ID :
180854
Mon, 05/09/2011 - 12:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/180854
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British Spokesman Acknowledges Colonialist Nature of Britain
TEHRAN, May 9 (FNA)- British Foreign Office Spokesman Barry Marston admitted his country's colonial history, but asked Iranians to forget the past.
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.
Despite British media reports revealing that based on MI5 documents, the Libyan embassy in Britain has had a role in the assassination of Qaddafi's opposition leaders and members when Moussa Koussa was Qaddafi's foreign minister, the British Foreign Office spokesman said, "There has been no secret direction and no secret talks with the Libyan officials in this regard."
Also, despite the fact that his country has been the fifth trade partner of the Libyan dictator, Moammar al-Qaddafi, Marston claimed that the West and Britain have attacked Libya to save the Libyan nation, and added, "As regards this illegal regime, we say one thing both in public and in private: for the sake of the Libyan people, Qaddafi should leave and his regime should stop its unjustifiable violence against the people."
"Moussa Koussa resigned from the regime that he no longer wanted to be a part of and related to, and we encourage other Libyan officials to follow suit," the British spokesman added.
Asked why Britain has attacked Libya and why it has not replaced military invasion with all-out aids and support for the revolutionary people while the British defense secretary has announced that London and the West are not attacking Libya to change the regime in the North African country, Marston answered, "According to the UN Security Council Resolution 1973, the activities of the coalition forces are confined to support and protection for the civilians and decreasing Qaddafi's ability in attacking his own people. We are merely committed to this and nothing more."
The British spokesman shrugged off accusations about the growing number of civilian casualties and collateral damage of the NATO invasion of Libya, and declined to present any figures in this regard.
"There is no reliable report on targeted civilians in the coalition forces' air attacks. We do our best to assure that no civilian is targeted in these attacks, because protecting civilians is the main objective of our joint operations with the Arab and regional states. Our prompt intervention has, for sure, prevented further killings in Bin Qazi and other cities, destroyed the Libyan regime's air capability and considerably decreased its ability for violent confrontation."
"In those two cases where the rebels' vehicles were targeted by the coalition, the coalition extended its apology which was accepted," the British spokesman said, referring to the Libyan revolutionary people as "rebels".
Asked to comment on speculations that the Libya invasion might incite other states to develop a nuclear program as a deterrent power, Marston said, "This is a completely wrong argument. Qaddafi's policy has never been based on protecting his country against foreign aggression, rather his main objective has been suppressing his own people to continue his rule and this goal is no way related to nuclear capabilities. I don't know why your questions insist on portraying the Libya invasion as an accusation. Anyone who is following the developments evidently knows that this is not the case."
Asked why London has opted to pursue a hypocritical policy on Bahrain, Marston alleged that Britain has shown a single and identical reaction to the massacre of the civilians throughout the region and condemned such actions.
He said although conditions in the regional countries are different, wherever people have started protests, his country has underlined the right of peaceful protest and demanded the relevant governments to show restraint and make efforts to arrange talks on serious and immediate reforms to meet people's legitimate demands.
"The situation in Libya is much different. The regime has killed thousands of the people and confronted peaceful demonstrators with heavy weaponries, mercenaries and bombardments. Then, it is clear that there is no room for compromise and the only satisfactory solution possible is, thus, Qaddafi's ouster," the British Foreign Office spokesman said.
Asked then why Britain has refrained from condemning the Saudi military invasion of Bahrain which is much similar to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the 90s, Marston sought to represent the Bahraini revolution as a sectarian strife.
"Comparing the invasion of Kuwait in here is somehow strange, considering that Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Cooperation Council member states formed coalition forces at Bahrain's request. Yet, we have warned Bahrain and other PGCC states that violence and confrontation would only deteriorate the problem.
"We are truly concerned about any kind of action which would pour oil to the flames of sectarian strife. We insist asking the Bahraini government to take the present opportunity to hold serious negotiations and show interaction to remove legitimate discontents."
Marston's argument about the Saudi military intervention in Bahrain refers to a military pact signed by the PGCC member states, known as 'the Peninsula Shield Force'.
On March 13, Saudi Arabia deployed more than 1,000 troops, reportedly as part of its so-called Peninsula Shield Force, in the crisis-hit Bahrain.
Yet, defense analysts insist that deployment of the regional forces in Bahrain is completely illegal because the treaty signed among the six Persian Gulf Cooperation Council member states - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman - on the deployment of Peninsula Shield Forces to defend the members against threats pertains to those situations where a member state comes under foreign invasion and not when that state is experiencing peaceful uprising of its own people.
Hence, the argument made by the British Foreign Office spokesman seems to consider the revolutionary people in Bahrain as foreign military invaders.
Marston further alleged that Britain is a full supporter of peace and democracy, and stated, "Britain, for its turn, fully supports any kind of movement towards reform, democracy and respect for human rights. In countries like Egypt and Tunisia where such moves have been made, we are committed to providing support for organizations and projects to promote civil society and protect rights and freedoms."
