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Ban with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Photo: EPA

UN chief hits host Iran over human rights

Ban Ki-Moon, who is in Tehran for Nonaligned Movement gathering, urges Iran to cooperate with UN to remedy human rights abuses

The UN chief jolted his Iranian hosts Wednesday by pointing out "serious concerns" in Tehran's human rights record and urging cooperation with the world body to improve freedoms.

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had signaled he would not shy away from criticism of Iran during his visit to the Nonaligned Movement gathering in Tehran, but the sharp comments appeared to catch Iranian officials off guard just hours after his arrival.

 

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"We have discussed how United Nations can work together with Iran to improve the human rights situation in Iran. We have our serious concerns on the human rights abuses and violations in this country," he told a news conference as he sat next to Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who frowned at the remarks.

 

Iran's opposition groups had urged Ban to use his appearance in Tehran as a platform to criticize Iran's ruling system over its crackdowns on political dissent, including the house arrests of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi.

 

Nukes, Syria also on agenda

While in Tehran, Ban also could raise sensitive issues such as demands by UN nuclear inspectors for wider access to various sites, including a military base near Tehran suspected of being a proving ground for explosives experiments that could be used to test nuclear triggers. Iran denies it seeks nuclear arms, but Western nations and allies fear Tehran's uranium enrichment labs are moving close to warhead-grade material.

 

In Vienna, the UN's nuclear agency has created a special Iran Task Force of nuclear weapons experts, intelligence analysts and other specialists focused on probing Tehran's atomic program, according to an internal document shared with The Associated Press.

 

Iran is seeking to use the weeklong meeting of the 120-nation Nonaligned Movement to promote its position that its nuclear program is peaceful and its uranium enrichment is within the UN treaty rules. The meetings are capped by a two-day summit that begins Thursday.

 

In advance, Ban also said he will discuss the Syria crisis with Iranian leaders, who remain staunch allies of Bashar Assad's regime. The UN chief called Iran a major player capable of mediating in regional conflicts, including Syria's civil war.

 

"Iran has a very important role to play in helping resolve the Syrian issue, reflecting the will of the Syrian people in a peaceful manner. This is one of the important issues that I'm going to discuss with the Iranian leadership," said Ban, who was scheduled to meet Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later Wednesday.

 

Iran plans to propose the formation of a three-member nonaligned team, plus two neighbors of Syria, to help resolve the crisis there, Iran's state media quoted prominent lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying.

 

The proposed troika will include Egypt, Iran and Venezuela plus Iraq and Lebanon. Boroujerdi, who met Assad during a visit to Syria last week, said the Syrian president said he would welcome the Iranian plan.

 

Anti-regime fighters have dismissed any role for Iran in such a plan. The rebels and some others say it has little hope of succeeding. Also, the United States has rejected Iranian participation in international meetings on the Syrian crisis.

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.29.12, 19:39
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