NC gov's re-election decision could benefit Obama

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue wears a Freightliner hat as she smiles during a news conference at a Freightliner plant in Cleveland, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. About 1,100 workers laid off from a factory that builds long-distance Freightliner trucks will be called back to work to meet increasing demand as economies in the U.S. and elsewhere improve, Daimler Trucks North America said Thursday. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue wears a Freightliner hat as she smiles during a news conference at a Freightliner plant in Cleveland, N.C., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. About 1,100 workers laid off from a factory that builds long-distance Freightliner trucks will be called back to work to meet increasing demand as economies in the U.S. and elsewhere improve, Daimler Trucks North America said Thursday. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama is greeted by Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., left, and North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue as he arrives in Greensboro, N.C. The key battleground state of North Carolina is still within President Obama's grasp, despite Democratic Gov. Perdue's surprise decision to drop her re-election campaign. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Shawn Rocco, File)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? The key battleground state of North Carolina is still within President Barack Obama's grasp, despite Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue's surprise decision to drop her re-election campaign.

Obama has been running commercials in the state for months, and the Democrats have staked so much on repeating his 2008 success in North Carolina that their presidential nomination convention will be held in Charlotte.

"It's helpful news for Obama rather than problematic news," John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest University, said of Perdue's announcement Thursday. "You'd expect the Obama campaign would rather run with a strong gubernatorial candidate on the ballot, and by all accounts, Perdue was not a strong candidate."

Perdue, the first woman elected governor in North Carolina history, said she worried a fight with Republicans over public education would become too political if she tried for a second term. But Perdue entered the election year with political baggage, including a campaign finance investigation, sagging poll numbers and a tough rematch campaign against an opponent she narrowly beat in 2008, when Obama's coattails helped Democrats across the state.

"North Carolina's a swing state, they can't afford to lose it for the presidential race," said Michael Munger, a political science professor at Duke University who ran for governor as a Libertarian in 2008. "I would guess some senior Democratic people strongly suggested she spend more time with her grandchildren."

Four years ago, Obama shocked many national pundits by becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976, defeating Republican Sen. John McCain by just 14,177 votes out of more than 4.3 million ballots cast.

Perdue, then the state's lieutenant governor, benefited from Obama's highly organized effort to boost voter turnout, an effort the president will look to repeat regardless of whether the Democratic gubernatorial nominee is an incumbent.

"I don't think the president's 2012 chances are affected by this in any way," said Andy Taylor, a political science professor at North Carolina State University. "The presidential race is the dog and the gubernatorial race is the tail, and the dog is going to be wagging the tail."

Obama's win here was the first in 32 years for a Democratic nominee for president. He praised Perdue for breaking down barriers during her political career.

"For over 25 years, she has fought for the people of the Tar Heel state ? working to transform the state's public schools, improve the health care system, protect and attract jobs for members of the military and their families, and create the jobs of the future," Obama said in a statement.

Perdue, a former school teacher, said her decision was about protecting public education from spending cuts by the GOP-led legislature.

"The thing I care about most right now is making sure that our schools and schoolchildren do not continue to be the victims of shortsighted legislative actions and severe budget cuts inflicted by a legislative majority with the wrong priorities," Perdue said in a statement.

The statement made no mention of what Perdue, 65, planned to do in the future. Perdue campaign spokesman Marc Farinella said the governor declined to speak to reporters Thursday because she was spending time with her family after making "this very difficult decision."

"For now she wants her statement to speak for itself," he said.

Perdue's decision means it will be the first time a sitting North Carolina governor has failed to get elected to a second term since voters gave chief executives authority to succeed themselves in the 1970s.

"All the Democrats' waters rose with Obama in 2008," said Brian Nick, a Republican strategist working for likely GOP gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory. "It would be a fallacy to think the governor's race is going to affect the presidential campaign in North Carolina."

Perdue has faced high unemployment, consistently weak approval numbers, a string of political defeats and the indictment of two close aides and a family friend in a campaign finance scandal that is continuing to unfold. She has also made some well-publicized gaffes, like a joking suggestion last year that congressional elections should be suspended for two years to ease partisan gridlock.

North Carolina is crucial to Obama's re-election strategy, with a win there relieving the need to carry more-traditional battleground states such as Florida and Ohio.

Perdue is listed as the co-chair of steering and host committee membership for the 2012 convention. DNC officials were quick to say Thursday that Perdue's withdrawal from the governor's race will have no effect on the September event.

The governor has not been closely involved in the convention planning and was not present at a DNC media conference in Charlotte last week announcing that President Obama would give his acceptance speech to Bank of America Stadium.

