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177513
Sun, 04/24/2011 - 09:37
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https://oananews.org//node/177513
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British Spokesman Acknowledges Colonialist Nature of Britain
TEHRAN, April 24 (FNA)- British Foreign Office Spokesman Barry Marston admitted his country's colonial history, but asked Iranians to forget the past.
Interview Part (1)
Speaking in an interview with FNA, the British spokesman claimed that certain events which prove the colonialist nature of his country in the past were not repeated since he was born, but declined to mention then why Britain has been the main US ally in several wars, including the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, and why his country's military troops are running operations in the North of Africa at present.
Also elsewhere in the interview, Marston claimed Iran has proved weak in respecting human rights, but declined to provide a convincing response to the question why London arrested and beaten the protesting students who did not at all want an overthrow of the British regime and were just voicing protest against tripled tuition fees in their universities.
"Police have only arrested those demonstrators who have damaged public properties or shown violent behavior," he claimed.
Marston's claim about the violation of human rights in Iran pertains to the apprehension of a small group of people in Iran who staged illegal gatherings, looted shops, damaged public properties, hit and injured civilians, including several passer-bys, and killed and wounded several police and security troops in Tehran. The spokesman did not explain why his claimed actions are viewed as violence in London protests, but much worse actions and illegal activities in Iran in pursuit of a regime change plan devised by the US and Britain should not be deemed as violent behavior, specially considering that many British embassy staff participated in the same demonstrations and illegal activities in Tehran and were even arrested.
The spokesman, who claimed freedom of expression is viewed by his country's ruling system as a vital mission, preferred to leave FNA's questions about the British foreign secretary's policy-makings and budgeting for the BBC unanswered.
The following is the text of FNA interview with the British Foreign Office Spokesman, Barry Marston. Yet, we would like to remind you that since this has not been a face-to-face interview we have not had the chance to challenge his answers or to ask Mr. Marston for clarity of words.
"Britain and Europe's colonialist nature has inflicted many harms on the region"
Asked about his country's policies on the regional countries throughout the history, the spokesman said, "I do fully accept that the colonialist past of Britain and Europe has resulted in many harmful consequences for the entire the region. The British Prime Minister has recently noted this issue in a speech in Pakistan. A look at the behavior of the ruling regimes in the West and the ruling systems in the world of Islam in the last few centuries will show us many cases which are unacceptable and even deeply unpleasant according to our contemporary criteria."
"A look into the distant past and the methods used by Britain to affect events and developments in Iran enables me to easily understand the jokes Iranians have made about this issue, like when it starts raining in the middle of a wedding ceremony Iranians say Briton's should be blamed and why, generally speaking, they blame Britain for every unpleasant development and believe that every unexpected incident is because of Britain. But these are all the results of the developments that have mostly not happened since we were born," Marston added.
"So, let's move beyond these clichés and interact with each other on the basis of what we are today. I fully agree that interaction with the aim of better understanding of each other is highly important, specially when political relations are troubled," he continued.
The British spokesman claimed that his country is not a colonialist power now while former US President George W. Bush has mentioned in his memoire that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had laid much pressure on him to launch war on Iraq.
Despite his country's military intervention in Libya and its main role in several other countries in the region, Marston accused Iran of interference in the regional countries' affairs without presenting any document or evidence to prove his allegations about Iran.
Marston also repeated his country's unfounded allegations about Iran's nuclear program, and said, "Unfortunately Iran's relations with Britain and many world countries do not match the existing capacities and capabilities. Global concerns about the goals of Iran's nuclear program, the aggravating human rights situation in Iran and concerns about Iran's interference in the region have sidelined the Iranian government."
"As regards culture, history and thought, Iran has always played a remarkable role in the region through its scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, and poets who have contributed a major share in the formation of our global civilization," the British spokesman admitted, but meantime claimed that Iran is now weak in science and in developing its infrastructures.
