Spokesman slams Bush’s anti-Iran claims at Bucharest Summit

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Wednesday blasted US President George W. Bush’s “antagonistic” claims on Iran’s missile capabilities and said the statements in Bucharest summit of the military alliance are examples of the US government’s “desperate and opportunistic” attempt to destabilize the Middle East region.

“The close and growing relations between Iran and its neighbors point to the fact that ongoing stability in the region has all components of peace and others’ interventionist and irrelevant measures cannot have a mere effect on it,” said Hosseini.

He said Iran’s military capability is defensive in nature and at service of regional stability and security.

“The interest of the neighboring states, especially Turkey, in having security cooperation with Iran and in launching joint campaign with the country against regional terrorism is the best testimony to the issue,” he added.

Hosseini went on to say that such “convulsive” policies pursued during presidency of the present US president will heighten political, security and economic tension worldwide, add up American’s increasing political and economic problems and provoke public opinion’s growing hatred of the US.

In a speech to the Bucharest meeting on missile defense, Bush claimed the plans to base the shield in NATO members Poland and the Czech Republic were critical to defending against a “real and, in my opinion , urgent” threat posed by nations such as Iran.

He claimed US intelligence shows that “with continued foreign assistance,” Iran could test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States and all of Europe “if it should choose to do so.”

 

 IRNA