Rohani: Wisdom, Moderation To Guide My Gov’t In Every Field

New York, Sept 28, IRNA -- During my tenure in office as president, moderation and wisdom will guide my government in making and implementing policies in every field, the Iranian president said in New York Thursday night. Rohani further told a gathering convened by Asia Society and the Council on Foreign Relations in New York that “Win-lose approaches to international relations have already lost ground,” according to the Asia Society website. President Rohani also said that his government would leave no stone unturned while seeking a mutually acceptable solution to the nuclear impasse. He committed to resolve any “reasonable questions” on Iran’s nuclear program. The president described the dedication of the Iranian people to protecting their right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, but underscored his commitment to resolve concerns — the sooner the better.” At the conclusion of the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif gave a briefing of his “good and substantive” meeting with G5+1 foreign ministers to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. He said that the ministers had “agreed to jumpstart the process, so we could move forward with a view to agreeing first on the parameters of the endgame” of negotiations. “I thought I was too ambitious, bordering on naiveté,” he said, “but some of my colleagues want to do it faster.” Rohani made the appearance on the heels of a talk at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Asia Society President Josette Sheeran moderated a discussion with the president. “President Rohani stated his intention to fast-track a solution to the nuclear issue, while reiterating that his government will never give up the Iranian nation’s right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,” said Asia Society’s Vice President of Global Policy Programs Suzanne DiMaggio, an expert dialogue practitioner who leads Asia Society’s Iran Initiative. “For the first time in over three decades, the leadership of both Iran and the US appear to be in sync. Both also seem to recognize that the window of opportunity to make progress is small and both seem ready to seize the moment. Now the hard work begins.” Rohani celebrated the role of Asia Society and other institutions practicing public diplomacy, noting that initial steps in better relations between the United States and Iran “will likely have to be taken by the people.” President Rohani’s appearance continues Asia Society’s work to provide public forums for Asian leaders with the goal of furthering US-Asia relations, as well as a specific Asia Society Iran Initiative that brings Americans and Iranians into discussion about issues of interest to both countries. President Rohani also said that Iran I surveying the various dimensions of reconstructing the Islamic Republic’s bilateral and multilateral relations with the European and North American countries based on equal stands and mutual respect. He said that his government would spend intensive efforts to decrease, and even annihilate tensions in foreign relations and strengthen ties with Iran’s potential new partners around the globe. President Rohani all the same realistically stated, “Naturally, in order to achieve that end we need to reach consensus inside Iran and devise clear objectives, which we are trying to achieve.” He said that while trying to avoid aggressive encounters and conflicts, Iran would carefully preserve its interests in every field, adding, “Since we are living in a world that is getting increasingly inter-related and integrated, we believe the only way to effectively encounter the great challenges with which the mankind is entangled is active cooperation among world countries.” He said that in order to encounter these challenges effectively no single country and in segregation and all alone be successful, and the big world powers, too, are no exception to the rule, as they have realized the toughness of the task. President Rohani referred to the rapid growth of developing and newly emerged economic and their capability to fill the gaps with the advanced world, which means the economic productivity in them, is gaining over the comparative indexes in the advanced world. “In accordance with the existing evaluations, it is possible that the developing and newly emerged economies would by the year 2030 possess some 60% of the gross world product (GWP), while their share of the global economy was no larger than 40% in the year 2000,” said Rohani. “This would enable them to play more significant roles in world politics,” he concluded. “We believe cooperation in issues that have raised seep mutual concern and are of mutual interest for both sides, and setting them as the basis for greater work can be another beginning point, because this can lead to decreasing the existing tensions in the region. “In order to do that it is necessary to encounter the pressure groups, both in the United States and in the region, which are pursuing no objective, but keeping the atmosphere tense. These groups are after their goals which is deviating the world nations’ attention from the issues related to them, depriving Iran of the chance to improve its regional status, decreasing the chance for finding a way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue in a way to please both ends, and continue the Iran-US (antagonist) encounter.” He expressed deep regret that presently many countries in the region are entangled with serious internal and international problems and challenges that have consequences. He said that the Syrian human tragedy and the pains and sorrows of that nation in the course of the past 30 months are deeply sorrowful. “As the representative of a nation that has experiences the horror of chemical weapons’ usage I strongly condemn their usage in the ongoing conflict there.” “I am also deeply concerned about the appropriate atmosphere that is created in some regions in Syria for the growth and nurturing of extremist ideologies and the gathering of terrorists, which reminds us of the situation that existed in some Iranian border regions in 1990s. This is not only worrying for us, but also for many other countries. Solving that problem is in need for collective work of every one to find a sustainable political solution for the Syrian internal problem.” He also expressed hope for the diplomatic initiative which at least temporarily resolved the pending war threat over Syria, announcing Tehran’s readiness to contribute its share to problem solving there. He also warned everyone against getting involved in a zero sum game, like the suggestible proposal for every other issue. The Iranian president eventually spoke about the absolutely peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program and Tehran’s full readiness for proving this fact to the entire world and easing of the entire remaining related concern in the shortest possible time, resorting to good will and full transparency, “as I have promised to the Iranian nation in my election campaign.” After his address the Iranian president answered the questions posed by the audience./end