No Justification for Unilateral Action Against Iraq, All Decisions About Iran Made in Country
February 1, 1998 - 0:0
TEHRAN A top foreign policy expert yesterday snubbed the United States and said no justification exists' for unilateral action against Iraq. The Advisor to the Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati in an interview with the Tehran Times said, The Security Council is divided on how to tackle with the Iraqi stand on elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
Dr. Velayati was referring to Russia, France and China which believe in diplomatic efforts to solve the present crisis between Iraq and the United nations. Only the U.S. and Britain support the military option the former foreign minister said, adding Iran opposes military moves for the solution of this crisis. Dr. Velayati was the longest serving foreign minister in present history before his appointment by Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as his advisor on international affairs last August. In an interview with the Tehran Times Dr. Velayati expressed his views on certain vital issues relating Iran both in the past and after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The most significant aspect of the Islamic Republic is that it does not receive orders from abroad, soft-spoken Velayati said. Take the example of the Iraqi imposed war, he said and recalled that once the Iraqi forces occupied 40,000 square km of Iranian lands there was pressure from outside to stop the war. But,he said Iran did not bow to pressure and stoped the war only when it was in the national interest.
Emphasizing on the economic independence Dr. Velayati referred to the metro plan in Tehran and said, (former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani) braved and made an independent decision that was in the national interest. I'm sure that none but American companies would have come to work on Tehran metro project if it had started before the culmination of the Islamic Revolution, he said.
The government of Rafsanjani had several options for the construction of metro network in Tehran, he said and listed the companies from Germany, Russia, South Korea, Austria and China. But, Iran selected the companies from China which have almost completed the project with 1/3 of the earlier estimated budget, Velayati said. Anyway, it does not mean that we are depending on China, he said.
Remember, he said, independence should be in all spheres of the national life including economic, cultural and political areas. Velayati recalled guideline of the Leader and said, The Supreme Leader was right when he said cultural onslaught is very serious and we must do every thing possible to counter it. On economic independence, Velayati singled out the example of South Asia and said their dependence on the West has created serious problems for them.' According to an estimate, South Korea had lost $500 billion and Malaysia $25 billion because of the economic crises caused by dependence on others, he said It's really a matter of concern that South Korea has to pay $200 billion in the coming two years as the Western monetary institutions have declared that country bankrupt.
On the current situation of Islam worldwide, Velayati said, Even the non-Muslims admit that the people are embracing this great religion in large numbers across the world. He referred to one of the basic principles of Islam and said, When a Muslim dies; for him it's not an end of life rather he believes that he is being transferred from one world to another.
He made a comparision between the political independence of Iran before and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, saying that two periods of war between Iran and Russia in 1803 and 1826 paved the ground for bullying powers to dominate Iran and take away its independence. During the 1803 war Iran lost key northern regions along the Aras River including Azerbaijan, Georgia and south Dagestan. According to the existing documents in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran had vast territory at the time of Shah Abbas Safavi, but during the first 10 years of war with Russia, it lost its main cities and was forced to sign Golestan Agreement with Russia according to which all northern cities along Aras River except Nakhjevan and Yerevan were taken over by Russia. In 1826, Abbas Mirza of Safavid Dynasty, decided to start a new war with Russia in a bid to recapture what he had lost under the Golestan Agreement and to reduce the pressures applied by the Ulemas of Najaf Theological Seminary such as late Seyed Mohammad Mojahed and Haj Molla Ahmad Naraqi. At first Abbas Mirza's forces made an advance to Tiblisi but suddenly they faced massive attack from the Russian side.
This time Iran's defeat in war led to signing another notorious agreement called Torkmenchi in 1828 which stressed on capitulation, Velayati underlined. He said that after signing the Torkmenchi Agreement, the issue of capitulation became one of the main points of the future contracts inked by Iran and another country. Velayati noted that by imposing capitulation on Iran, Russia took the political independence of this country for the first time, adding that the start of the World War I and the Bolshevic Revolution in Russia enfeebled Russian presence in Iran. This paved the way for Britain to become the sole master of Iran. It was Britain that staged a coup in Iran and helped installed the Pahlavi regime.
