U.S. not qualified to host "democracy summit", say Iranian analysts

TEHRAN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the "Summit for Democracy" proposed by the United States, Iranian media and analysts have questioned the competence of the United States in "trying to lead democracies" as many U.S. actions go contrary to this.

AMERICAN REALITY

Today, despite the U.S. claim to portray "high democracy in the world," there is "more awareness of the reality" in the country among people of the world and even in the United States, the Tehran Times said in an op-ed published on Monday.

The democracy defined by the United States has shortcomings in its way of electing representatives for the U.S. Congress, the newspaper said, adding that those who have the ability to "create an advertising campaign" are selected.

As a "part of the defect and deficiency of American democracy," the system of "colluding" in the United States offers money and financial resources for U.S. Congresspeople, but the interests of the nation are "not taken into consideration," the Tehran Times said.

Internationally, through its actions in the Middle East, the United States has shown that it does not care about democracy in other countries, and it only believes in democracy that is "close to its ideals and standards," or "in compliance with its political and international interests," it said.

Over the last two decades, the world has witnessed "different forms and degrees of various democracies according to the cultures, traditions, and societies in Asia and Africa, which represent a colorful and diverse range that can potentially exist in different societies," it said.

Such a reality also helps the world become well aware of the "complexity of democracy that the United States lacks," it added.

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The United States not only is "gripped by numerous problems" in its foreign policy, like the recent developments in Afghanistan, but also faces huge challenges in its domestic affairs concerning human rights, said Foad Izadi, an Iranian scholar and political analyst of American studies at the University of Tehran.

Domestically, incidents violating human rights are very frequent in the United States, while Washington's moves to impose sanctions at the international level and carry out assassination attacks are also frequently seen, Izadi said in an article published Monday by multiple Iranian media outlets.

"The irony is that the U.S. is a self-proclaimed advocate of democracy and leader of democratic states," Izadi said.

In a recent interview with Fars News Agency, Mohammad Hassan Asfari, a member of the Iranian Parliament, said the U.S. sanctions imposed on the Iranian economy, health and livelihood constitute "a clear example of human rights abuses."

"There are more than 1 million patients in Iran that the country cannot provide some items and supplies and even some special medicines for them due to the sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran," he noted.

FRUITLESS "SUMMIT"

"One of the goals of the United States in holding the summit is to cover up its heinous moves taken against human rights in the first place, and then to restore its lost prestige in the international community," Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, a member of the Iranian Parliament Presidium, told Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Yet, such a goal cannot be achieved as the real objectives of the United States have become clear to all countries, the lawmaker said.

The United States has lost its prestige as it acts against democracy and human rights, he said.

Taking the U.S. military actions in Afghanistan as an example, the Iranian lawmaker said, these malicious behaviors will never be erased from the public mind.

Similarly, noting that the upcoming "summit" reflects Washington's attitude towards "the countries that oppose U.S. excessive demands," the Tehran Times said that the United States will "certainly not be able to achieve its desired package of democratic and non-democratic blocs."

This "summit" will be "fruitless," it added.