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Kharrazi says Iran-US distrust has increased |
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Tehran, Oct 27, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said here Sunday that despite a slight change of tone in US rhetoric toward Iran recently, the two countries remained at odds as before even with a more distrust existing between them. "Since Afghanistan events and American way of behavior towards Iran after them, distrust (between Iran and US) has increased. We have however noticed a change in the American tone, but this does not mean problems between the two countries have been resolved," he said during a joint news conference with Swiss Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss. The two foreign ministers also ruled out speculation that Deiss may have been carrying a message from the US government in his visit, stressing that the trip was only aimed at bolstering ties between Tehran and Bern. "Mr. Deiss is visiting as the foreign minister of Switzerland and not as the representative of America," Kharrazi said, adding "differences between Iran and America are still remaining and no effective step has been taken". Tehran and Washington have held no diplomatic relation since Iranian students' storming of the American embassy here, known as the den of espionage, in 1979 and holding its workers hostage for 444 days. Switzerland has been taking charge of American interests in Iran since then. US President George W. Bush raised heckles in the world after he lumped Iran into an 'axis of evil' along with North Korea and Iraq, despite Tehran's cooperation in the ouster of Taliban in Afghanistan. Deiss said Tehran and Bern held common stances on the fight against terrorism and that Switzerland is opposed to unilateral American action against Iraq which Washington accuses of hiding its weapons of mass destruction from the UN inspectors. The Swiss government believes that any action must be carried out under the UN auspices and it is opposed to unilateral American moves, he said, adding Iraqis must also cooperate with the United Nations on a peaceful settlement of the crisis. Kharrazi rejected an alleged press report, citing him as saying that Iran may assist opposition Iraqi groups in a move to oust Saddam Hussein. "This news is totally unfounded. We are basically opposed to a war and think that the Iraqi problem must be resolved through diplomatic ways and when our position is a total rejection of any military operation, there remains no room for such talks," he said. Deiss pointed to his government's measures in the anti-terror campaign, including its approval of a law to freeze "illegal" funds of suspected terror groups in Swiss banks. "We are responsible to be very active against terrorists and prevent them from operating," he said. |
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