Respecting countries sovereignty, Iran's basic policy: FM spox

Tehran, April 16, IRNA – Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi late on Sunday reiterated Iran’s permanent and principled policy of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, rejecting allegations made against Iran in Arab League Summit’s closing statement. Deploring deeply over certain contents of the closing statement of the Arab League Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, he said that the statement also like the other ones repeated the alleged and futile claims and lies against the Islamic Republic once again, failing to find out causes of regional crises, as it ignores the realities on the ground. There a great hope that the summit would take positive steps in line with restoring stability and peace to the region, away from usual double standard policies, but the impacts of the Saudi destructive policies are evident in certain clauses of the statement, he said. Reiterating the Iranian origin of the Islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, Qasemi described certain countries’ efforts to distort and repetition of wrong claims as ‘flogging the dead horse’ and outdated and ineffective. He also condemned it as interference in Iran’s domestic affairs. What is the matter of regret is that certain Arab League member states are closing eyes to historic and geographical realities and ignoring sovereignty of the neighbors and not follow up rational policies, he said, noting that they are misspending Arab and Islamic countries’ potentials, which can be used in line with doing away with the regional crises, by misrepresenting undisputed historic realities. Iran has always insisted on maintaining convergence and mutual respect to the countries’ sovereignty and forging good neighborliness relations, expecting regional states to follow the suit and not to interfere in other countries’ affairs, Qasemi said, calling on them to place realism, interaction, logic, dialogue, good will and foresightedness top on their agenda. 1378/IRNA