Tehran, Sept 5, IRNA � Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday called for expediting operation of national information network.

In a decree, a copy of which was made available to IRNA, the Supreme Leader assigned the new members of the High Council for Cyberspace for four-year period.

The Supreme Leader advised the board to ensure health and security of the national domains of the cyberspace networks.

The Supreme Leader has already advised the council to bring under control application of cyberspace utilizing the modern means for national preferences independently. The Supreme Leader cautioned the national council against the western cultural inroad to find foothold in national domains and that the Iranian science and technology community must take initiative and upper hand to thwart malignant desire of the west to expolit the modern means of cyberspace for expansionist goals.

The Ayatollah said cyberspace has been a field for overwhelming influence on cultural, social, economic, political, security and defense fields both at national and international scenes.

The Supreme Leader said the main duty of the Council is policy making, macro management and making necessary timely decisions and efficient and to-the-point supervision of cyberspace activities.

He said, 'So, it's necessary for the Council to get prepared for undertaking heavy responsibility for a four-year term with regards to the speedy and complicated developments in the field, on the one hand, and the genuine and intertwined needs, on the other hand.'

The Supreme Leader said among other duties of the Council are making necessary coordination among ministries, related institutions and organizations on the cyber relevant scientific, technical, economic, commercial, legal, disciplinary, security and defense fields, while having constant supervision over performance of the concerned organs and sectors in framework of the approvals of the High Council of Cyberspace.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the Council should try to balance Iran cyberspace power with that of the world influential powers, promoting the power of interaction with other countries.

The Ayatollah said among other duties of the Council is making nationwide and all-out endeavor and serious investment in development of different kinds of fully advanced and competitive technology and industries, while launching new academic courses and training efficient, committed and influential workforce for the hardware and software sectors of the cyberspace, especially in the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan and the annual plans.

The Leader urged promotion of cyberspace related services on efficient and competitive grounds and on Islamic-Iranian values and culture.

Members of the council are President (head of the High Council), Majlis Speaker, Judiciary Chief, Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Secretary of the High Council and Head of the center, Chief Prosecutor, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Minister of Information, Minister of Education, Minister of Defense, Vice-President for Science and Technology, Head of Majlis Cultural Affairs Committee, Head of the Islamic Propagation Organization, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Police Chief, while the real entities are Hojjatoleslams Seyed Saeed-Reza Ameli, Hamid Shahriari, Reza Taqipour, Mehdi Akhavan Behabadi, Masood Abutalebi, Kamyar Saqafi, Rasoul Jalili and Ezatollah Zarghami.

By IRNA