DOHA THE Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani’s visit to the Gaza Strip has been lauded by Iran as exemplary for other Arab and Islamic countries.
Having expressed his country’s appreciation for HH the Emir’s bold action, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told a Doha-based Arabic daily Al Watan in an interview that similar moves by other Arab and Islamic nations would go a long way in ending the blockade of Gaza.
Pointing out that Iran recognises the human and the political aspects of HH the Emir’s Gaza visit, Salehi hoped that Qatar will continue to support “our brothers in Gaza”.
Reminding of the “very good” ties between the two countries, he said release of Iranians held hostage in Syria since August was one of the items on the visit agenda and added, “we hope to hear some good news from them (Qatar) regarding the hostages detained in Syria”.
He was candid about the differences in the viewpoints of the two countries on certain issues. “As everyone knows, Iran disagrees with Qatar on Syria. However, this should not reflect upon the bilateral relations”, he said.
He pointed out that bilateral engagement at the highest level was robust, saying, “Over the past seven years, more than a dozen visits have been exchanged between the HH Emir and the Iranian president in addition to the meetings that took place on the sidelines of a number of international meetings. This means that the bilateral political relations are great.” Salehi described his visit as “regular”, but went on to add, “one week before the visit, I contacted His Excellency (the Qatari) Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and sought his intervention for the release of the detained Iranian hostages. His reaction was positive and he promised to do his best for their release.” “Yet, because he had some specific information he wanted to communicate to me, it was preferable for me to visit Qatar as some information cannot be exchanged over the phone.
“Now, we are in constant touch with our brothers in Qatar and hope to hear some good news from them regarding the hostages detained in Syria”, Salehi said.
Asked about other recent developments with regard to the hostages he said, “positive” steps have been taken and added “we need time to get to the desired result.
“Before contacting HE (the Qatari) Prime Minister, I was in touch with our Turkish brothers. Earlier, when 28 Iranians were kidnapped, we were able to secure their release through the mediation of our Turkish brothers.
But in the present case, we have contacted both our Turkish and Qatari brothers and they are also in touch with each other to coordinate their efforts”, he further said.
A number of other issues also came up for discussion during the visit, he said.
“During visit, we discussed other issues, including bilateral relations in various areas and how to reinforce them, besides regional issues.
Regarding the Syrian opposition meeting for formation of a transitional government (now underway in Doha) and the implications for Iran, a key strategic ally of Damascus, Salehi said: “In New York, we presented a paper highlighting a framework for solving the Syrian crisis. Our Saudi, Turkish and Egyptian brothers, UN and Arab League Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi as well as the Syrians themselves have reviewed the paper.
“The main articles in the paper concern a cease-fire by both sides and dialogue between them. The government is requested to recognise the opposition and the opposition is requested to recognise that the government exists in and controls Syria. Without this mutual recognition, we will not reach any solution,” Salehi asserted.
“The Syrian government is now ready for dialogue with the opposition. For us, the preferred way to solve the crisis is through dialogue between the government and the opposition”, he elaborated.
Responding to the allegations that Iran has become a principle part of the Syrian problem and not a component of its solution and that it is sending Shiite volunteers from Iran and Iraq to fight for the Assad regime, he said: “These people should produce evidence of Iranian volunteers fighting in Syria. In any case, Iran is in a challenge with the West, and as I have said many times, the West would hold Iran responsible for the tsunami in Indonesia if they could. We are used to such accusations.” He stressed that Iran supports Hamas and the Islamic Jihad and the resistance in Palestine. “Are these Shiites? Ask Palestinians who is really supporting them? The answer will be Iran. Is the Islamic revolution called Shiite Iranian Revolution is it not associated with Islam?” About the strife between the government and the opposition in Bahrain, he stressed his country’s respect for the sovereignty and independence of Bahrain. “Iran has not called for ouster of the country’s government and the king of Bahrain is aware of this. During the Makkah meeting I discussed this with him for half an hour. Bahraini officials and the US Ambassador in Bahrain have confirmed that Iran has not interfered in Bahrain’s internal affairs,” he said.
Regarding the dispute with the United Arab Emirates over Arab islands, Salehi said that there was no need for international arbitration as the two countries are capable of solving the issue on their own through negotiations.
Iran-UAE relations are at their best and there is only minor misunderstanding over the islands, he added.
Asserting that Iran did not intend to close the Strait of Hormuz if the country was attacked, he said that the official position of the country would be articulated only by the foreign ministry.
Rebuffing the notion that Iraq is under Iranian influence, Salehi said: “Iraq is an independent country. Any suggestion about the Iranian influence does not make any sense and represents an abuse of Iraq’s independent status.” (Translated from Al Watan by Mohamed Khoulaidi)
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