| |
Tehran, Feb 16, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on Sunday that Iraq's neighboring states should engage in consultations on the common concern about the crisis that may engulf the region.
"Our efforts are focused on finding a way to stem war. These efforts will continue. In the region all nations oppose war and unilateralism. Europe has also similar attitude," Kharrazi said.
Asked about the current visit to Tehran of Human Rights Watch, Kharrazi said that the visit should be regarded as a new development adding that the Europeans were used to issuing resolutions against Iran, but, they concluded that such resolutions were futile and took up dialogue with Iran.
"We welcome the dialogue. Of course dialogue provides opportunity to express ourselves and put emphasis on the Islamic values and dignity of human being. Different (human rights) groups who have visited Iran so far have admitted that they had made prejudgment about Iran and they have reached the points of their mistakes during their stay," he said.
He categorically rejected as a series of propaganda campaign the anti-Iran allegations by CIA chief George Tenet about the presence of al-Qaeda members who had crossed into Iran from the porous borders with Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda, by nature, has fundamental contradiction with Iranian system of government, Kharrazi said.
He also denied a rumor expressed by a reporter about presence of Osama Ben Laden's son in Iran and said Iran had already arrested over 500 suspects who illegally entered Iran from Afghanistan and sent them back to their own countries.
"If such a rumor (be) true, no doubt, we will arrest him (Ben Laden's son)," he said.
Asked by a reporter about Turkish plan to set up security strip around northern Iraq, Kharrazi said Iran doesn't agree with such plan since Iran respects Iraqi territorial integrity and believes that entry into Iraq of military force would cause new difficulty endangering regional interests.
Responding to a question about his talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, Kharrazi said, "We advised the Iraqi government to fully cooperate with the UN inspectors. They promised to do so as was clear in the report made to the Security Council by UN chief inspector Hans Blix and IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei (on Friday)."
On Iranian program for civilian application of nuclear energy, he said that the government has decided to use nuclear energy for generating electricity under supervision and expertise assistance of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran uses an estimated at 2.5 million barrels of oil per day for generating electricity for domestic consumption and is looking for substitute energy to produce cost-effective electricity, Kharrazi said.
"Iran has transparent program to apply nuclear energy for peaceful use. Iran has no plan to produce nuclear arms and believes that the entire Middle East should become nuclear free zone," Kharrazi said.
"All Iranian nuclear facilities are being monitored by the IAEA and the agency's cameras are being installed over all Iranian nuclear sites," he said.
On possibility of influx of Iraqis into Iranian border areas, Kharrazi called on all humanitarian agencies to make preparations to help alleviate such a human sufferings on time.
Home
|
|
