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Iran Condemns Bush's Accusations
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| "We think Mr. Bush would do better by providing proof of his allegations," said Kharazi. |
CAIRO, Jan. 30
(IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Reacting to American President, George W. Bush's State of the Union address, Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharazi, on Wednesday vehemently rejected Bush's charges that Tehran is involved in international terrorism.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the accusations of Mr. Bush to be an interference in its internal affairs," Kharazi said, quoted by the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
"We condemn the American accusations and think the world no longer accepts hegemony," added Kharzai. "We think Mr. Bush would do better by providing proof of his allegations. He should know that the repetition of such accusations is not going to help him."
"With these arrogant remarks, the American government unmasks its true face and proves its desire to spread its hegemony through the entire world. Bush's objective is to divert public opinion from events in the Middle East and to prepare American public opinion for continued American support for Israel in its repression of the Palestinian people," Kharazi continued.
In his State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night, Bush singled out Iran, Iraq and North Korea as "an axis of evil," bluntly warning they could soon become targets in the so-called U.S.-led "war on terrorism".
"Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom," said the American president.
Influential former Iranian president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, also rejected Bush's charges. "Here you have the leader of a superpower, who in front of an official gathering throws up bellicose accusations that are baseless," Rafsanjani said.
"It is very strange, because this false logic comes from the mouth of someone who was elected with less than 25 percent of the votes, thanks to a court verdict," he added. "This logic is unacceptable, and the news media of all countries should enlighten world opinion. Moreover, to say that sacred movements such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are terrorists is unacceptable."
Iraq, also singled out by Washington as part of an "axis of evil", also condemned Bush's speech Wednesday, accusing America of practicing state terrorism.
"The United States is the only country in the world, along with the Zionist entity [Israel], to practice state terrorism against peoples and governments that do not surrender to U.S. wishes, under the pretext of fighting the sources of terrorism," said Salem Al-Qubaissi, head of the parliamentary commission on Arab and international relations, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"This speech clearly shows that U.S. policy is hostile to Arabs and Muslims," Qubaissi added.
In his State of the Union address, Bush claimed that "By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred."
Qubaissi said the speech was "part of a string of accusations launched by the U.S. administration to prepare public opinion to accept a new attack" on Iraq.
He stressed that the "weapons about which Bush is talking were completely destroyed by U.N. disarmament teams."
"The Iraqi people have the force and will-power to repel the U.S.-Zionist aggression and to bring down their plans, no matter what act of stupidity the U.S. administration might commit," the Iraqi MP added.
The Palestinian resistance movement, Islamic Jihad, also rejected threats made by President Bush, and said it will continue its fight against Israel, a spokesman told AFP Wednesday.
"The United States does not have the right to accuse of terrorism while it is carrying out terrorism every day throughout the world in committing murder and destruction and by economic pillaging," Ziyad Nakhal said.
"Hamas and [Islamic] Jihad are exercising their right to resist the Zionist occupation; this right is guaranteed by all international charters," he said.
In his speech, Bush said: "Our military has put the terror training camps of Afghanistan out of business, yet camps still exist in at least a dozen countries. A terrorist underworld -- including groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Jaish-e-Mohammed -- operates in remote jungles and deserts, and hide in the centers of large cities."
A spokesman for Hamas, the popular Palestinian resistance movement, had a similar response to the strong words from the U.S. leader.
"Hamas rejects the unjust American threats, which reflect the hostility of the United States toward our people, and affirms its determination to pursue the battle against the Israeli occupation," Ismail Hamiya told AFP.
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