BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER LEFT IRAN WITH A LESSON OF CIVILISATION
TEHRAN 25 Sept. (IPS) Iran's President Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami gave Tuesday a lesson of Iranian civilisation when he observed to visiting British Foreign Minister Jack Straw that although the American administrations had been "at best indifferent about terrorist operations in Iran (at the hands of the Baghdad-based, Iraqi supported and financed and trained Mojahedeen Khalq Organisation) the Iranians instead acted differently and had expressed their sympathetic feelings with bereaved Americans in the tragic incidents that stroke America".
"Iran fully understands the feelings of the Americans about he terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11", President Khatami told Mr. Straw, who was in Tehran Tuesday to brief the Iranians on the American plans for fighting international terrorism.
"Hojatoleslam Khatami said the Sept 11 incidents in New York and Washington had tolled the bells for the world and alarmed the humanity at large, and reminded that ill-wishers were out to exploit the tragic incident as a reason for confrontation of civilisations and cultures and to portray a truly peaceful Islam that has love for all humans as being a phenomenon inherently against the West", the official news agency IRNA reported from the meeting.
Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security met under the presidency of Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i to discuss Mr. Straw’s mission in Iran.
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi cut his meeting with his British guest to attend the SCNS session, at which also took place President Khatami, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the Chairman of the powerful nation’s Expediency Council and Hojjatoleslam Hasan Rohani, the Council’s Secretary.
During the meeting, the leader gave some indications, IRNA said, without giving any information about the "guidelines".
At a joint conference with his Iranian counterpart, Mr. Straw described as "historic" his short visit to the Iranian capital and as "very constructive" his talks with Iranian leaders. "W had discussed views on human rights, economic relations and regional developments", Mr. Straw said.
Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Straw said Tehran and London shared a consensus on condemning the recent terrorist attacks in the U.S., and cautioned about future threats in case such and similar attacks remain unanswered.
Straw said it was clear that Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organization are behind the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., and reiterated that U.S. officials had promised to provide more information and documents on their involvement in those attacks.
He stressed the need to take a military and a political action against terrorists based on an international unanimity.
Straw said that what is of profound importance is that government in Afghanistan be changed. He reiterated that Britain would help Afghanistan's neighbors reconstruct their economic infrastructure.
But the Iranian President said that even though adequate evidence in proof of the criminality of one or a group of persons should be secured and presented, that would not "warrant confrontation with innocent nations".
"Once the people responsible for the attacks have been singled out beyond reasonable doubt, the world governments would obviously be ready to get tough with the criminals", he assured, adding that Iran has repeatedly said that catastrophes should not be responded by catastrophes.
Iranians also told Mr. Straw that they consider the United Nations to be the best competent forum to address the issue of terrorism and commented that the European Union and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had also a big role to play in the fight against world terrorism.
President Khatami said the 11 September incidents in New York and Washington "should not be allowed to be connected with irrelevant incidents" in other parts of the world such as those in the occupied Palestine, referring to Iranian claims that hard line Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is using the attacks on the US to expand its "aggression" over the Palestinian people.
However, Mr. Straw provoked the Iranians when he said Israel also suffers from terrorism, adding that Israel had also the right to live in peace in the region, acknowledging "there was a difference of opinion between him and Kharrazi over the issue of Israel.
In Iranian definition of terrorism, bombing of public places in Israel by Palestinian suicide terrorists and killing Israeli citizens is not an act of terrorism, but "heroism" from Islamists fighting for the liberation of their land, observers noted.
"Israel had suffered just as much from terrorism", the British Foreign Minister said, reiterating that London opted for co-operating with the President of the Palestinian Authority Yaser Arafat to implement the Mitchell-Tenet plan.
"Care must be taken not to divide the world and not to pit world civilisations against each other", said Kharrazi. "The Zionist regime must not tarnish the image of Muslims ... rather, the recent incidents must be turned into an opportunity to launch a 'relentless assault' on terrorism", he added, according to IRNA.
Mr. Straw also reiterated that he was carrying no message from the Americans for the Iranians.
Asked if the current crisis would provide an opportunity for Iran and the U.S. to improve ties, Kharrazi said Tehran-Washington ties had "its own complexity", adding that once Washington's hostile policies towards Tehran are changed, and Washington takes the initiative to establish relations based on mutual respect and equality, then Tehran will be ready to review its ties with the U.S.", the Iranian Foreign Minister said, repeating the old Iranian conditions for normalising relations with Washington. ENDS IRAN BRITAIN STRAW 25901