Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini once again reiterated the scientific nature of the Tehran international conference on the Holocaust, stressing that prosecution of attendees will be a blatant violation of the freedom of speech.
Speaking to local and foreign reporters in his weekly press conference here on Sunday, Hosseini reminded that all the participants were among renowned thinkers, experts and scholars, who had conducted extensive research on the subject of the Holocaust.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has already announced that the meeting was not aimed at rejecting or admitting the Holocaust and that it was just meant to open an unrestricted atmosphere for experts, thinkers, researchers and scholars,” he reminded.
Hosseini referred to the reaction of the European Union to the international Tehran conference on the Holocaust, and said, “Some western countries through their media have, unfortunately, endeavored to poison the atmosphere in a bid to accuse Iran of having preconceived and biased ideas.”
Asked about prosecution of the participants in the Holocaust conference by some western countries, he reiterated that any prosecution and interrogation of the attendees is a blatant violation of human rights and in direct contradiction with the claims of the western countries concerning their respect for democracy and freedom of speech.
In response to the question as to why Iran embraces danger under the present critical conditions concerning its nuclear issue, the spokesman said, “We adopt our stances and make our moves in full conformity with our religious and national values and principles, and holding the Holocaust conference falls within the same spectrum.”
“You may raise logical issues which are undesirable to western countries. Under such circumstances, they start launching wide-scale propaganda against you. Attention here must be paid to the very fact that the Holocaust conference in Tehran was arranged to find answers to two or three simple and logical questions, and it was right after these simple questions that the western media started their extensive propaganda against Iran,” he continued.
Hosseini further pointed to the country’s nuclear issue as among the best examples in this regard, saying, “Statements of the Islamic Republic officials about the nuclear issue are all based on human, legal and logical principles and rights and are in full accordance with the international rules and regulations, but you may witness how they treat such a logical approach.”
He reiterated that the other side is not willing to communicate with Tehran through logic, and mentioned, “They do not accept your points or refuse to attend talks even when the other side makes clear points through reasoning and asks for a fully logical discussion of any given subject.”
As to the country’s nuclear issue, the diplomat viewed negotiation as the best solution to remove the existing ambiguities in Iran’s nuclear activities, and said that some western countries led by the US are treating the case through an illogical approach.
He criticized the group 5+1 for resorting to the Security Council measures, and called for the return of Iran’s case to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reminding that the UNSC members do not share close stances.
The foreign ministry spokesman emphasized that his country’s peaceful nuclear activities comply with the international rules and regulations, and added, “We will continue with our peaceful nuclear activities.”
He further reiterated that his country’s nuclear activities are in full conformity with the international rules and regulations, and stated that Tehran may not give up its nuclear activities even if the UN issues resolutions or imposes sanctions against Iran.
Elsewhere, Hosseini pointed to the 6th meeting of Iran-Russia joint economic commission and Krienko’s visit to Tehran, and said, “The two sides endorsed an agreement with 17 articles in the spheres of energy, transportation, technical and industrial cooperation, tourism and health, while the two countries’ cooperation in the field of peaceful civilian nuclear energy was discussed in a meeting between the heads of the Iranian and Russian atomic energy organizations.”
He reminded that the dispatch of a 70-member delegation by Russia indicates the two countries’ resolve to further expand and deepen relations.
The spokesman also noted Mottaki’s visit to Kazakhstan to attend the 8th meeting of the two countries’ joint economic cooperation commission and said that the trip has motivated a fresh leap in Iran-Kazakhstan relations in all the various grounds.
Stating that the two states’ trade exchanges amounted to $900 m in 2005, he anticipated that the figure would increase to $1.5b by the end of the current year.
The diplomat said that Mottaki has covered such issues as joint ventures for the construction of a refinery in Iran’s Neka region and a petrochemical complex in Kazakhstan, opening of Iran’s Consul General in Kazakhstan’s port city and province of Aqtau, opening of Kazakhstan’s Consul General in the northern city of Gorgan and increase in the swap of oil and gas.
Asked if Iran has felt a change in the United States’ views and approaches towards the Islamic Republic, he pointed to the contradictory statements uttered by different US officials in this regard, and reminded that Tehran has already stated its preconditions for attending talks with the US.
“We have announced that this is the United States’ official stance in the face of the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq which should be clarified and communicated first,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman underlined.