Marston further attributed US scholar Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations Theory" to Iran, while Britain's military invasions and interventions in different world countries clearly show that Huntington's theory has provided the foundation for the British policies.
"We are fully eager to establish stronger ties with the Iranian people, but not under the present Iranian regime which sees foreign relations and policy through the crude and impractical theory of Clash of Civilizations and makes use of unacceptable methods and means to leave influence on others," he said.
By "stronger relations with the Iranian people" Mr. Marston apparently means the kind of relations that the British government has defined and is pursuing through its Persian media, specially the BBC Persian whose budget is provided by the British foreign office, but the foreign office spokesman refrained to reply to our questions about its budgeting and policy-making.
Asked about the severe violation of human rights in Britain and massive arrests, suppression and torturing of protesting students in Britain in recent months, Marston stated, "It is a pleasure that Iranian media are worried about the British citizens and respect for their human rights. I was also glad to see that the Iranian television covered the protest rallies staged by anti-war activists over the present conditions in Bahrain and Libya outside the venue of the Libya Conference in London last week. Hence, I hope that concerned Iranians have been informed of the fact that the culture of public protests continues to be active and alive in Britain. As state, we encourage our people to make use of their right of expression and speech in a peaceful manner to raise their views about those issues which have become a source of concern for them. The right of peaceful protests and freedom of expression should be protected and respected."
Marston, whose country has repeatedly voiced strong support for illegal activities and gatherings in Tehran which resulted in severe damage to public amenities and public and private properties, further continued, "Unfortunately, among the thousands of the students who participated in the tuition fee protests and rallies in recent months, there were a few who showed improper attitudes and this caused a challenge for the British police. But the police embarked on conducting arrests only in those cases where a criminal behavior, like damage to properties or violent behavior was shown."
He asserted that those students who have been beaten and arrested can lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities in case they believe that they have been treated unfairly or illegally.
Yet, the British foreign office spokesman neither mentioned the number of the complaints, if any, filed by such students and protesters against the British police and authorities nor explained if his government has ever launched any investigation into any of such cases and if his country's judiciary has ever carried out proceedings into these cases.
END OF PART ONE
Interview Part (1)
Speaking in an interview with FNA, the British spokesman claimed that certain events which prove the colonialist nature of his country in the past were not repeated since he was born, but declined to mention then why Britain has been the main US ally in several wars, including the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, and why his country's military troops are running operations in the North of Africa at present.
Also elsewhere in the interview, Marston claimed Iran has proved weak in respecting human rights, but declined to provide a convincing response to the question why London arrested and beaten the protesting students who did not at all want an overthrow of the British regime and were just voicing protest against tripled tuition fees in their universities.
"Police have only arrested those demonstrators who have damaged public properties or shown violent behavior," he claimed.
Marston's claim about the violation of human rights in Iran pertains to the apprehension of a small group of people in Iran who staged illegal gatherings, looted shops, damaged public properties, hit and injured civilians, including several passer-bys, and killed and wounded several police and security troops in Tehran. The spokesman did not explain why his claimed actions are viewed as violence in London protests, but much worse actions and illegal activities in Iran in pursuit of a regime change plan devised by the US and Britain should not be deemed as violent behavior, specially considering that many British embassy staff participated in the same demonstrations and illegal activities in Tehran and were even arrested.
The spokesman, who claimed freedom of expression is viewed by his country's ruling system as a vital mission, preferred to leave FNA's questions about the British foreign secretary's policy-makings and budgeting for the BBC unanswered.
The following is the text of FNA interview with the British Foreign Office Spokesman, Barry Marston. Yet, we would like to remind you that since this has not been a face-to-face interview we have not had the chance to challenge his answers or to ask Mr. Marston for clarity of words.