"They made the decision to site the convention in Charlotte knowing that Beverly Perdue was facing an uphill fight," said Steven Greene, a political science professor at N.C. State. "That was already factored into their decision."

Perdue may try to maintain a low profile through the end of her term early next year. After issuing a statement declaring her intention not to run, Perdue holed up in the governor's mansion with her aides.

Mark Johnson, the governor's deputy communications director, said the governor has no public events scheduled for the next week.

"Anything beyond next week is tentative," Johnson said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-27-NC%20Governor/id-2e3a79c510a24ea7b7796bdb3ce83cf8

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Egypt bans travel for US official's son, 9 others

An Egyptian protester sleeps in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester sleeps in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester reads a local newspaper as he sits in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester prays next to a tent with a poster of a man killed by the security forces during the revolution with Arabic writing that reads " Shihab Al-Din Ahmed, the martyr of freedom", in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester sits in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Egyptian protesters camp in Tahrir Square as they mark the first anniversary of the popular uprising that unseated President Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt banned at least 10 Americans and Europeans from leaving the country, including the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, hiking tensions with Washington over a campaign by Egypt's military against groups promoting democracy and human rights.

The United States warned Thursday that the campaign raised concerns about Egypt's transition to democracy and could jeopardize American aid that Egypt's battered economy needs badly after a year of unrest.

The travel ban was part of an Egyptian criminal investigation into foreign-funded democracy organizations after soldiers raided the offices of 10 such groups last month, including those of two American groups.

The investigation is closely intertwined with Egypt's political turmoil since the fall of Hosni Mubarak nearly a year ago. The generals who took power have accused "foreign hands" of being behind protests against their rule and they frequently depict the protesters themselves as receiving foreign funds in a plot to destabilize the country.

Egyptian opponents of the military say the generals are trying to smear the protesters in the eyes of the public and silence organizations they fear will undermine their managing of the country.

Also startling is the military's willingness to clash with its longtime top ally, the United States, over the issue, particularly since the army itself receives more than $1 billion a year from Washington. The December raids brought sharp U.S. criticism, and last week President Barack Obama spoke by telephone with Egyptian military chief Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to emphasize "the role that these organizations can play in civil society," according to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Thursday.

The ban became public after Sam LaHood, Egypt director of the Washington-based International Republican Institute, went to Cairo's airport Saturday to catch a flight and was told by an immigration official that he couldn't leave.

"I asked her why I was denied, she said she didn't know. I asked how to fix it, and she said she didn't know," said LaHood, 36. An hour later, a man in civilian clothes gave him back his passport and escorted him to the curb, LaHood said.

"It's a dark signal for groups who are interested in doing this kind of work," he said.

LaHood's father, a former congressman from Illinois, is the only Republican in Obama's Cabinet. The elder LaHood declined to comment.

The IRI was among the groups raided last month, along with the National Democratic Institute and a number of Egyptian organizations. Both American groups, linked to the political parties of the same name, monitored Egypt's recent parliamentary elections. In the raids, troops ransacked 17 offices of the 10 organizations around the country, carting away computers and documents.

The Egyptian government said the raids were part of a legitimate investigation into whether the groups were operating legally.

Sen. John McCain blasted Egypt's handling of the issue Thursday, warning that continued restrictions on civil society groups "could set back the long-standing partnership between the United States and Egypt."

IRI and NDI officials said they have been trying since 2005 to register as required by law, but were left in legal limbo, never officially denied nor granted permission. Both groups continued to operate while keeping authorities abreast of their activities, they said. Many Egyptian non-governmental organizations say officials often keep their groups in such limbo to maintain a threat over their heads.

Sam LaHood said he was told by his lawyer that he is under investigation on suspicion of managing an unregistered NGO and receiving "funds" from an unregistered NGO, namely, his salary.

Two other Americans and a European with IRI have also been banned from travel, Lahood said his lawyer had been told. From the National Democratic Institute, three Americans and three Serb employees are also on the list, according to its Egypt director Lisa Hughes.

Hughes, who is among those barred, said she has been interrogated for more than four hours about her group's work and that she had planned to fly to the U.S. next month before she heard about the ban.

"I think we would be silly not to be concerned," she said. "We were concerned the moment armed men showed up at our office door, and this has done nothing to calm those concerns."

The State Department's top human rights official, Michael Posner, told reporters in Cairo Thursday that such moves could jeopardize U.S. aid to Egypt, one of the biggest recipients.

"All need to have the ability to operate openly, freely, without constraint, not based on the content of their work," he said.

