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Tehran, June 11, IRNA -- President Mohammad Khatami on Tuesday called on the European Union to isolate the war-mongers of the world.
In a meeting with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel, he said Europe should put its weight behind efforts to put down the war-mongers in the world.
"The most dangerous threat to the world is those who make every endeavor to drive the world toward war and violence in the name of the campaign against terrorism," President Khatami said.
I am sorry that the war mongers use the term of "crusade" to describe their attempt to impose war on the world, he said.
He also lamented that the democratic nations are being pressured in the name of religion by war-mongering policies.
Khatami further alluded to Iranian national resolve to develop democracy based on religious, cultural and social values and said that the national determination to that effect also faces domestic and foreign-induced hurdles.
He said that religion is sometime used by misguided human beings to intensify their violent methods.
Today the Zionist regime, in the name of the Jewish religion perpetrated heinous atrocities against the Palestinian people, he said.
Khatami said that the Middle East is a critical region that can pose a threat to world peace, adding, "peace would not be established unless the rights of Palestinians both inside and outside the occupied territories are restored."
He further welcomed closer diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with EU and with Belgium in particular based on mutual respect.
For his part, Michel said Belgium welcomes strengthening of ties between the two countries based on mutual respect.
He alluded to EU's position in the aftermath of the events of September 11 and said that EU has always distinguished between policies that purport to fight terrorism and others that aim to sow discord between the Muslims and non-Muslims or wage crusade.
EU believes that those who think they can make peace by waging war are in mistake, Michel underlined.
He also handed an invitation from Belgian Prime Minister Guy Vehoftstadt to President Khatami to visit Brussels.
Welcoming the invitation, Khatami said that he will visit Belgium at an opportune time.
Michel arrived in Tehran Tuesday morning for a two-day visit to discuss trade between Iran and the European Union.
Belgium attaches high importance to Iran in its foreign policy and is determined to expand its ties with the Islamic Republic in all economic, political, regional and international fields, Michel said.
Michel will leave Tehran on Thursday for Georgia.
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