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.
Despite British media reports revealing that based on MI5 documents, the Libyan embassy in Britain has had a role in the assassination of Qaddafi's opposition leaders and members when Moussa Koussa was Qaddafi's foreign minister, the British Foreign Office spokesman said, "There has been no secret direction and no secret talks with the Libyan officials in this regard."
Also, despite the fact that his country has been the fifth trade partner of the Libyan dictator, Moammar al-Qaddafi, Marston claimed that the West and Britain have attacked Libya to save the Libyan nation, and added, "As regards this illegal regime, we say one thing both in public and in private: for the sake of the Libyan people, Qaddafi should leave and his regime should stop its unjustifiable violence against the people."
"Moussa Koussa resigned from the regime that he no longer wanted to be a part of and related to, and we encourage other Libyan officials to follow suit," the British spokesman added.
Asked why Britain has attacked Libya and why it has not replaced military invasion with all-out aids and support for the revolutionary people while the British defense secretary has announced that London and the West are not attacking Libya to change the regime in the North African country, Marston answered, "According to the UN Security Council Resolution 1973, the activities of the coalition forces are confined to support and protection for the civilians and decreasing Qaddafi's ability in attacking his own people. We are merely committed to this and nothing more."
The British spokesman shrugged off accusations about the growing number of civilian casualties and collateral damage of the NATO invasion of Libya, and declined to present any figures in this regard.
"There is no reliable report on targeted civilians in the coalition forces' air attacks. We do our best to assure that no civilian is targeted in these attacks, because protecting civilians is the main objective of our joint operations with the Arab and regional states. Our prompt intervention has, for sure, prevented further killings in Bin Qazi and other cities, destroyed the Libyan regime's air capability and considerably decreased its ability for violent confrontation."
"In those two cases where the rebels' vehicles were targeted by the coalition, the coalition extended its apology which was accepted," the British spokesman said, referring to the Libyan revolutionary people as "rebels".
Asked to comment on speculations that the Libya invasion might incite other states to develop a nuclear program as a deterrent power, Marston said, "This is a completely wrong argument. Qaddafi's policy has never been based on protecting his country against foreign aggression, rather his main objective has been suppressing his own people to continue his rule and this goal is no way related to nuclear capabilities. I don't know why your questions insist on portraying the Libya invasion as an accusation. Anyone who is following the developments evidently knows that this is not the case."
Asked why London has opted to pursue a hypocritical policy on Bahrain, Marston alleged that Britain has shown a single and identical reaction to the massacre of the civilians throughout the region and condemned such actions.
He said although conditions in the regional countries are different, wherever people have started protests, his country has underlined the right of peaceful protest and demanded the relevant governments to show restraint and make efforts to arrange talks on serious and immediate reforms to meet people's legitimate demands.
"The situation in Libya is much different. The regime has killed thousands of the people and confronted peaceful demonstrators with heavy weaponries, mercenaries and bombardments. Then, it is clear that there is no room for compromise and the only satisfactory solution possible is, thus, Qaddafi's ouster," the British Foreign Office spokesman said.
Asked then why Britain has refrained from condemning the Saudi military invasion of Bahrain which is much similar to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the 90s, Marston sought to represent the Bahraini revolution as a sectarian strife.
"Comparing the invasion of Kuwait in here is somehow strange, considering that Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Cooperation Council member states formed coalition forces at Bahrain's request. Yet, we have warned Bahrain and other PGCC states that violence and confrontation would only deteriorate the problem.
"We are truly concerned about any kind of action which would pour oil to the flames of sectarian strife. We insist asking the Bahraini government to take the present opportunity to hold serious negotiations and show interaction to remove legitimate discontents."
Marston's argument about the Saudi military intervention in Bahrain refers to a military pact signed by the PGCC member states, known as 'the Peninsula Shield Force'.
On March 13, Saudi Arabia deployed more than 1,000 troops, reportedly as part of its so-called Peninsula Shield Force, in the crisis-hit Bahrain.
Yet, defense analysts insist that deployment of the regional forces in Bahrain is completely illegal because the treaty signed among the six Persian Gulf Cooperation Council member states - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman - on the deployment of Peninsula Shield Forces to defend the members against threats pertains to those situations where a member state comes under foreign invasion and not when that state is experiencing peaceful uprising of its own people.
Hence, the argument made by the British Foreign Office spokesman seems to consider the revolutionary people in Bahrain as foreign military invaders.
Marston further alleged that Britain is a full supporter of peace and democracy, and stated, "Britain, for its turn, fully supports any kind of movement towards reform, democracy and respect for human rights. In countries like Egypt and Tunisia where such moves have been made, we are committed to providing support for organizations and projects to promote civil society and protect rights and freedoms."
