Former Iranian President Urges Elimination of Weapons of Mass Destruction
07 September 2006
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has called for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
He answered questions from reporters at the Washington National Cathedral Thursday, as he continued a trip to the U.S.
Addressing Western concerns that Iran may be trying to build nuclear weapons, Mr. Khatami noted Iran is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and said Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Mr. Khatami is to give further remarks in Washington Thursday evening. He will speak on how the three Abrahamic religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - can work to promote peace.
Mr. Khatami is the most senior Iranian official to tour the United States since 1979, when Iranian radicals seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
The U.S. State Department said it is providing security for Mr. Khatami during his U.S. tour. A spokesman said the U.S. has offered such protection in the past to former high-ranking officials.
Mr. Khatami, considered a reformist by some, was Iran's president from 1997 until last year. He has been in the United States for about a week and will attend a United Nations conference in New York on Friday.
The State Department spokesman also said U.S. security personnel are working with officials and police in Massachusetts. Earlier this week, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said his state would not provide security for Mr. Khatami when he visits the Boston area Sunday.
Romney criticized Harvard University in the nearby city of Cambridge for inviting Mr. Khatami to speak. The governor said his visit is a disgrace to the memory of Americans who lost their lives at the hands of extremists.
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