National Desk

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun
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NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

WASHINGTON


IRAN GAINING MAP CONCESSIONS FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC


An Iranian-American group claimed yesterday that it had won some concessions from the National Geographic Society in a heated dispute over place names printed on its maps of Iran and neighboring countries.


The National Iranian American Council said that at a 90-minute meeting Monday the society promised that maps it prints in the future will not use the word “occupied” to describe Iran’s control over three islands in the Persian Gulf. The islands, known as the Tunbs and Abu Musa, are also claimed by the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian-American group said that it reached no agreement with National Geographic about its addition of the term “Arabian Gulf” in parentheses as a secondary name for the body of water commonly known as the Persian Gulf.


“We very strongly feel, and have requested, that the policy be reversed,” said the group’s executive director, Dokhi Fassihian. “They’re still in the middle of looking at the issue.”


National Geographic’s revision has drawn angry protests from Iran and from Iranian expatriates. Last month, Iran’s Press Ministry announced that National Geographic’s magazine and its reporters would be banned from the country until the “Arabian Gulf” reference was dropped. The dispute over the gulf has led to a rare meeting of the minds between the Islamic regime and its most strident detractors. On Friday, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, visited National Geographic to lobby on the question of the gulf’s name.


“It is interesting to see the unity,” Ms. Fassihian said. “It is an issue that crosses all sorts of political differences.”


A National Geographic spokeswoman, Carol Seitz, called the ongoing discussions “quite constructive and informative.” She declined to confirm any specific changes to what her organization describes as “variant nomenclature.”


– Staff Reporter of the Sun


SOLDIER ACCUSED OF KILLING WOUNDED IRAQI FACES COURT-MARTIAL


An American tank company commander accused of killing a critically injured Iraqi driver for radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will be court-martialed, an Army spokesman said yesterday.


Captain Rogelio Maynulet, 29, of Chicago, will be tried on charges of assault with intent to commit murder and dereliction of duty, which carry a maximum combined sentence of 20 1/2 years, said Major Michael Indovina.


During Captain Maynulet’s Article 32 hearing – the equivalent of a civilian grand jury investigation – witnesses testified that the driver had been shot in the head when Captain Maynulet saw him. A fellow officer said Captain Maynulet told him he then shot the man out of compassion.


Captain Maynulet was initially charged with murder, but 1st Armored Division commander Major General Martin Dempsey decided Monday to proceed with lesser charges at his court-martial. The charges stem from a May 21 incident when Captain Maynulet was leading his tank company on a patrol near Kufa, where heavy fighting had been reported. Witnesses said he humanely shot a critically wounded driver of a sedan who had already had part of his skull blown away by gunfire from American soldiers in pursuit of the vehicle.


– Associated Press


MIDWEST


ELECTION RECOUNT REQUESTED IN OHIO


COLUMBUS, Ohio – With support from Senator Kerry’s campaign, two third-party candidates for president officially asked yesterday for a recount in Ohio, the state that put President Bush over the top in November.


The requests, mailed to all 88 counties, were expected to arrive by today. Generally, county election boards must agree to a recount, as long as the parties bringing the challenge pay for it. And the Green and Libertarian parties collected enough donations to cover the required $113,600, or $10 per precinct.


The request came a day after Ohio officially certified Mr. Bush as the winner of this battleground state by 118,775 votes. The president’s unofficial election-night margin of 136,000 votes shrank slightly after provisional and absentee ballots were counted and errors corrected. Mr. Bush won the presidency by taking Ohio’s 20 electoral votes. Mr. Kerry conceded the next morning after seeing those results. The Kerry campaign said it supports the recount – not because it believes the outcome will change, but because it wants to see a full and accurate tally.


The Bush campaign has criticized the recount effort, saying it will not change anything. And some county officials have complained about the real cost, which Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell said is probably about $1.5 million.


– Associated Press

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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