|
Shamkhani’s Three Aims of Gulf Tour
 |
|
Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani
|
By
Abdul-Rahman Saad, IOL Kuwait correspondent
KUWAIT,
May 21 (IslamOnline) – Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, the
first defense minister to visit Kuwait since the Islamic revolution in
1979, has three messages to relay to the Gulf states he’s currently
touring.
Shamkhani
had prepared for his Gulf tour with a number of statements. He had two
extensive interviews with Kuwait’s official news agency KUNA and the
Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Ra’y Al-Aam on Saturday, May 18, and
Sunday, May 19 (respectively) – the day he arrived in Kuwait.
Shamkhani
was expected to repeat his statements Tuesday, May 21, at a press
conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, then
later in other Gulf capitals.
In
his first message, the Iranian Defense Minister expressed his
country’s utter and continued rejection of foreign military presence
in the region.
Shamkhani
described the belief that the region will lack security in the absence
of foreign bases as “a historic insult to the peoples of the
region,” adding that he hoped “the security cooperation between
the countries in the region would help put an end to this insult.”
He
further accused foreign troops stationed in the Gulf of causing “a
security crisis”, emphasizing that Iran hopes to reach a common
perspective with Gulf states in terms of regional threats and
interests.
“We
are fully ready to cooperate with all countries in the region to
enhance security and stability, and Iran will exert every effort in
this respect,” Shamkhani said. “If all countries in the region are
looking forward to a real stability, they can have it through a
unified will and cooperation in the face of any outside attempts at
destability.”
Shamkhani’s
second mission was to clear the tense air between Iran and Gulf
states, following a high-level Iranian official’s declaration a few
weeks ago in which he threatened that his country would attack oil
wells in the Gulf if the U.S. launched a military strike on Iran.
The
Iranian Defense Minister alluded to the Gulf states’ mistrust of
Iran during the first decade of the Islamic revolution and their
ensuing financial support of Iraq in its war with Iran, which created
much tension between both sides.
“Iran
has shown rejection of Iraqi threats to the region after the end of
the Iraq-Iran war,” he said, adding that Iran stood against the
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Shamkhani
also said his country "supports the elimination of weapons of
mass destruction from the region ... provided this measure applies to
all countries," including Israel.
Thirdly,
Shamkhani, in an attempt to revitalize Iran’s regional role, aimed
at enhancing prospects of security and military cooperation between
Iran and Gulf states, and convincing them to buy Iranian-made weapons.
“We
will continue to work on friendly, cooperative relationships between
our states,” he said, adding that it is only through constructive
security frameworks between Iran and the Gulf that a unified,
harmonious vision can be reached.
Shamkhani
arrived in Kuwait Sunday for three days during which he will discuss
bilateral relations and regional issues.
|
