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US should learn from past mistake, says Iranian ambassador

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Jan 20, IRNA - Iran`s Ambassador to Britain, Mohammad Hossein 
Adeli, warned Thursday that the US should learn that waging war and 
disrespecting allies only create tension and distrust with other 
countries. 
"The US should take lessons from its past mistakes and adopt more 
responsible attitude to have a more multilateral approach to world 
issues," the ambassador said. 
"Waging war against Muslims and disrespecting and ignoring the 
allies, including the Europeans, cause tension, instability, a less 
secure world and create an ocean of mistrust between the US and rest 
of the world," he told BBC radio`s Today programme. 
Adeli suggested that continuing such unilateral policy would "not 
do any good to the American image and American cause" around the 
globe. 
With regard to Iran, he said that Washington was continuing to 
make "false accusations" about its nuclear programme that was not 
supported by any evidence. 
Asked about reports that the US may be considering launching 
military strikes against Iran, the ambassador said, "Once they become 
serious, we will respond." 
"Every nation is entitled to have sophisticated technology (to 
develop nuclear power) but it should observe the international 
conventions and legal system put in place," he said. 
Adeli said that in Iran`s case it was "acting within the NPT 
(Non-Proliferation Treaty," was respecting all its international 
commitments and exercising its rights. 
"Why should we not have an alternative source of energy?" he 
rhetorically asked. "What is the reasons other nations have it and 
why out nation doesn`t have it?" he said. 
The envoy said that oil and fossil fuels were exhaustible sources 
of energy and that even the Kyoto protocol for a safer environment 
recommended an energy mix, including using nuclear technology. 
Questioned about claims that Iran may be trying to develop nuclear
weapons, he told the BBC to refer to successive resolutions made by 
the International Atomic Energy Agency, which "clearly said there has 
not been any evidence." 
Iran is committed to cooperating with the IAEA and some level of 
trust had developed that led to cooperation with the European Union 
that enabled both sides to be involved in negotiations, Adeli said. 
He accepted that Iran had disagreements with the US, but insisted 
disagreement with the US did not mean the Islamic Republic supported 
terrorism as has been claimed by some Washington officials. 
Iran itself was a "victim of terrorism" and had a "very good 
record" in fighting terrorism, the ambassador said. In the case of 
al-Qaeda, Iran had suffered from having 10 of its diplomats killed in 
Kabul, he said. 
He revealed that Iran`s record in the international campaign 
against terrorism over the last 18 months included delivering "some 
very important" members of al-Qaeda to such countries as Britain, 
France, Norway and Saudi Arabia. 
HC/1416