US allegations baseless, unfounded: Iranian consul general
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, Feb 14, IRNA -- The consul general of Iran in Karachi on Monday dubbed the US allegations against Tehran`s peaceful nuclear program as "baseless and unfounded." The Iranian consul general was a guest at a private television channel program broadcast on Monday which focused on the Iran-US standoff. The Iranian diplomat, Seyed Mousa Husseini, made it clear that the US allegations against Iran were "totally baseless and unfounded." "We have declared that Iran is not after nuclear bombs. Therefore, we will not abandon our peaceful nuclear program," he maintained in his opening remarks at the talk show. The diplomat said that Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and would abide by it. Replying to a question, he said that Iran has been facing US pressure ever since the dawn of the Islamic Revolution, and added that US policies were not based on justice. "Considering itself as the only world superpower, America is in the habit of leveling baseless allegations against Iran and other countries. Therefore, President Seyed Mohammad Khatami has strongly made it clear that Iran`s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes," he noted. Tehran has repeatedly said that US allegations it is in the process of producing nuclear weapons has no basis in fact. The International Atomic Energy Agency`s inspectors have visited Iran`s nuclear facilities several times and have found no evidence of the production of nuclear weapons, Hosseini added. Regarding Iran-Pakistan relations, he said that both brotherly countries enjoy deep-rooted relations but that there was a need to expand cooperation at the government and private sector level. He expressed the hope that the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to Iran would help both sides achieve better results along these lines. Federal Government spokesman and Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was of the opinion that due to its bitter Iraq experience, the US would not take the dirty choice against Iran. The minister maintained that Pakistan was opposed to the use of force to resolve US-Iran differences, saying Islamabad would not like the region to be further plunged into a quagmire. "The region is in need of stability and, hopefully, the US will not repeat the mistake it committed in Iraq," he said. In reply to another question, he said Islamabad had very close relations with Iran and enjoyed good relations with the US. Pakistan Peoples` Party Information Secretary and ex-parliamentarian Syed Taj Haider termed the US "war of words" against Iran a part of its strategy to gain control on its natural resources. "This row is aimed at grabbing Iran`s resources. The US, by this way, wants to revive its economy. Therefore, it currently has forces in more than 50 countries," he pointed out. He said that Pakistan wanted peace and should play its role more actively but that peace was not in the interest of Washington. The politician proposed that regional countries should jointly build up a forum to work for peace and stability in this part of the world. Muttahida Majlis-e Amal`s senior leader, Senator Ghafoor Ahmed, commenting on the situation, said that the US was after the oil wealth of Islamic countries. The MMA is a prominent parliamentary alliance of religio-political parties. He said that Iran had rightly conveyed to the world community that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes and had nothing to do with the production of nuclear weapons. "Any attack on Iran will be taken as an attack on Pakistan," the veteran parliamentarian declared. The Muttahida Qoumi Movement (a government ally (party) in the Centre and in Sindh province) lawmaker Kanwar Khalid Younis cautioned that any military adventurism on Iran would have its repercussions on Pakistan as well. Referring to the statement that "Iran was Pakistan`s close friend" and Islamabad "also enjoyed good relations with the US," he said "a friend could be changed but a neighbor could not." The lawmaker then laid emphasis on warmer Iran-Pak relations. MHA/TSH/2321/1432
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