Posner pointed to recent U.S. legislation that blocks annual aid to Egypt unless it takes certain steps. These include abiding by its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, holding free and fair elections and "implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association and religion and due process of law."

"Obviously, any action that creates tension between our governments makes the whole package more difficult," Posner said.

The U.S. is due to give $1.3 billion in military assistance and $250 million in economic aid to Egypt in 2012. Washington has given Egypt an average of $2 billion in economic and military aid a year since 1979, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Egypt's military has been locked in a confrontation for months with protesters who demand it immediately hand over power to civilians.

Hundreds of protesters camped Thursday in Cairo's central Tahrir Square, a day after several hundred thousand people massed there to mark the one-year anniversary of the 18-day anti-Mubarak uprising.

Thursday evening, hundreds moved from Tahrir and rallied in front of the state TV building, beating drums as they chanted for the "liberation" of state-run media from the military's control. They projected video footage of soldiers beating protesters onto the building.

State TV has been a mouthpiece of the military, broadcasting its accusations against protesters. Activists demand it be restructured as an independent media institution.

"The media is still manipulated and projects the same lies," said protester Mahmoud Ragab. "We will be here everyday to let them know it is a revolution."

___

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-27-ML-Egypt/id-25c4d9fac6d3448daa86dc8487f9f4bd

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Reserve your place at the largest bone event in Europe

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: L. Misteli
info@iofbonehealth.org
41-229-940-100
International Osteoporosis Foundation

Join the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) at the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis (IOF-ECCEO12). The Congress is to be held in Bordeaux, France, March 21-24, 2012.

Five reasons to attend IOF-ECCEO12...

1. Participate in a global event: As the largest bone meeting held in Europe, the IOF-ECCEO meetings have gained global renown, typically welcoming around 5500 participants from 100 countries around the world.

2. Acquire new knowledge for every-day clinical practice: You will leave Bordeaux with the most current and evidence-based information that is relevant to your patients and your practice, while gaining 18 CME credits!
View program at http://www.iof-ecceo12.org/congress_program.html

3. Learn about the latest research: Close to 700 abstracts have been submitted, highlighting the latest research in the field. Oral presentations of the highest ranked clinical abstracts and at the 2nd IOF-ESCEO Pre-Clinical Symposium offer a look at the hottest new clinical and translational research.

The Pre-Clinical Symposium is free of charge for IOF-ECCEO12 registrants or only 150 for the Symposium registration alone.
View programme at http://www.iof-ecceo12.org/preclinical_program.html

4. Attend informative Topical Sessions and Satellite Symposia: Nine Special Topical Sessions and 7 Satellite Symposia covering a broad range of clinical topics.

5. Visit the magnificent city of Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux is just waiting to be explored. Enjoy your stay in this renowned city of culture, famous for its historic sites, wine and gastronomy. Bordeaux is easily accessible by rail or air from most European cities. Air France and KLM are Official Carriers for IOF-ECCEO12 and offer special low rates.

Hotel accommodation may be reserved online as part of the registration process. Rooms will be in high demand, so we strongly recommend making your reservations early.

Register & Book Your Accommodation at http://www.iof-ecceo12.org/registration.html

We look forward to welcoming health professionals and researchers from a broad range of fields to Europe's most important international bone congress.

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: L. Misteli
info@iofbonehealth.org
41-229-940-100
International Osteoporosis Foundation

Join the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) at the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis (IOF-ECCEO12). The Congress is to be held in Bordeaux, France, March 21-24, 2012.

Five reasons to attend IOF-ECCEO12...

1. Participate in a global event: As the largest bone meeting held in Europe, the IOF-ECCEO meetings have gained global renown, typically welcoming around 5500 participants from 100 countries around the world.

2. Acquire new knowledge for every-day clinical practice: You will leave Bordeaux with the most current and evidence-based information that is relevant to your patients and your practice, while gaining 18 CME credits!
View program at http://www.iof-ecceo12.org/congress_program.html

3. Learn about the latest research: Close to 700 abstracts have been submitted, highlighting the latest research in the field. Oral presentations of the highest ranked clinical abstracts and at the 2nd IOF-ESCEO Pre-Clinical Symposium offer a look at the hottest new clinical and translational research.

The Pre-Clinical Symposium is free of charge for IOF-ECCEO12 registrants or only 150 for the Symposium registration alone.
View programme at http://www.iof-ecceo12.org/preclinical_program.html

4. Attend informative Topical Sessions and Satellite Symposia: Nine Special Topical Sessions and 7 Satellite Symposia covering a broad range of clinical topics.

