A view of Iran's Soroush offshore platform in the Persian Gulf (IRNA Photo)

PARIS, Nov. 7--International Energy Agency warned Monday that the entire world would suffer if a handful of oil-rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa did not invest sufficiently in energy production over the next 25 years.
The IEA, in its World Energy Outlook report for 2005, predicted that under its “reference scenario“, gas production in the region would triple by 2030 while that of oil would grow by 75 percent, AFP reported.
The report focused on six of the largest-energy producing states in the Middle East-- Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates--as well as North African producers Algeria, Egypt and Libya.
By 2030, according to the IEA, these countries will be responsible for 44 percent of world oil production against 35 percent at present.
But experts at the IEA, which seeks to coordinate and monitor energy policies in its 26 member-states, foresee two other scenarios that could also unfold over the next quarter century.
The IEA said a doubling in annual upstream investment would be needed by 2030 but cautioned: “It is far from certain that all that investment will be forthcoming.“
The report calculated that if upstream investment in oil producing facilities were to remain constant in the target countries at an average share of gross domestic product over the past decade, the resulting decline in investment would come to $110 billion (93 billion euros) between now and 2030.

TEHRAN, Nov. 7--Industries and Mines Minister Alireza Tahmasbi said Iran’s fourth five-year economic development plan (2005-10) contains laws aimed at attracting foreign investments into Iran’s mining industry through enhanced supportive policies and investment guarantees.
Tahmasbi was addressing the 20th World Mining Congress that opened here on Monday.
Experts, officials and representatives from 45 countries active in the mining sector attended the congress.
The minister further said Iran’s unique geo-economic situation as well as abundant energy and human resources have made the country advantageous for foreign investments in the mining industry.
Tahmasbi said exploration in different parts of the country have identified 60 types of proven mineral reserves that contain nearly 50 billion tons of mineral deposits, more than 10 billion tons of which are metal reserves and the rest non-metals, including construction and industrial minerals.
“Permanent and temporary closures of mines, as the inevitable consequences of privatizing the sector, and layoffs have caused economic, social, political and psychological insecurities in the sector,“ he said.
The mining congress and expo in Tehran will run until November 11 with major discussion themes, including design and planning, mechanization and machinery, resource saving technologies, small-scale mining, economic problems, mine safety and health, waste management, environmental issues, offshore mining, geo-mechanics, new methods and information technology, education, as well as future trends.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7--UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Monday called on Iran to be more transparent about its atomic energy program to ease international fears that it is aiming to obtain a nuclear weapon.
At an international nongovernmental conference here marking the 60th anniversary of the first official nonproliferation proposal, ElBaradei said Tehran must come clean on its nuclear intentions, AFP reported.
“Over the past two and half years, we have compiled a detailed picture of most aspects of Iran’s past and current nuclear program,“ ElBaradei said, according to an advance transcript of his remarks.
“But given that the program was concealed for nearly 20 years, and that a number of open questions remain, the responsibility rests with Iran to provide, if needed, additional transparency measures.“
ElBaradei said that improved transparency from Tehran would “enable the (UN) agency to resolve these questions, and to provide the required assurance about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.“
ElBaradei’s remarks come one day after Iran formally asked Britain, France and Germany to reopen the stalled nuclear talks with the 25-member European Union, which broke off in August when Tehran, under new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, resumed uranium conversion in defiance of international calls to maintain a suspension.
The European Union said Monday it was studying Iran’s new offer to resume talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, one of three EU ministers who have led efforts to engage Iran by offering benefits in return for pledges on its nuclear plans, said the bloc will reply shortly to Tehran’s offer.
Speaking in Brussels, Straw confirmed Monday that “informal discussions“ are continuing with the Iranians, despite the deadlock on the formal nuclear talks.
The Iranian offer comes three weeks ahead of a November 24 meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog which could theoretically send Iran to the Security Council amid mounting concerns about the direction of Ahmadinejad’s government.

TEHRAN, Nov. 7--National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company called on car owners to visit the nearest post office as of Nov. 22 to fill out special forms for receiving gasoline smart cards.
The company’s supervisor of the smart card plan, Seyyed Nasser Sajjadi, said almost 20 percent of car owners, the details of whose car are already with the police departments, need not apply, ISNA reported on Monday.
“More than 6 million cards are ready for distribution among gas- and gasoline-fueled car drivers,“ he said, adding that the equipment for using the cards will be set up at gas stations throughout the country.
Sajjadi noted that as long as the parliament and the government have not set any restrictions on gasoline distribution such as rationing or two-tier rates, the current system will be in place.
He said one of the major objectives behind the initiative is to prepare a precise databank on gasoline consumption level.
“So far, the figures released lacked transparency and authenticity,“ he said.
“The measure is also expected to help the government curb fuel smuggling at gas stations through mechanization of gas station operations.“
According to Sajjadi, some 300 services center will be set up throughout the country once the new plan goes into effect.
He said during 2004-5, the government had to spend nearly $3 billion on gasoline imports and the figure is predicted to exceed $4 billion this year.
“Projects for increasing refineries and boosting domestic gasoline production are unlikely to be completed by the end of the Fourth Plan (2010), necessitating government plans to optimize fuel consumption for averting numerous problems,“ he said.

