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| Iran cleric says talks
only way to resolve crisis TEHRAN An influential Iranian cleric today said the West had to pursue diplomacy not confrontation to resolve the crisis in the Middle East. The former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, warned about the consequences of fomenting violence in the region. "We are suggesting they (the West) resolve various issues like Iran's atomic work and regional crisis through talks,'' Rafsanjani told worshippers at Tehran University. "Iran is ready to hold talks at any level over its atomic work and also those regional issues that we can help to be resolved ,'' the cleric said Crisis. Tehran and Washington accuse each other of creating strife in the Middle East, including Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories. The crisis in Iraq has pushed the arch foes to hold rare face-to-face talks to find an end to the bloodshed there. Washington, which cut diplomatic ties with Tehran shortly after its 1979 revolution, has ruled out the prospect of moving negotiations with Iran to a more advance level. Washington accuses Iran of backing militants in Iraq and worsening chaos there. Iran blames the 2003 U.S. led invasion and occupation of Iraq for the continued bloodshed between Iraq's Shi'ite majority and Sunni Arab minority. Rafsanjani, considered a pragmatist who backs better ties with the West, said the security crisis in the Middle East could harm the West. "Any kind of instability in the region will surely harm many other countries, especially industrial countries,'' Rafsanjani said to chants of "Death to America''. Rafsanjani did not make clear what kind of problems the world could face but some Iranian officials have threatened to curb the oil exports of OPEC's No. 2 producer if pushed, a move that would send world crude prices sharply higher. The U.S. has been trying to isolate Iran over its nuclear programme, which the West fears is a cover to build atomic weapons. Iran insists it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity. The UN Security Council has imposed two rounds of sanctions on Iran since December over Tehran's failure to heed a UN demand to halt uranium enrichment. A third resolution is under discussion. Rafsanjani said using the council to pressure Iran over its atomic work was a mistake and negotiations without preconditions were the only way out of the impasse. To avert further UN sanctions, Iran is discussing a "plan of action'' with the UN nuclear watchdog to ease curbs on access to Iran's nuclear facilities, especially its underground Natanz uranium enrichment plant. -UPI |
