Iran Calls for Common Muslim Stand on Mideast IssuesIranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi has called on the Muslim world to adopt a common stand on issues concerning occupied Palestinian lands and the status of Jerusalem.Kharrazi made separate phone calls to his Syrian, Egyptian, Qatari and Jordanian counterparts Tuesday evening to coordinate their stands on the Middle East issue, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday. The move came only a few days after the US-mediated Camp David Middle East peace talks failed to reach any agreement. Iran blamed Israel for the failure of the talks, accusing it of not willing to make the minimum concessions and adopting delaying tactics in negotiations. Referring to the possible decision of the United States to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Kharrazi said such an act is "unacceptable" to the Muslim world. The occupied Palestinian lands and the status of Jerusalem are two principal concerns of the Muslim world, and Muslim countries have to adopt a common stand in dealing with those issues, Kharrazi said. He added that Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, as chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, will send delegations to Muslim capitals to brief Muslim heads of state on Iran's position toward the Middle East issue and also to encourage cooperation between Muslim countries. In the phone calls, the foreign ministers of Syria, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan appreciated Iran's concern over the Palestine issue, and expressed readiness to cooperate and exchange views with Iran in that connection, the report said. |
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