| Iran expresses support A
visiting Iranian vice-president pledged support Tuesday for the success of the Arab
summit, due to begin in Beirut on March 27, but said his country was unlikely to send an
observer delegation to the summit.
Mohammad Ali Abtahi called for the Palestinian issue to take top priority for both the
Arab and Muslim worlds and at the summit.
After talks with President Emile Lahoud at Baabda Palace, Abtahi said the 17-month
Palestinian intifada “was moving in the right direction.”
He added that values such as democracy, human rights and combating weapons of mass
destruction were observed across the world, “but not in Israel.”
Abtahi, whose country has been accused by US President George W. Bush of membership in an
“axis of evil,” added that American lawmakers were overlooking the interests of
the US public and adopting positions influenced by Israel, which he said was the
“main problem of the Muslim world.”
Washington, according to Abtahi, was leading the world toward war, while Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami was working toward an international alliance for peace and the principles
of justice.
Abtahi declined to comment on Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah’s recent proposal calling
for an Israeli-Arab peace based on a withdrawal from Occupied Territory, saying he and
Lahoud did not discuss the issue as Iran was waiting for more details.
“However, we believe that Crown Prince Abdullah’s intentions have always been
good,” Abtahi said.
Declining to comment on Hizbullah’s assistance to the Palestinians in the form of
weapons sent through Jordan, Abtahi said: “This is a Lebanese issue.”
Abtahi also met for talks with Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud and indicated that Khatami
would “surely” visit Lebanon sometime this year.
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