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Iran Supports UN-Led Alliance Against Terrorism
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said on Wednesday that his country backs any sort of alliance to be led by the United Nations to root out the "inhumane phenomenon" of terrorism.
Kharazi made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Javier Solana, foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU), reviewing the latest developments following terror attacks in the U.S. on September 11, Iran's state IRNA news agency reported.
Muslim nations have unanimously condemned the attacks in New York and Washington as Islam strongly opposes any kind of terrorism, Kharazi said.
Referring to possible U.S. retaliation against Afghanistan, where Saudi-born millionaire Osama bin Laden, the alleged "prime suspect" of the attacks in the U.S., is sheltered, he feared the assault would unleash a fresh influx of Afghan refugees to neighboring countries.
Measures must be taken to avert the outbreak of any human tragedy that would follow, he stressed.
Solana regretted the negative propaganda against the Muslims in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and stressed that Islam should not be targeted in the international drive to uproot terrorism.
Moves against terrorism should not be considered as a means to fight countries, religions and cultures, he said, underscoring the need to trace and punish perpetrators of the U.S. attacks.
Solana, who will head a delegation of top EU officials to Washington in the day for talks on ways to combat terrorism, pledged to create a more secure world and decrease the vulnerability of the human community.
Three hijacked planes slammed into the Pentagon in Washington and New York's landmark World Trade Center on September 11, ruining the 110-storey twin towers of the center. More than 5,000 people are missing and feared dead in the tragedy.
The U.S. has termed bin Laden as the "prime suspect" of the terror attacks, vowing to bring him to justice "dead or alive."
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