Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki condemned the recent crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Beit Hanoun in Gaza, and stressed that adoption of such measures will not help to the survival of the Israeli regime.
Speaking in a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud al-Zehar here on Tuesday, Mottaki said that during the talks, the two sides have studied the latest developments in Palestine and the region.
He also said that al-Zehar has briefed him about the recent Arab League Foreign Ministerial meeting in Cairo as well as the latest political developments pertaining to the formation of a national consensus government.
Mottaki further stated that the two sides have strongly condemned the recent crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Lebanon and Palestine, particularly in Beit Hanoun which resulted in the death and wounding of 80 Palestinians mostly women and children.
Stressing that the Zionist regime can not survive through adopting such inhuman measures, he also reminded that Israeli allies have been faced with frequent political and international defeats, in the Middle-East region in particular.
Elsewhere, the Iranian foreign minister voiced Tehran’s full support for the Palestinian nation and resistance, and termed similar support by other Islamic and Arab states as well as international bodies a necessity.
He said Iran also backs up decisions adopted by the participants in the recent Arab League summit, stating that the Islamic Republic will also follow up on the case and elaborate on its stances and view points in the upcoming foreign ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah.
As to the issue of Iraq, the top diplomat said that a study of the reasons underlying the failure of the force-centered and unilateral policies of the US sets the top agenda for the meeting, stressing that a change of conditions in Iraq requires a change of approach and performance by actors in that country.
Asked about negotiations with the US, the Foreign Minister underscored that Tehran has never requested to enter negotiations with the US.
Pointing to the recent statements by the US president George W. Bush rejecting British prime minister Tony Blair’s request for negotiations with Iran over Iraq’s question and making such negotiations conditional on the suspension of enrichment activities by Iran, Mottaki reminded, “In the past, the Americans had asked for negotiations and when the request was repeated by the Iraqi officials, Iran accepted to enter negotiations merely for the purpose of assisting the Iraqi nation.”
He also added that Iran cancelled talks due to the offensive attitude of the Americans and the kind of propaganda they pursued to launch on the case.
“Iran has not adopted any new decision concerning the matter,” he continued.
Responding to the question how Iran could be inclined to study an offer for talks with a country which is considered as an arch enemy and has called for the imposition of sanctions on the Islamic Republic, Mottaki pointed out that foreign ministry studies all the proposals it receives, and reminded, “Studying a proposal does not at all mean accepting it.”
“That we study the offer for direct talks with the US does not mean that we have adopted a positive decision in that regard,” he concluded.