"Britain and Europe's colonialist nature has inflicted many harms on the region"
Asked about his country's policies on the regional countries throughout the history, the spokesman said, "I do fully accept that the colonialist past of Britain and Europe has resulted in many harmful consequences for the entire the region. The British Prime Minister has recently noted this issue in a speech in Pakistan. A look at the behavior of the ruling regimes in the West and the ruling systems in the world of Islam in the last few centuries will show us many cases which are unacceptable and even deeply unpleasant according to our contemporary criteria."
"A look into the distant past and the methods used by Britain to affect events and developments in Iran enables me to easily understand the jokes Iranians have made about this issue, like when it starts raining in the middle of a wedding ceremony Iranians say Briton's should be blamed and why, generally speaking, they blame Britain for every unpleasant development and believe that every unexpected incident is because of Britain. But these are all the results of the developments that have mostly not happened since we were born," Marston added.
"So, let's move beyond these clichés and interact with each other on the basis of what we are today. I fully agree that interaction with the aim of better understanding of each other is highly important, specially when political relations are troubled," he continued.
The British spokesman claimed that his country is not a colonialist power now while former US President George W. Bush has mentioned in his memoire that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had laid much pressure on him to launch war on Iraq.
Despite his country's military intervention in Libya and its main role in several other countries in the region, Marston accused Iran of interference in the regional countries' affairs without presenting any document or evidence to prove his allegations about Iran.
Marston also repeated his country's unfounded allegations about Iran's nuclear program, and said, "Unfortunately Iran's relations with Britain and many world countries do not match the existing capacities and capabilities. Global concerns about the goals of Iran's nuclear program, the aggravating human rights situation in Iran and concerns about Iran's interference in the region have sidelined the Iranian government."
"As regards culture, history and thought, Iran has always played a remarkable role in the region through its scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, and poets who have contributed a major share in the formation of our global civilization," the British spokesman admitted, but meantime claimed that Iran is now weak in science and in developing its infrastructures.
Marston further attributed US scholar Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations Theory" to Iran, while Britain's military invasions and interventions in different world countries clearly show that Huntington's theory has provided the foundation for the British policies.
"We are fully eager to establish stronger ties with the Iranian people, but not under the present Iranian regime which sees foreign relations and policy through the crude and impractical theory of Clash of Civilizations and makes use of unacceptable methods and means to leave influence on others," he said.
By "stronger relations with the Iranian people" Mr. Marston apparently means the kind of relations that the British government has defined and is pursuing through its Persian media, specially the BBC Persian whose budget is provided by the British foreign office, but the foreign office spokesman refrained to reply to our questions about its budgeting and policy-making.
Asked about the severe violation of human rights in Britain and massive arrests, suppression and torturing of protesting students in Britain in recent months, Marston stated, "It is a pleasure that Iranian media are worried about the British citizens and respect for their human rights. I was also glad to see that the Iranian television covered the protest rallies staged by anti-war activists over the present conditions in Bahrain and Libya outside the venue of the Libya Conference in London last week. Hence, I hope that concerned Iranians have been informed of the fact that the culture of public protests continues to be active and alive in Britain. As state, we encourage our people to make use of their right of expression and speech in a peaceful manner to raise their views about those issues which have become a source of concern for them. The right of peaceful protests and freedom of expression should be protected and respected."
Marston, whose country has repeatedly voiced strong support for illegal activities and gatherings in Tehran which resulted in severe damage to public amenities and public and private properties, further continued, "Unfortunately, among the thousands of the students who participated in the tuition fee protests and rallies in recent months, there were a few who showed improper attitudes and this caused a challenge for the British police. But the police embarked on conducting arrests only in those cases where a criminal behavior, like damage to properties or violent behavior was shown."
He asserted that those students who have been beaten and arrested can lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities in case they believe that they have been treated unfairly or illegally.
Yet, the British foreign office spokesman neither mentioned the number of the complaints, if any, filed by such students and protesters against the British police and authorities nor explained if his government has ever launched any investigation into any of such cases and if his country's judiciary has ever carried out proceedings into these cases.
END OF PART ONE
