Iran Will Not Give Into Western Demands: Turkish Politician

Ankara, Dec 17, IRNA – Iran will not bend toward western demands, Chairman of Turkey Saadat Party, Mustafa Kamalak said here Friday. He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA. “The existential philosophy of the West is based on aggression,” Kamalak added. He noted that the West is not honest in his support for democracy and its hostility against the popular 1979s’ revolution of Iran is an example of it. “The US request for the return of its spy drone refers to its arrogant nature,” the Turkish politician added. “Turkey's stand against Syria is not in line with its national interests, since separating the Muslim countries from each other is an old policy of the West, which is trying to make difference among regional countries; Muslims should get united against western plots” he concluded. Iranian revolutionary Guards, IRGC, displayed an aircraft recently that they said was a US spy drone downed last week in an 'electronic ambush,' a feat that prompted boasts of Iranian technological prowess in the face of increased hostility from the west. The Iranian state television, IRIB, used its main newscast to unveil the drone, identified as stealth RQ-170 Sentinel made by Lockheed Martin. The drone was shown in a video at an undisclosed location where two men in military fatigues could be seen walking around it. The belly of the plane was covered with banners saying, 'We'll trample America underfoot' and the late Imam Komeni's famous quote 'The US cannot do a damn thing.' Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the aerospace division of Islamic Revolution's Guard Corps (IRGC), told state television that the drone was downed by a joint operation of IRGC and the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army. 'After entering the country's eastern space, the plane was caught in an electronic ambush by the armed forces, and it was downed on the land with the minimum damage,' Hajizadeh said. He said that the drone is equipped with advanced systems for gathering electronic, visual and telecommunication information and possesses various radar systems. US officials said that while they have enough information to confirm that Iran does have the wreckage, they are not sure what the Iranians will be able to gain technologically from what they found. According to these officials, the US built up the air base in Shindand, Afghanistan, with an eye to keeping a long-term presence there to launch surveillance missions and even special spy missions into Iran if deemed necessary in the future. The RQ-170 is one of the more sensitive surveillance platforms in the CIA's fleet. RQ-170 drones have been used in stealth missions into the airspace of other nations, including Pakistan, where surveillance was conducted for months on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbotabad, Pakistan before he was killed in a US raid in May. The relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkey have been generally peaceful. Today Iran and Turkey cooperate in a wide variety of fields that range from fighting terrorism, drug trafficking, and promoting stability in Iraq and Central Asia. Iran and Turkey also have very close trade and economic relations. Both countries are part of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Turkey receives many Iranian tourists each year and economically benefits from Iranian tourism./end