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A SHOWPIECE SUMMIT hosted by Iran stumbled as soon as it opened today when the head of the UN pressed Tehran on its nuclear stand, and Egypt’s new leader publicly sided with Syria’s opposition.
The double challenge, before the leaders and delegates of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement, upset Iran’s plans to portray the two-day summit as a diplomatic triumph over Western efforts to isolate it.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened the event with a speech blasting the United States as a hegemonic meddler and Israel as a regime of “Zionist wolves.”
He also stated that his country “is never seeking nuclear weapons” and accused the UN Security Council, under US influence, of exerting an “overt dictatorship” over the world.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who looked irritated at Khamenei’s remarks, shot back that Iran should boost global confidence in its nuclear activities by “fully complying with the relevant (UN) Security Council resolutions and thoroughly cooperating with the IAEA,” the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
He warned about the current state of bellicose rhetoric coming from Israel and Iran, saying “a war of words can quickly spiral into a war of violence.”
Egypt’s new President Mohamed Morsi, making the first visit to Iran by an Egyptian head of state since the 1979 Islamic revolution in turn embarrassed his hosts by voicing support for the opposition in Syria, which is fighting the Damascus regime unwaveringly backed by Iran.
“The revolution in Egypt is the cornerstone for the Arab Spring, which started days after Tunisia and then it was followed by Libya and Yemen and now the revolution in Syria against its oppressive regime,” Morsi said.
That contradicted the line put out by Damascus and Tehran, which assert that the Syrian uprising is a “terrorist” plot masterminded by the United States and regional countries.
Morsi’s address prompted a walkout by the Syrian government delegation and drew a sharp response from Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who accused the Egyptian leader of inciting further bloodshed in Syria.
Iran’s state media failed to mention the contentious parts of Ban and Morsi’s speeches in their coverage of the summit.
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Iran wants everyone to believe they have no plans to develop nuclear weapons yet won’t cooperate with IAEA inspections, well you can’t have your yellow cake and eat it too.
What about Israels 400 nukes ? I mean i am sick of people lambasting Iran , they have every right to develop Nuclear Power as they are signed up to the NPT , something the State of Israel is not signed up to , secondly if i was Iran i would develop Nuclear Weapons as a deterrent because the are being surrounded by threats of invasion , the though that Iran will get a Nuclear Weapon and fire it straight from the production line at Israel is absolute bull, Israel’s ally the US has over 5000 nukes , Israel has over 400 by all accounts , Iran has plenty of oil, a huge cultural society , why would they commit suicide ? This western propaganda is really getting annoying , Iran is not going to attack Israel because it would be plain suicide , they know it and the US and Israel know for sure….jesus will they just let people alone for god’s sake !!
Iran has been subjected to more terrorist attacks than all the other countries combined. Look at all the assinations of Iranian scientists. If I was to start branding the term terrorism around I would use it re Israel and US. Look at the evidence. Stop listening to the rhetoric.
Ok, I’ll stop lambasting Iran for their pursuit of nuclear weapons, though no one has suggested that they would use their first one in a suicidal first strike, but what I will not stop doing is point out that Iran will not leave my brothers and sisters in the LGBT community and continues its campaign of murder, torture and oppression against them for the benefit of someone who enjoys their full civil rights in nice, safe, neutral Ireland.
Now go on Johnnathan, accuse be of being a western dupe brainwashed by Yankee zionist imperialist propaganda like you do to anyone who disagrees with you.
I wont accuse you of anything David, just pointing some facts that some people have trouble digesting for some reason , you talk about torture ? America is torturing on a daily basis in Guantanamo Bay , they pretty much destroyed Iraq , Libya and Afghanistan on a pack of lies, sprayed enough depleted Uranium all over Iraq to keep them poisoned for the next billion years , but that is ok , they are so-called democracy , which can not do any wrong !!
But David the US, UK , FRANCE , ISRAEL…..are saying there are going to use the first one because they want to bomb their NUCLEAR FACILITY , i mean how crazy is that ? Bombing a Nuclear reactor which the consequences of such an act could be catastrophic for the Iranian people !!
Anything good on foxnews? Havent had my fill of western propaganda today.
So the Qods Force or the Basij have never tortured anyone or do you only condem torture when its practiced by the US and UK?
David, are you trying to justify one nation commuting torture just because another nation does it?
No, but if you read though the whole tread, you’d realise that’s what Johnnathan was saying and I was calling him out on it.
Is anyone surprised that Morsi is opposed to Shia Iran and Assad’s Shia led Syria? The media seem to be… He’s a Sunni and affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood for the last two decades. The Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni dominated organisation. I reckon that Morsi wants to see Egypt gain regional hegemony rather than a Shia state such as Iran – even if it means jumping into bed with the Saudis. How else can he criticize Syria’s response to the uprising but not condemn the Saudi and Bahraini reactions to their own protests?
