Welcoming Tehran Summit Disappointed the West

28 August 2012 | 12:34 Code : 1906050 From Other Media General category
ISNA’s interview with Ramin Mehman Parast, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Welcoming Tehran Summit Disappointed the West

-When we were informed that Jalal Talebani, Iraq's president, could not attend the Tehran Summit due to his illness, a new invitation was prepared for Noori Maleki, Iraq's Prime Minister, on behalf of President Ahmadinejad, which will be delivered to him by the Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization.

-It seems that a delegation on the level of the president's deputy or prime minister will attend the Tehran NAM Summit from Iraq.

-We have announced that the participating delegations can visit our country's industrial and technological projects and also nuclear facilities. If they show their willingness, the officials responsible will arrange their visits. This depends on the agreements reached on their working schedule. I am now aware of the details of their working schedule but our nuclear facilities have, hitherto, been visited by officials of different countries.

-Participating delegations in NAM senior experts meetings were motivated to follow the issues with an understanding and friendly spirit in two political and economic committees. They succeeded, at the end of the second round of meetings of committees yesterday afternoon, in finalizing the decisions of these two committees.

-In the closing session, the secretary of this meeting will inform all members of the decisions made in the two political and economic committees and the draft will be approved and ratified by them. Tuesday morning, in the beginning of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of member countries, this report will be presented by the Secretary General and will again be studied by the ministers.

-The ministers will study these documents in a shorter time because the main task has been done by the experts. After the ministers study these documents and finalize them, they will be presented at the summit for final approval. The heads of states will declare their positions in their speeches.

-Usually, the presence of the heads of states in the summits gradually becomes official and there might always be minor changes. We host 50 delegations which are above the ministerial level. This is a considerable number. With 25 foreign ministers, as the head of their country's delegation, and three ministers, separate from the foreign ministries, we will have 28 delegations at the ministerial level. 12 delegations will attend at the level of first deputy and assistant foreign minister. This means that there will be 80 delegations at ministerial or higher levels and 90 delegations with their foreign minister's deputy or first deputy.

-Western media tried to create an artificial atmosphere and propagate that Iran is politically isolated and not many countries would welcome this summit. In fact, they deceived their public opinion. They feel ashamed by the welcome this summit has received. They should justify why all these delegations participated in this summit at this level and approved our international status. With their presence, they have shown that independent countries can form a powerful assembly and have the ability to manage the world in a more desirable fashion and they seek establishment of peace, security, and justice in the entire world.

-We will try to use the presence of countries in the sidelines of meetings to discuss the issue of the Syrian crisis and follow this matter after the summit. Of course, Egypt will propose the quartet of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey about the issue of Syria to begin their efforts. This is a good opportunity and we will use it.

tags: delegations summit foreign