5. Visit the magnificent city of Bordeaux, France: Bordeaux is just waiting to be explored. Enjoy your stay in this renowned city of culture, famous for its historic sites, wine and gastronomy. Bordeaux is easily accessible by rail or air from most European cities. Air France and KLM are Official Carriers for IOF-ECCEO12 and offer special low rates.

Hotel accommodation may be reserved online as part of the registration process. Rooms will be in high demand, so we strongly recommend making your reservations early.

Register & Book Your Accommodation at http://www.iof-ecceo12.org/registration.html

We look forward to welcoming health professionals and researchers from a broad range of fields to Europe's most important international bone congress.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/iof-ryp012512.php

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Dollar falls against euro after Fed statement (AP)

NEW YORK ? The dollar turned lower against the euro Wednesday, erasing gains it made earlier in the day, after the Federal Reserve said that it is unlikely to raise interest rates before late 2014.

Lower interest rates tend to weigh on a currency by reducing the returns investors get from holding it. The central bank has kept interest rates near zero since cutting them during the financial crisis in December 2008. Keeping rates low is a sign that the Fed thinks the economy still needs help in order to recover.

The Fed also forecasted slightly lower growth in 2012 but said the unemployment rate could fall.

The euro rose to $1.3084 in late trading Wednesday from $1.3021 late Tuesday.

The dollar was also lower against most other currencies around the world.

The British pound rose to $1.5643 from $1.5603. The dollar fell to 0.9231 Swiss franc from 0.9286 Swiss franc and to 1.0074 Canadian dollar from 1.0101 Canadian dollar.

But the dollar rose to 77.81 Japanese yen from 77.73 Japanese yen after Japan posted its first annual trade deficit since 1982

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_dollar

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Is it 'Burma' or 'Myanmar'? US officials start shifting.

Sen. John McCain arrives Sunday with other US officials in Myanmar. Or is it Burma?

Burma or Myanmar? As the country's military-backed government races headlong into reforms aimed at ending its long international isolation, US officials are changing their tone.?For starters, they are beginning to use the government's preferred name for the country, "Myanmar," after two decades of sticking with "Burma."?

Skip to next paragraph

?We have visited the Philippines, Vietnam, we are here, we are going to Myanmar tomorrow morning,? said Sen. John McCain, opening a press conference given by four US senators for journalists?in Bangkok on Saturday afternoon.

It may seem like a small point, but in the subtle world of diplomacy this is heady stuff. It would seem to signal US recognition of the changes afoot in Myanmar and a willingness to work with a regime it has shunned for decades.

Until now, the US took its verbal cues?from opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when it came to the country's name. Attempting a symbolic stand against the arbitrariness of military rule, Ms. Suu Kyi and western governments have mostly stuck with ?Burma? since the military junta changed the country's name to Myanmar in 1989.

But throughout Saturday's 45 minute Q&A with the senators, "Myanmar" was the term of choice, though the senior lawmakers at times slipped back into using "Burma."

When I asked whether the etymological shift presaged a changing US policy, Senator McCain cracked a joke about the ?West Philippine Sea? (the name used by Manila to refer to the disputed South China Sea, also known as the East Sea in Vietnam), before telling me that ?you raise a good point.?

He moved swiftly along to the next question.?

After US State Deptartment official Joseph Yun got an ear-bending last year from Myanmar's Foreign Minister Wunna Waung Lwin over his use of "Burma" during a visit to the country, perhaps the senators were just getting the script right before meeting President Thein Sein.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/FM9YshNzjSE/Is-it-Burma-or-Myanmar-US-officials-start-shifting

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Bid for Iran nuclear talks confronts old snags

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security guard walks past a gate of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as its reactor building is seen in background, just outside the city of Bushehr 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security guard walks past a gate of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as its reactor building is seen in background, just outside the city of Bushehr 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 3, 2007 file photo, technicians work at the reactor building of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, some 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.(AP Photo/ISNA, Sot Akbar, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.

Since then, the standoff has only become tenser. The European Union on Monday joined the U.S. with new sanctions targeting Iran's critical oil exports. Authorities in Tehran fired back with another threat to block tankers in the Persian Gulf ? even while offering to restart international talks after a one-year gap.

Yet one thing hasn't changed since the last round of meetings in January 2011. The chances of Iran agreeing to stop enriching uranium ? the core dispute between Tehran and its foes ? still appear slim.

Iran portrays its ability to make nuclear fuel as akin to a patriotic cause: showcasing the country's technological advances, elevating its international stature and proudly defying Western nuclear controls like other nations in the past ? including North Korea since the 1990s and China in the 1960s.

