Rafsanjani: Iran Ready To Interact With The World

Tehran, Sept 10, IRNA -- Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to interact with the world. He made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Japanese special envoy to Iran Masahiko Komura and his entourage. “If the westerners give up bringing a variety of excuses, the ground for serious negotiations and reaching concrete agreements is well-prepared,” he said. The Iranian government and nation are ready to welcome mutual trust building and attend direct meeting without setting preconditions to save the time, he said. Referring to historical ties as well as ups and downs in Iran-Japan relations, it is incumbent upon the two governments to broaden cooperation and Japan is a big Asian economic power. He lambasted the western governments for imposing unfair and illegal economic sanctions against Iran. On Iranian nuclear dispute with the western governments, he said Iran pursues clearcut goals in line with Non-Proliferation Treaty and the IAEA Safeguards. “We explicitly declare that we are not opposing proliferation of nuclear weapons, and according to the edict of the Supreme Leader producing nuclear weapons is forbidden in Islam,” he said. The Islamic Republic of Iran calls for annihilation of weapons of mass destruction in the world, Rafsanjani underlined. He made it clear that the religious edict of the Supreme Leader is obligatory. He said that the International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible for providing Iran with technical know-how to make sure safety of Iranian nuclear sites which are systematically being monitored by cameras of the agency. On Syrian crisis, he said the report of UN inspectors about who carried out the chemical attack has not been declared therefore the hasty attempt of Washington and its allies may lead to a very critical situation in the region. Beating drums of war on Syria proves that the move is politically-motivated and has roots in their bullying nature in dealing with Syria, Rafsanjani said. The US unilateral action without coordination with the United Nations is regarded as violation of international law and the US warmongering nature, he said. He said that the UN report about circumstances of the chemical attack is not available yet and the US threats and bullying will backfire. The Japanese envoy, for his part conveyed the warm greetings of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who called for expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries. The Japanese envoy said that the Japanese government and the entire world expect that under the new circumstances created after the Iranian presidential election, the dispute with the western governments would be resolved by mutual respect. Given Iranian strategic status in the region, Komura said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has significant role in regional and global equations. Rafsanjani expressed the hope that the arbitrary sanctions on Iran would be removed by nuclear talks between Iran and G5+1./end