Mottaki asks for West's constructive interaction with Iran
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Jan 31, IRNA
Mottaki-Iran-EU
IRI Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki here on Monday asked for constructive interaction of the West with Iran.
Mottaki who arrived in London on Monday to take part at an international conference on reconstruction of Afghanistan added, "We believe the British Foreign Secretary Mr. Jack Straw's recent remarks in which he confirmed that some European countries have adopted erroneous stands in their interactions with Iran is regarded as a step forward."
He added, "I hope those remarks would be in line with Europe's intention to correct its past policies and to acquire a realistic understanding of the effective factors involved."
Iran's top diplomat said, "If that would be the case it would be manifested in the approach the Europeans would adopt in their next couple of days' talks with Iran regarding our nuclear program, and that would lead to the emergence of a constructive atmosphere for interactions with those countries."
The Islamic Republic of Iran's Foreign Minster reiterated that on the sidelines of the conference on reconstruction of Afghanistan that would take place on Tuesday and Wednesday he would hold talks with some permanent members of the IAEA Board of Governors in London.
Focussing on the subject of the conference, Mottaki said, "Afghanistan is Iran's neighbor and the developments in that country leave their effects on Afghanistan's neighbors, and are of special importance for Iran."
He added, "During the past twenty-seven years our people and different governments have kept on assisting the Afghan nation despite the severe conditions with which our country has been entangled." Mottaki added, "The gathering five years ago in Bonn was a beginning for declaration of the international will to assist the process of reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iran, too, as a dynamic member of the International community in Tokyo Conference that convened shortly after Bonn gathering, accepted a $560 million commitment for the purpose."
The Iranian Foreign Minster added, "The last phase of that assistance would be allocated during the current Christian year and Iran would allocate another $50 million to the reconstruction during the first three years of the year 2007 within defined projects." Mottaki said, "At London Conference such discussions as the declared amounts, unmet assistance promises, and renewed will of the participants for reconstruction of Afghanistan would be discussed and the Islamic Republic of Iran would, keeping in mind its concerns, declare its viewpoints on the issue."
He considered campaign against narcotic drugs plantation and trafficking as one of the most important discussions to be pursued n talks on Afghanistan reiterating, "Iran believes the traders of death need to be confronted effectively."
According to Mottaki, Iran is the first threshold of the narcotic drugs manufactured in Afghanistan and that is the reason why it has so far invested huge amounts of human and monetary assets in campaign against that ugly phenomenon.
He added, "Afghanistan has left behind the 'government-building' phase now and the Islamic Republic of Iran insists that the Afghan military and disciplinary forces must be ready now to take control of ensuring that country's security."
The Iranian Foreign Minister added, "That would be the prelude to evacuation of the foreign forces from Afghanistan within a time schedule."
He added, "Under the current conditions the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan all by itself contributes to deteriorating that country's security and the entire region."
Mottaki said, "Iran's stand on the need for evacuation of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the entire region is quite clear and I hope these viewpoints would be heeded at London Conference." 2329/1771
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