Iran strongly denies that it seeks nuclear weapons and says it only wants to enrich uranium to fuel reactors for energy and research. But Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has linked control of the entire nuclear cycle to part of Iran's "national identity."

"Iran's right for uranium enrichment is nonnegotiable," said conservative Iranian lawmaker Ali Aghazadeh. "There is no reason for Iran to compromise over its rights. But Iran is open to discussions over concerns about its nuclear program."

The bloc on the other side of the negotiating table ? the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany ? has not publicly spelled out any clear strategies if talks resume in Turkey as a proposed venue. It's highly unlikely, however, that they would back off the insistence that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, which Washington and others fear could lead to weapons-grade nuclear material.

The potential dead ends are clearly marked even before any agreement to reopen dialogue.

Iranian officials hammer the point that halting uranium enrichment is off the agenda. Some in the West, meanwhile, question whether Iran's outreach is simply another tactic to buy time for its nuclear program under pressure from cyberattacks and targeted killings that Tehran has blamed on Israel and its allies.

In Paris last week, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the European Union has made specific proposals for dialogue with Iran, but "unfortunately the country has not committed in a transparent and cooperative way in this process of talks."

On Monday in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Tehran to offer "some concrete issues to talk about."

"It is very important that it is not just about words; a meeting is not an excuse, a meeting is an opportunity and I hope that they will seize it," she said as the EU adopted its toughest measures yet on Iran with an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.

Iranian lawmaker Aghazadeh snapped back: "The West is not seeking a genuine dialogue."

"It's unlikely that any new round of talks will bring any understanding," he added. "There is lack of trust on both sides. Iran won't retreat from its position."

The situation carries strong echoes the last talks in January 2011. When the main talks foundered, Brazil and Turkey tried their hand by reviving proposals to provide Iran with reactor fuel rods from 20 percent enriched uranium in exchange for suspending the enrichment work.

It fell apart when Iran pushed ahead with a pilot program to make its own 20 percent enriched uranium. That's still far below the level needed for a warhead, but it boosts Iran's stockpile of higher-grade nuclear material and was seen as a powerful snub to Western demands.

In a news conference on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, used the word "justice" to describe what Tehran hopes to achieve from any possible talks.

It covers a lot of ground in explaining Iran's views.

Tehran considers its nuclear program as fully within U.N. rules ? which permit enrichment with oversight ? although U.N. watchdogs and other question how much of Iran's work is secret. Tehran also seeks to shift the nuclear spotlight onto Israel, which is believed to have an atomic arsenal despite its policy of neither confirming nor denying its military capabilities.

But, above all, the Islamic Republic sees its nuclear advancement as an integral part of its self-declared goal of becoming the Muslim world's answer to Western military and technological dominance.

Iran has announced sweeping plans for upgrades to its armed forces, including new warships and surveillance drones similar to the unmanned CIA spy craft captured last month. Iran's state media has claimed aerospace engineers have launched objects into orbit and are working on sending an astronaut into space.

"The nuclear program is a huge part of what's shaping Iran's world view," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iranian affairs expert at Syracuse University. "Khamenei sees it as part of his legacy. In a way, it's like the nationalization of the Suez Canal for Egypt. It's a defining issue and one of major national importance."

It also is one of the few patches of common ground in a country deeply divided since the clashes and crackdowns after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009. Even opposition groups that rail against the ruling theocracy often support the nuclear program as a point of pride.

"The issue is protecting national interests," said Iranian political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand.

Yet he believes that talks ? even if they at first appear ill-fated ? are the only option to avoid deeper tensions that could lead to a military conflict in the Gulf.

"Talks offer a window to get out of the current impasse," he said.

The question still circles back to whether it could bring some concessions from Iran on uranium enrichment.

Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born analyst based in Israel, described Khamenei as stuck between "Obama and a hard place."

Khamenei cannot easily roll back the Iranian nuclear program, but is hit with increasing blows from sanctions that have isolated and eroded Iran's economy.

"Should he ignore it, the Iranian economy, the health of which is crucial to the survival of the regime, could collapse," he wrote in a Sunday commentary.

Keeping the ruling system in place, however, could also drive Iran's nuclear advances closer toward weapons, others contend.

"They perceive the whole nuclear issue as an insurance policy of sorts," said the analyst Boroujerdi. "There are those who say, 'If we are a nuclear power then the West wouldn't dare touch us.' And this, in their mind, helps ensure the survival of the system."

___

Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-ML-Iran-Enrichment-Commitment/id-451ada1a076e4f03b96c9f41bf7865b4

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