Talks Underway With UK To Extend Consular Service To Expatriates: FM

Tehran, Dec 12, IRNA – Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that relations between Tehran and London have not totally severed and negotiations are underway to extend consular services to Iranian expatriates living in the United Kingdom. He told a joint press conference with Namibian Foreign Minister Utoni Nujoma that the UK government made hasty decision by recalling its diplomats and requesting Iranian diplomats to leave London. He said that for centuries the UK government has a longstanding record of hostility to Iran so that the Iranian nation never saw a friendly attitude on the part of the UK. He said that the British government creates problems for Iran whenever it gets an opportunity. Salehi said that in the dispute created by Washington over Iranian nuclear program, the UK government turned out to be more 'Catholic than the Pope'. He termed the UK government's decision to declare sanctions on Central Bank of Iran as politically motivated, because, Iran had no banking relations with the UK for some time. 'I told the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague over phone when he called me to protest attack on the UK Embassy that it has been spontaneous reaction of a group of young students to the UK's unwise approach toward Iran over the past two centuries.' Salehi said that reaction of the Iranian government to the UK's unilateral sanctions on Iran was a decision made by the parliament to downgrade diplomatic ties. He regretted that the UK government did not appreciate the patience of the Iranian government vis-à-vis the UK's hostile approach. 'They thought that Iran would not respond to the UK's unilateral sanctions, but, it was well done by a parliamentary decision to downgrade ties. Salehi made it clear that Iranian police were not aware of such lawless action by the attackers on the Embassy, adding that the protesters had been authorized to condemn the UK for unilateral sanctions, but, all of a sudden, they got out of police control. He said the government's reaction was to downgrade diplomatic relations with the UK and that is all. Salehi said however that Iran's relations with the UK have not been cut off and Iranian Foreign Ministry is preparing for extending consular services to Iranian expatriates living in the United Kingdom. He said that the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has called him once since then and he also called Mr. Hague about the issue of Iranian Embassy in London. Responding to a question that the UK government has said it would introduce a European country to represent the UK in Iran, Salehi said that such a plan must be in accordance with the international conventions. 'Negotiations are underway to reach a common view,' he said. Salehi once again criticized the UK and French governments for introducing unilateral sanctions against Iran and said that they have resorted to such actions to divert public opinion from their current debt crisis. He said that every single European country is looking after its own interest citing the disarray in summit of the European leaders in Brussels and UK opting out of the common procedure requiring every individual state to get EU approval for the national budget plan./end