Iran Contacts Arab States on UN-led Anti-terrorism Coalition

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has contacted leaders of Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on an anti-terrorism coalition under the auspices of the United Nations, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday.

In his telephone conversations on Sunday, Khatami told the leaders that "all countries should fight against terrorism with wisdom and coordination under the aegis of the United Nations."

"Any unilateral fight can result in critical consequences," Khatami warned.

He also called on Muslim nations to launch a coordinated fight against terrorism and "give a clear definition of terrorism to be able to fight it at the roots."

Under the present delicate circumstances, the Muslim and Arab nations should come closer to prevent a humanitarian tragedy in Afghanistan which is being targeted in a planned U.S. retaliatory strike, according to Khatami.

"Any hasty reaction which may jeopardize the lives of defenseless and oppressed nation of Afghanistan can bring about bigger problems" and worsen the current situation, the Iranian president stressed.

In reply, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Aziz all agreed to have more consultations on the issue among Muslim and Arab countries.

Bashar said, "fighting terrorism cannot bear fruits by massacre of the nations and it should only be carried out within the framework of the United Nations' conventions."

Mubarak proposed "an anti-terrorism international conference with the participation of all big and small countries" and with a joint declaration to be produced.

Abdullah cautioned that the recent terrorist attacks on the United States should not serve as a pretext to give rise to another tragedy.

Three hijacked planes slammed into the Pentagon in Washington and New York's landmark World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, reducing the WTC's 110-storey twin towers to rubble. More than 6, 500 people are missing and feared dead in the tragedy.

The U.S., naming as "prime suspect" the Saudi-born millionaire Osama bin Laden, who is in exile in Afghanistan, has vowed to bring him to justice "dead or alive."

Iran, which has had no diplomatic relations with the United States for the past 21 years, condemned the terrorist attacks on the U.S. shortly after the carnage. However, it also cautioned the U.S. not to launch military reprisals against neighboring Afghanistan.






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