Economic strategies adopted by the new government are yet another indication, even if not explicit, of the growing awareness among the economic authorities vis-ˆ-vis some of the most crucial issues.
The Seventh Parliament has announced plans for reordering gasoline and bread prices, both being major subsidized items in the country since time immemorial!
Lawmakers have also joined calls against the extension of the law on fix (freezing) prices of goods and services. The government has decided to put a permanent end to the ill-planned policy of subsidizing cement while the Energy Ministry has made known that utility charges must be revised upwards for the water, electricity, gas...sectors to remain in business.
True, the proposed plans and policies are quite similar to those followed up by the former reformist government and parliament. As such, it is not at all important who is calling for the changes so far as they promote sustainable development.
What also matters is that such policies are eventually becoming a reality and that the Ahmadinejad administration can enforce them without much difficulty.
The lawmakers’ nine-month-long reluctance to ratify a controversial proposal to further reduce bank lending rates also indicates that the MPs pushing for the initiative have come to realize that banking rules and regulations are so complex that cannot be altered overnight. They have reached the conclusion that a gradual and piecemeal reduction in the lending rates is a more rational decision and can produce the desired results.
What we all, law and policymakers in particular, need to realize that lending and other bank rates cannot be set by the banking system. That is purely a function of the market. Demand and supply, like any other commodity, will and should determine the rate. The banking system comes in only to determine the rate range based on inflation.
Needless to say, significant reduction in lending rates will bring on its heels heightened demand for banking facilities.
A senior Bank Sepah authority said recently that even with the current high rates demand for loans and credits now amounts to three times the banking system’s entire financial resources.
The gradual shift in policies related to fuel prices could also be analyzed in the same context. Those who in the not too distant past had proposed cutting petrol prices at the pumps from the present 800 to 350 rials per liter are now pushing in parliament for two-tier prices.
Another significant indication of the shift in the country’s economic policies is the increasing calls by legislators to end the so-called fixed-price initiative. The parliament’s decision had initially stipulated a six-month trail period to freeze prices of goods and services, which has now expired. That the lawmakers have refused to call for an extension of the controversial initiative shows that they are not satisfied with the outcome.
Fixed prices have produced results, among other things, forecast by the opponents of the plan. Those who still believe the rare initiative managed to bring inflation under control are mistaken. This is because they ignore the basic economic rule that inflation will rise steeply as soon as the government begins to plug the deficits piled up by state and affiliated bodies that suffered immensely due to the fixed prices over the past few months. A recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put Iran’s inflation rate at 18.5 percent.
The so-called ’Justice Shares’ initiative taken by the Ahmadinejad administration is apparently a replay of the ’Higher Income for Iranian Families’ plan ratified by the Khatami government, which was killed in Parliament. The main legal constraint to the implementation of the Justice Shares scheme is Article 44 of the Constitution, which prohibits large-scale privatizations.
However, closer interaction between the constitutional watchdog Guardians Council, Majlis and government that followed the election victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June has seemingly increased the chances of such honest but complicated initiatives receiving the much-needed thumbs-up.
The nation will witness more of such plans in the future. Inasmuch as economic realities do not discriminate between reformers and the rightwing, it is the people who must benefit from the plans and proposals engineered at the higher echelons of power.

Following chronic droughts, Hamoun cannot be referred to as a lake anymore.

TEHRAN, Nov. 7--A prolonged drought has left Hamoun Lake located in east of the country completely dry, director general of Sistan-Baluchestan province’s Department of Environment said on Monday.
Parviz Aramanesh also told Fars News Agency that Hamoun cannot be referred to as a lake anymore, because less than one billion cubic meter of water stretches across the region, the large part of which will soon evaporate.
“The main section of the lake, namely Poozak, is situated along the Iran-Afghanistan border where three billion cubic meters of water flow, but this part has also dried up such that fuel vehicles can easily cross it,“ he said.
The official further said presently dredging is underway to help water flow in the lake, adding that the phenomenon has caused many environmental problems and even canes of Hamoun Wetland are on the verge of extinction. Aramanesh pointed out that the region has experienced drought for several years, but this year’s was much more drastic. He, however, expressed hope that rainfalls are expected to revive the lake yet again.

TEHRAN, Nov. 7--Physical Education Organization announced on Monday the four-nation Tehran football competitions will be held without the sponsorship of South Korean company LG.
“No federation, henceforth, is authorized to hold sports events with the financial support of Koreans,“ the organization was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Also on Monday, Mehdi Qadami, the head of Center for Professional Sports Development, confirmed that following negotiations, Physical Education Organization is determined to cede the sponsorship of the event to another party.
Stressing that the competitions will definitely be held as scheduled, Mehdi Qadami said Iran’s Football Federation can select any domestic or foreign sponsor, and if no one is found, the federation could allocate funds for the event from its own reserve fund.
The four-team friendly is scheduled for Nov 11-13 in Tehran, with the participation of Iran, Togo, Paraguay and Macedonia.