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Iran Against Sharm El Sheikh Summit
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi Sunday voiced his country's opposition to a planned summit between Palestinian and Israeli leaders aimed to end the bloodshed in the Palestinian areas.
The summit is to be held Monday in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh with the participation of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, United States President Bill Clinton as well as Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan.
According to the spokesman, the summit is aimed at overshadowing another summit of Arab countries that is to be held in Egypt later that week, which is to focus on ways to contain the current Middle East crisis sparked by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"The Sharm el Sheikh summit is aimed at overshadowing the Arab summit and preventing Arab leaders from taking decisive positions in support for the Palestinian cause," Asefi was quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency as saying.
He warned the Palestinians against "the enemy's conspiracies."
Holding such meetings at a time when Israel continues its atrocities is not of any help to the Palestinian people, he said.
The spokesman reiterated Iran's support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinians in liberating the entire occupied territories, especially East Jerusalem.
More than 100 people have been killed and over 3,000 wounded, mostly Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, in the bloody clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators, triggered by right-wing leader Ariel Sharon's provocative visit to a Muslim holy site in East Jerusalem on September 28.
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