• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Kharrazi calls on UN to play leading role in Iraq

IRNA

Sarajevo, Sept 12, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi 
here Friday called on the United Nations to play a leading role in the
developments taking shape in Iraq. 
Kharrazi who was in Sarajevo on a one-day visit, said Iran would 
welcome any initiative by the United Nations to take the leading role 
in the neighboring Iraq. 
"What has been proposed by the United States till now in Iraq 
reveals the very fact that the United Nations is not playin the 
key part in the war-ruined Iraq but it is the United States that leads
the affairs there,"Kharrazi said. 
He said the unilateral action by the United States in Iraq would 
not settle the dilemmas facing the country and the best option is for 
the United States to leave the Iraqi affairs to the United Nations and
the international peacekeeping forces. 
In that case, Kharrazi said, the Iraqis would undertake proper 
measures to run the country`s affairs and prepare for a nationwide 
elections to choose the government they want. 
Commenting on his visit to Sarajevo, the foreign minister said 
expansion of the bilateral cooperation is the main aim of his visit. 
He said Tehran and Sarajevo are to develop the bialateral 
relations in all areas and in particular in the economic sector so 
that the economic condition of Bosnia would improve. 
Kharrazi said Bosnia`s economy has sustained great damage during 
the war and it is hoped that it would improve in the virtue of the 
measures taken. 
He said during his visit he had held talks with the Bosnian 
president, premiere, minister of foreign affairs and the parliamentary
officials on the ways and means to boost the mutual relations. 
Earlier in the day, Kharrazi and his Bosnian counterpart Mladen 
Ivanic signed an agreement on cooperation in cultural and scientific 
fields after which they participated in a joint press conference. 
Touching on Iran`s nuclear activities, the foreign minister 
stressed that Iran does not seek to produce atomic weapons, adding 
that Iran`s nuclear activities are just for peaceful objectives. 
He further said that nuclear weapons should be eradicated not 
only from the Middle East but also from all over the world. 
Kharrazi said that Iran played an important role in the campaign 
against terrorism in Afghanistan, and had begun its fight against the 
former regime of Taliban years before the US began to eradicate it. 
The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that if governments do not
use appropriate ways to fight terrorism, their move will certainly 
lead to strengthening of this sinister phenomenon. 
Ivanic expressed satisfaction over Kharrazi`s visit to Bosnia and 
said that mutual visits can have positive impacts on bolstering of 
bilateral ties. 
He referred to the existing grounds for enhancing economic 
relations, and said that exchange of visits by the two countries` 
trade and commercial delegations would be useful. 
Kharrazi, atop a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, 
arrived here on Wednesday at the last leg of his three-nation tour 
which had also taken him to Syria and Bulgaria. 
During his stay, Kharrazi held separate talks with the Bosnian 
premier, members of the Bosnian presidential council and the council 
of ministers, heads of the parliaments, his counterpart as well as 
the head of the Islamic Community of Sarajevo region. 
Kharrazi wrapped up his three-nation tour and returned home early 
Friday. 
HB/214 
End