Hopefully Morsi and Egypt can gain some regional influence and pursue peaceful changes in the Arabian peninsula so there is not a repeat of Syria and Libya. Up ’til now, as soon as the western powers stuck their noses in, things got much more violent. Another benefit of an Egyptian hegemony would be that he might be able to keep Israel under control.
My worry is that the Muslim Brotherhood are a conservative Islamic organisation that lists Sharia law and Quranic teachings as goals. To enforce that even harder and further across the Middle-East and Maghreb would be a step backwards. Hopefully Morsi turns out to be more liberal than his affiliated organisation.
How come the article mentioned nothing about Pakistans Foreign Minster coming out and stating that US drone attacks were unlawful, illegal and unhelpful. The Foreign Minister asked again that the stone strikes be stopped. Is that not terrorism by the US on Pakistan, a soveirgn state? Who is the US to talk of terrorism. What about the former IAEA inspector coming out and critiquing Western Intelligence re Irans nuclear programme.
Question can someone name the only country that dropped Atomic Bombs on a defenseless people and sent in a team not to help those innocent people but to survey how the radiation affected human beings ? Historical fact !!
For the red thumbers , do you not know the answer ? I will leave you in suspense !!
Does anyone know the answer ? I am still waiting and kinda shocked that no one seems to know the answer..wow !!
Anyone else who you hold the actions of their grandparents against them?
After recently visiting Vietnam, I really don’t see how the Americans can call anyone a terrorist !! Even though it’s old news they still destroyed millions of lives by using agent orange in Vietnam. They then paid their own war vets compensation for the effects agent orange had on them and any of their children but still refuse to compensate a single Vietnamese citizen! For such a young nation their arrogance in thinking that the rest of the world needs their help is outstanding!
Very well said Kevin !!
Iraq pretext “weapons of mass destruction”
Syria pretext ” chemical weapons”
Iran pretext ” nuclear weapons”
it’s the same BS because the fluoridated zombie masses who actually believe associated press believe the lies. 30 mins of research will prove this is all propaganda.
After November id stay well away from the Middle East.
yip. And dont fly this Sept either going by the web.
What’s that about Jason?
Sounds like dinner at my house, he done this, she said that,
Morsi backing Syrian ‘rebels’ and talking of oppression. Members of Christianity are being forced out of Egypt because of oppression there. Morsi has just sought a loan from IMF aswell so he is and will forever be a puppet for US.
Mercenaries I think is the word your looking for. Funded by the west. Do a little research and get back to me
NATO openly support al quada and fund their “rebellion”. The “rebels” are al quada. are these not the same guys who flew planes into the WTC, bombed London and who this war on terror is against. Also it’s ok when rebels take a mans family hostage and force him to drive a truck filled with explosives into a government check point.
No serious person agrees with that. al-Qaeda type groups are part of the opposition, but only part of it.
Petr what defines a serious person ? Someone who believes nothing but the official government line ? Like the official government line on Iraq ? Or the official government line on Libya ?
Johnnathan, you seem fine to take the official line of the government of Iran.
@david have you been around the last ten years ? The war in Iraq was based in utter lies and fabrications by security agencies, this is an historical fact !! so what is problem ? Have you trouble processing this or what ?
I’m well aware of the fabrication’s used to justify the war in Iraq, that’s not what we’re talking about though but nice try changing the subject. But might I suggest to you that their are more Intelligence agencies on Earth then the CIA and MI6, the Qods Force for example.
@david i am not changing the subject , this is absolutely relevant , if a car sales man sold you a car that was not exactly what he said it was , would you buy another car off that sales man ?
“I’m well aware of the fabrication’s used to justify the war in Iraq” so you just have made my pint for me !! Do you think this was a one time thing ?
Point i mean sorry lol, i have a cool pint on my mind
I don’t see how the untrustworthiness of the US government relates to the trustworthiness of the Iranian government. Just because one car salesman sells you a lemon doesn’t mean his chief competitor won’t do the same.
Don’t bother wasting your time David – Johnnathan, George and PeopleofIreland have a long history of dismissing every information stream coming from the west as evil imperialist lies and propaganda and championing everything coming from Russia/Syria/Iran/China (delete as appropriate) as being a true and accurate picture of the struggle of the downtrodden masses against the evils of the west.
Most sensible people (or serious people, to quote Petr) recognise that all sides engage in propaganda and the real truth lies somewhere in between the stories being pushed by either side.
And that’s an ever increasing problem, Mattoid. It seems there’s no unbiased news outlets left. I like the journal when they compose their own articles and reports but unfortunately for many world stories they repeat the propaganda from the AP (and to a lesser extent AFP) because they don’t have anybody overseas to do first hand reports.
shite n I just got a job doing a road sweeper in iraq. ppl calm down please n just blame the americanz .. r the french..lol
George, johnathon and Barry- the troika of misinformation and distortion on the middle east. I see petr is changing his tune.
How have I changed my tune, Declan?
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