Iran Favors All Nations Enjoy Justice, Freedom, Dignity

Tehran, Aug 16, IRNA – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Iran favors to see all the Muslim nations enjoy justice, freedom and dignity and have brotherly relations with them. Ahmadinejad, who is in Mecca to attend emergency meeting of member states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), made the remarks in a meeting with Tunisian President Muhammad Moncef al-Marzouki. Ahmadinejad congratulated him on his election as the new Tunisian president. The Iranian nation is pursuing economic development of Tunisia and is happy to see progress of the nation, he added. On its track to progress, the Tunisian nation will have internal problems and also obstacles created by the arrogant powers because they do not favor to see the progress of the Muslim and independent nations. The Iranian nation will stand by Tunisian government all the time and will consider them their religiously brother without taking into account their faith, Ahmadinejad said, noting that it is ready to make all its experience available to them. Describing Iran-Tunisia ties as excellent, he pointed out that Iran has no limits in developing relations with Tunisia. Referring to common stance of the two countries vis-à-vis regional developments, he said that both states will support national movements and believe that justice, freedom and respect are the rights of all the nations and nobody is entitled to deny them. As to the Syrian developments, he said that Iran has always favored dialogue and understanding in solving the country’s problems and rejected conflict and massacre by the warring parties. Today the enemies and NATO forces are trying to extend domination on all the Muslim nations, the president said, adding that this is while the reforms could take place in a friendly atmosphere not through hostile means. Stating that the enemies are trying to sow discord between the Shia and Sunni Muslims, Ahmadinejad added that Iran will support Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Palestine irrespective of their being Shia or Sunni affiliations. Characterizing the Zionist regime as the main foe of the regional nations, he said that independent and freedom-seeking nations are anti-Zionist because they have occupied Palestine, part of the Muslim nations’ land. It is the enemy of all the Muslim nations. Al-Marzouki, for his part, hailed Iran’s stance as brave toward the nations’ independence and dignity. Iran-Tunisia ties have always been brotherly and cordial, he noted, adding that his country opposes any threat to Iran and respects Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy. Elsewhere in his remarks, he underlined peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis and said that Tunisia announced in a meeting called ‘Friends of Syria’ held in Tunis that it opposes foreign interference in the Arab country’s internal affairs and favors national reconciliation to end the crisis. Tunisia will help Syria remain as a strong country in the Arab world, he said./end