Salehi Rejects Amano's Anti-Iran Claims

Tehran, Nov 13, IRNA – Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi on Monday rejected claims of the IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano that activities are going on in Parchin site to clean nuclear pollution effects. Talking to IRNA on the sidelines of the second International Conference on Human Rights and Cultures, Salehi said the effects of the nuclear pollution cannot be cleaned. He said the comments are technically rejected. "The claims are raised only to divert public opinion." He noted, "We hope through Iran's positive steps, the issue can be solved. Iran's IAEA envoy, Soltanieh is to meet with experts to draw up frameworks of cooperation in connection with their Parchin visit and solve the problem." Asked to comment on efforts of the US and the UK to establish a no-fly zone over Syria, he said the Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any proposal which runs counter to international conventions and which seems to be an intervention in countries' internal affairs. "Neither we nor the world public opinion will support such proposals. Such methods which are based on force should not become a common practice because in the past we had witnessed the negative consequences of such methods." Meanwhile, Salehi said he would soon visit Myanmar for talks with the Myanmar government. He noted that Iran's embassy is going to be inaugurated in Myanmar soon. As for Bahrain, Salehi said Iran is ready to mediate to solve crisis in the country. He said Iranian officials have announced readiness to solve Bahrain crisis upon demands of the Bahraini officials. He said Tehran supports peaceful settlement of Bahrain crisis. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always respected sovereignty and independence of Bahrain." Salehi also said he would visit Djibouti to attend the annual meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Foreign Minister said Iran and the US had earlier held direct talks on certain issues. On the Iran-G5+1 talks, he said Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and the EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton had held phone conversation./end