Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 26, 2003
US Seeks Domination over Region, Oil: Iranian Official
"The United States seeks domination over the region and Iraqi oil in disguise of disarmament," the official IRNA news agency quoted an Iranian security official as saying on Saturday.
"The United States seeks domination over the region and Iraqi oil in disguise of disarmament," the official IRNA news agency quoted an Iranian security official as saying on Saturday.
Hassan Rowhani, Secretary of Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks in a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Iran Takekazu Kawamura.
He said Iran has a 1,300-km border with Iraq, and the neighbor has aroused Iran's concerns about its own national security.
"Iran is the victim of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and has currently several thousand injured soldiers, and for this reason Iran is willing to see Iraq being disarmed," Rowhani said.
However, he stressed disarmament should not be limited only to Iraq, the entire Middle East region should be cleared of weapons of mass destruction, citing the threats posed to the region by Israel's chemical, biological and nuclear arms arsenal.
"All the regional states support the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council on Iraqi disarmament in order to prevent outbreak of hostility in the region," Rowhani said.
"Iran believes that the United Nations arms inspectors should be given enough time to complete their work," Rowhani added.
Rowhani said people of the region do not believe the United States seeks Iraqi disarmament with the current military buildup in the area as it stopped short of direct action against the Talibans,Osmar bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network after occupying Afghanistan.
The official warned the outbreak of a war on Iraq will cause influx of refugees to neighboring countries
He said Iran believes that all positive efforts should be explored and it is too soon to say that resolving the crisis is impossible through peaceful means.