The column ‘Persian Press Review’ features the headlines and leading articles carried by Farsi dailies.

Sunday’s headlines:
ARMAN: Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani (the secretary general of the Combatant Clergy Association) openly approves of Assembly of Experts chairman’s remarks (Rafsanjani’s proposals to settle the post-election disputes in the July 17 Friday prayer sermons)
IRAN: Workers’ salaries will certainly rise next year (starting March 21), says a member of the Supreme Council of Labor
EBTEKAR: Iran’s intelligence system is the most impeccable one in the world, says Ahmadinejad
ASRAR: Monthly gasoline ration decreases from 80 liters to 60 liters
ETELAAT: Ali Larijani (Majlis speaker) says it is not right to defame country’s prominent figures
JAVAN: I have met with NATO commander three times, confesses Rigi (the leader of Jundallah terrorist group)
JAHAN-E SANAAT: 41 Iranians fall victim to bomb blast in Najaf
KAYHAN: Any action against Iran will lead to further isolation of the United States, says Brezinski (former national security adviser to Jimmy Carter)
PUl: September 11 is a big lie, says Ahmadinejad
KAR-O KARGAR: Motive behind Americans’ efforts to pass resolution against Iran is to win approval of Zionists, says Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy spokesman
SIASAT-E ROOZ: President calls for devising new cultural plan
Leading articles:
‘KAYHAN’ in its editorial has commented that the United States is behind the recent detention of the Iranian TV reporter in Italy. In addition to the political leverage, the West uses media hype and propaganda against Iran. An example of this policy is the recent detention of TV reporter in Rome. Obviously this “Italian scenario” is an attempt to make up for the U.S. failures to rally support for imposing new sanctions against Iran. Americans over the past few months have suffered heavy defeats in their direct confrontation with Iranians and have received hard slaps in the face from the Iranian nation. That is why they have resorted to a “one-way duel.”
‘DONYA-E EQTESAD’ in its editorial has voiced concern over the gloomy picture of the economy in the next year. According to the statistics, the unemployment rate is high and is rising. Factories are working at half of their capacities and most of markets are suffering from deep recession. Businesses don’t see a good economic prospect and are seriously worried about the future of their enterprises.
‘JOMHURI-E ESLAMI’ in its editorial has criticized the annual budget bill drafted by the administration. The bill shows that the administration has paid the least attention to the principles in drafting budget plans. Those who draft or approve the budget plan should know that the budget plan is not just a list of incomes and expenditures, but the plan should be in conformity with the long-term goals depicted in the five-year development plans. The key question is: How can the success of a plan that has not been prepared based on the well-established planning principles be guaranteed?
‘PUL’ in a commentary has described the administration’s recent step to impose new regulations on the market as a move which is in direct contradiction to the Article 44 of the Constitution that calls for reduction of the government’s intervention in the market. In most of world’s successful economic models, the private sector controls the market, so why has the administration decided to repeat the failed and tested economic policies once again?
‘KHORASAN’ in a report has lamented the aggravating environmental catastrophe in the Mashhad Plain located in northeastern Khorasan Razavi province as a result of unrestrained exploitation of water recourses in the region. Underground water in the plain supplies drinking water for the metropolis of Mashhad and satellite cities as well as irrigating the farmlands in the region. The excessive exploitation of water resources has led to the subsidence of the land by 60 centimeters and the water level of the plain has reduced to 70 meters. If measures are not taken immediately to curb the spread of this environmental issue, the consequences will grip the entire city of Mashhad in near future.