Strip.

After having an appointment with US Middle East diplomat George Mitchell last Monday, Netanyahu emphasised his request for direct negotiations at the soonest possible time. He also said that he is expecting that details will be provided in the following days if the negotiations will recommence.

The planned visit of Netanyahu comes after the diplomat’s recent diplomacy round which is aimed at revitalising indirect “proximity talks” which were discontinued as soon as these started last month. This stoppage was greatly influenced by the announcement of Israel to build new settlements in east Jerusalem.

The visit is also influenced by the success of the talks, between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, held in Washington.

Moreover, Barak expressed his gratitude to the administration of President Barack

Obama for having “…. open eyes to support the work to be done in the Middle East and all over the globe to push us all together or move together toward this peace”.

“Parliament has disappointed the aspirations of the Kuwaiti people”, said Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a German newspaper.

The emir is presently in Germany for a European tour, which also includes stop-overs in Vatican and Italy.

“It (parliament) has wasted a golden opportunity and a long time discussing issues totally far away from development projects”, he commented.

“What the people say, that parliament has obstructed development and has been engaged in impotent political debates, is true and this was acknowledged by the lawmakers themselves”, he further noted.

Kuwait has been deeply affected by a sequence of political disturbances in the previous four years, wherein snap elections were conducted and the parliament was dissolved three times. The last electoral process was held in May last year.

Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, one of the emir’s nephews, has been receiving political pressure from opposition MPs. He was even forced to vacate his post five times since his appointment in February 2006.

The emir also put the blame on the constitution for the political chaos because it combines both the parliamentary and presidential systems.

“It is neither presidential nor parliamentary but a combination of both. This leads to overlapping of authority between parliament and the government and eventually results in disputes”, he argued.

Moreover, Kuwait was the very first Gulf state to establish a parliament and its constitution in 1962. Nonetheless, the chamber has been dissolved in four instances due to political crises and suspended twice.

“The occupation of any Arab land is an occupation”, said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan during a meeting of the Federal National Council, as reported by the state news group, WAM.

“There is no difference between Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, southern Lebanon, the West Bank or Gaza, as occupation remains occupation… No Arab land is more precious than another”, he stressed as he referred to the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb.

“As an Emirati, it is normal that I should be… more sensitive about an occupied part of the UAE than other Arab territories. Otherwise, one would be fooling himself”, the foreign minister further noted.

In 1971, Iran took control of the islands as Great Britain conferred independence to its protectorates in the Gulf and pulled out its forces.

After this, the Islamic government gained ownership of the Tunbs, while the Abu Musa, which is the lone inhabited island, was put under a joint administration as a result of an agreement with Sharjah, which is now a portion of the UAE.

However, the UAE states that the Iranians have ever since controlled all access to the island, and that it has put up a military base and an airport there.

The UAE does have a big Iranian expatriate population, and it is also a chief channel for Iran’s trade relations with other nations.

“The president has confirmed the designated location of a new nuclear facility and the construction process of the new site will begin upon the president’s order”, said the president’s senior advisor, Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi.

The new sites for the soon-to-be-built nuclear plants have recently been verified. The construction of the facilities is slated to commence this year, based on the plans of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

According to Samareh Hashemi, the Iranian government is still open to discussions concerning the nuclear swap contract. He revoked the idea of completely setting aside the option to import fuel supplies from other countries with Iran’s local manufacture of enriched uranium. He also said that the domestic production of the fuel was for the purpose of sustaining the operation of Tehran’s research reactor.

In February, Ali Akbar Salehi–the chief of AEOI–announced that the construction of the two sites would start by March next year.

The decision by the Iranian government came after the failure of the West to respond to the country’s concern regarding a nuclear fuel swap contract that was brokered by the UN. The deal compelled Iran to ship its low-enriched uranium in order to undergo further processing.

The proposal, backed by the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI), was agreed to by Iran. However, the country wanted a guarantee regarding on-time delivery of the converted fuel.

Iran is currently facing accusations from the US and other western nations that it is seeking to build nuclear weapons. This has been denied by Iran, however, saying it is entitled to peacefully pursue its nuclear production.

The television channel stated that the party is led by Rafi al-Issawi, and that the visit started with talks with Ali Larijani, the speaker of the parliament.

The report also mentioned that the group also plans to have a dialogue with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, as well as Saeed Jalili, the secretary of the national security council of Iran. They will be “focusing their talks on bilateral relations and the recent general election in Iraq”.

ISNA, a news outfit, also stated that Issawi has met with Jalili and Larijani. In this meeting, the officials of Iran stressed that they want to see their neighbour living in the state of tranquillity and peace.

“The existence of a stable and calm Iraq serves the interest of the region, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is interested in seeing the Iraqi people in prosperity”, said Larijani.

“We hope that all political groups based on their (political) weight participate in the future of the country in an atmosphere free from occupation and foreign intervention”, added the top legislator of Iran.

ISNA also quoted Jalili as saying that Iran puts great value on the stability and security of Iraq, and that the country supports the establishment an Iraqi government composed of political parties that won in the elections.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the ambassador of Iraq to Iran, said on Saturday that representatives of the bloc of Allawi will visit Tehran. He also pleaded to all rival groups in Iraq to create a government which is grounded on national harmony following the controversial results of the 7 March general election.

Allawi’s group dominated the Sunni Arab provinces to acquire 91 seats in the parliament as against the 89 of Nuri al-Maliki’s bloc in an upset win against the current prime minister.

“We will conduct a consultation on Friday to find out which candidate the people want… from five proposed candidates”, said Ali al-Anbari, the spokesman of the Shiite cleric’s group.

Among the personalities up for the position are Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his main opponent, ex-premier Iyad Allawi.

The Iraqiya bloc of Allawi topped the 7 March parliamentary elections of Iraq and managed to garner 91 seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives, two positions more than the State of Law group of Maliki.

The other choices include ex-premier Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Jaafar al-Sadr, a son of Mohammed Baqr Sadr who was killed by Saddam Hussein, and Shiite Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi.

The Sadrist movement has been successful in the past elections, finishing in front of the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) which ended third with only 70 seats.

Sadr gained popularity with the Shiites in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. In 2004, his Mahdi Army fought the US troops in two revolutions.

It is believed that he came from a family of famous religious leaders. It is also alleged that he sought refuge in Iran back in 2007 over concerns for his security.

He told BBC that Tehran was meddling in the electoral process in Iraq. His Iraqiya bloc managed to grab 91 positions in the 325-member Council of Representatives, two seats more than the State of Law Alliance of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

“Iran is interfering quite heavily and this is worrying”, he said. “They have invited everybody — but they haven’t invited us — to Tehran”.

When he was asked bluntly whether neighbouring Iran is pushing to stop him from assuming the position of premier, he replied: “I think so, they made it very clear… that they have a red line. We are concerned about respecting the will of the Iraqi people”.

Neither of the parties was able to acquire a general parliamentary majority, and because of this, a protracted phase of coalition building which could possibly last for months is now anticipated.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Iraqi National Alliance (INA) member, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, visited Iran in the past week to commemorate Nowrouz, the Kurdish and Iranian New Year.

The INA is an alliance headed by Shiite religious factions, including the movement which has expressed loyalty to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Following the visits of Abdel Mahdi and Talabani, senior authorities from the State of Law of Maliki, the Sadrist movement and the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council—a Shiite religious