Mmmmm... Vitriol! My favorite!
Iran has denied new American claims that it was harbouring terrorists, saying the United States was the one doing so in Iraq. "I reject the allegations," visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told reporters in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Uh huh, no way, not us, it’s...uh someone else. The U.S.!
"I believe it is the American administration which is harbouring terrorists because right now in Iraq there is an organisation called MKO, which are Iranian terrorists."
| They surrendered to us a month or so ago, and we've shut them down. Try again... |
Kharrazi was speaking at the conclusion of the seventh session of the bilateral commission between South Africa and Iran. He said there was nothing new about charges on Monday by US President George W Bush that Syria and Iran were guilty of supporting and harbouring terrorists.
meaning: yes we still are...nothing new here
Bush said it was time for all governments in the Middle East to support Israel and the Palestinians in their quest to end the conflict between them. "This includes the governments of Syria and Iran. Today, Syria and Iran continue to harbour and assist terrorism. This behaviour is completely unacceptable," Bush said. Kharrazi said on Tuesday: "Iran has not been harbouring terrorists, but has been fighting against terrorists."
| "You just don't notice it..." |
If Bush meant Iran was giving refuge to members of the al-Qaeda terrorists organisation, he was also missing the mark, Kharrazi said.
After all, one man’s terrorist is another man’s innocent Iranian citizen looking for democracy
"We have arrested many al-Qaeda members and those who have been associated with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. They have been sent back to their original countries or were imprisoned." Some were currently being prosecuted.
| If the are, why not tell us about it? |
In contrast, Kharrazi said, the US had signed a truce with Iranian terrorists in Iraq. "That is harbouring terrorists." Kharrazi said the MKO terrorists used to operate from Iraq against Iran under the regime of toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. "They are safeguarded there, they have their own mass media, and they are pretty active." This group was, moreover, listed as a terrorist body by the US, Kharrazi said.
| They also surrendered to us (he said, repeating himself) and we shut down their military operations... |
On the Middle East, he reiterated Iran’s pessimism about the road map peace plan, which has been endorsed by South Africa. "Naturally there are differences between us and South Africa," he said. "(But) if the South African people have succeeded in transferring the apartheid regime to a democracy... there is no reason why the people in the Middle East can’t do the same."
| "Or at least to some sort of Paleodemocracy..." |
South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who co-chaired the bilateral commission, said South Africa and Iran agreed that the Middle East conflict ought to be resolved, but differed on how this should be done. "How it should be done may be a matter of different nuances, but we both agree on where to go and how to go in principle," she said. In a statement after the bilateral commission, the two ministers said both sides recognised the right of the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny. They agreed to work together and to have regular consultations to promote just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Dlamini-Zuma denied that the statement amounted to a "glossing over" of major differences on the Middle East issue.
"No, no! We have many, many points of agreement. For instance, it is Tuesday..."
"Wednesday."
"Late Tuesday..."
"Wednesday." |
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