Iran responds to Bush portrayal of it as a threat
Regional-Iran-USA, Politics, 1/15/2008

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said yesterday that US President George W. Bush has resorted to make unfounded allegations against Iran to cover up his failures in the Middle East.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, accompanying US president George W. Bush to the Middle East, and at his stop in Saudi Arabia, was asked if Bush accepts the recent US National Intelligence Council report that Iran had stopped its nuclear weaponization program in 2003 and if the president fully accepts this conclusion, "Or is there any -- has the president expressed to you, are you aware of any feeling on the president's part that, however sincere the analysts might have been, they might have gotten it wrong? Has he admitted the possibility at all in his mind that the analysts may be wrong about this?"

Perino said "I've not heard the President express anything but support for the intelligence community. But I think what he has said, and he has repeated both privately and publicly, is that he does not believe that the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate report) that was produced -- was it two months ago -- should provide anyone any comfort that Iran is not a threat. In fact, it underscored for him and for many others, as we've learned from around this region, that they also believe that Iran remains a threat."

Perino also said "But there is no doubt that across the world the NIE that was put out by our intelligence community did cause some confusion. And one of the things the President has done at every stop is to tell them that he believes that Iran was a threat, they are a threat, and they will continue to be a threat if they are allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He believes that they have the right to have civilian nuclear power. He has provided, along with his international partners, a way for Iran to come to the table and have a negotiation for civilian nuclear power if they verifiably suspend. And so until we see that, I think that we will remain concerned and skeptical, and continue down the diplomatic path. Another point that the President has made when this has come up is that he does believe that this problem can be solved diplomatically. But I also want to underscore for you that it is a mistake to think that these meetings that the President has had across this region have been about Iran. If it has come up, it has been brief."

In reaction to US President George W. Bush's statement in the United Arab Emirates portraying dangers of Iranian relations with the neighboring states, Hosseini said since President Bush has failed to win support of Islamic and Arab countries over his methodology of dealing with issue of Palestine, he attempted to put the blame on others.

The US president should know that the people of the world are annoyed with his policies and he has no way but to avoid ignoring them by rhetoric and outdated allegations, Hosseini said. He said that on the last year of his presidency, President Bush is trying to cover up the failure of his seven years term through bellicose remarks, occupation, promotion of terrorism and widespread threats and insecurity in the globe.

Hosseini said that the attempt made by President Bush to isolate Iran dated back to diplomacy of colonialist era of the past decades which has roots in lack of understanding from concrete ties between regional countries.

Iran and the regional countries have lived in peace for many years before the birth of the United States of America and expansion of ties with the countries in the region is among Iran's foreign policy, Hosseini said. The wrong policies of the neo-conservatives at the US administration have taken shape on the basis of misunderstanding and wrong concepts which led them to commit historical and unacceptable mistakes in Iraq, he said adding that unfortunately, the same policy is being followed in other areas by the Bush Administration.

Hosseini said that Bush's remarks showed that his administration has not learned lessons from its wrong policies which have escalated terrorism and insecurity in the region. The US administration always stirs up fear and anxiety among countries of the region to create security atmosphere and advance its goals, he said.

"The Bush administration is not satisfied with the sound and logical approach about Iranian nuclear program and tries to create obstacles for cooperation between Iran and IAEA through hue and cry." He advised President Bush to respect public opinion of the American people and that of the world in the last days of his presidency and avoid misleading them.

Previous Stories:
  Larijani: US proposed missile shield aims to take gulf states' wealth   (12/11/2007)
  US: Iran has stopped nuclear weapons development   (12/11/2007)
  Iran's view on need for energy security   (12/11/2007)
  Freedom is mankind's ideal, occupation is condemned - Ahmadi-Nejad   (10/23/2007)

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