After coming to power of Reza Shah, Iran's dependence on Britain increased considerably. By the beginning of the World War II, Reza Khan was sent to exile by Britain and his son Mohammad Reza was named as his successor, Velayati added. From 1320 to 1332, (1941 to 1953) the Irano-British Oil Company was declared a national company in Iran and that due to some pressures, Shah was forced to leave the country but by staging a coup in 1332 (1953) by CIA, Shah returned to the country and the ground was paved for infiltration of the United States to Iran. After the 1332 (1953) coup, the U.S. became Britain's partner in Iran and its share in Iran's oil resources increased.
In a consortium established by Ali Amini, Britain and U.S. enjoyed equal shares of 40 percent, Velayati recalled. He said that Iran's dependence on outsiders continued till the victory of the Islamic Revolution. It took 25 years of struggle against the oppressive regime. However the roots of the Revolution date back to 1341 (1962) when Imam Khomeini replaced late Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Velayati underlined.
Before the Victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Americans did whatever they desired. The number of U.S. consultants in the Iranian Army rose to 60,000. The revenues earned through oil exports was spent for purchasing arms from the U.S. while it was the United States which determined the price of arms. The Shah's regime was completely dependent on the U.S. when the revolutionary campaign started in the country, the U.S. ambassador to Tehran advised Shah to leave the country and as it is revealed in Shah's memoirs, his authority in Iran was less than the authority of a foreign diplomat in this country, Velayati concluded.
Dr. Velayati was referring to Russia, France and China which believe in diplomatic efforts to solve the present crisis between Iraq and the United nations. Only the U.S. and Britain support the military option the former foreign minister said, adding Iran opposes military moves for the solution of this crisis. Dr. Velayati was the longest serving foreign minister in present history before his appointment by Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as his advisor on international affairs last August. In an interview with the Tehran Times Dr. Velayati expressed his views on certain vital issues relating Iran both in the past and after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The most significant aspect of the Islamic Republic is that it does not receive orders from abroad, soft-spoken Velayati said. Take the example of the Iraqi imposed war, he said and recalled that once the Iraqi forces occupied 40,000 square km of Iranian lands there was pressure from outside to stop the war. But,he said Iran did not bow to pressure and stoped the war only when it was in the national interest.
Emphasizing on the economic independence Dr. Velayati referred to the metro plan in Tehran and said, (former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani) braved and made an independent decision that was in the national interest. I'm sure that none but American companies would have come to work on Tehran metro project if it had started before the culmination of the Islamic Revolution, he said.
The government of Rafsanjani had several options for the construction of metro network in Tehran, he said and listed the companies from Germany, Russia, South Korea, Austria and China. But, Iran selected the companies from China which have almost completed the project with 1/3 of the earlier estimated budget, Velayati said. Anyway, it does not mean that we are depending on China, he said.
Remember, he said, independence should be in all spheres of the national life including economic, cultural and political areas. Velayati recalled guideline of the Leader and said, The Supreme Leader was right when he said cultural onslaught is very serious and we must do every thing possible to counter it. On economic independence, Velayati singled out the example of South Asia and said their dependence on the West has created serious problems for them.' According to an estimate, South Korea had lost $500 billion and Malaysia $25 billion because of the economic crises caused by dependence on others, he said It's really a matter of concern that South Korea has to pay $200 billion in the coming two years as the Western monetary institutions have declared that country bankrupt.
On the current situation of Islam worldwide, Velayati said, Even the non-Muslims admit that the people are embracing this great religion in large numbers across the world. He referred to one of the basic principles of Islam and said, When a Muslim dies; for him it's not an end of life rather he believes that he is being transferred from one world to another.
He made a comparision between the political independence of Iran before and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, saying that two periods of war between Iran and Russia in 1803 and 1826 paved the ground for bullying powers to dominate Iran and take away its independence. During the 1803 war Iran lost key northern regions along the Aras River including Azerbaijan, Georgia and south Dagestan. According to the existing documents in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran had vast territory at the time of Shah Abbas Safavi, but during the first 10 years of war with Russia, it lost its main cities and was forced to sign Golestan Agreement with Russia according to which all northern cities along Aras River except Nakhjevan and Yerevan were taken over by Russia. In 1826, Abbas Mirza of Safavid Dynasty, decided to start a new war with Russia in a bid to recapture what he had lost under the Golestan Agreement and to reduce the pressures applied by the Ulemas of Najaf Theological Seminary such as late Seyed Mohammad Mojahed and Haj Molla Ahmad Naraqi. At first Abbas Mirza's forces made an advance to Tiblisi but suddenly they faced massive attack from the Russian side.
This time Iran's defeat in war led to signing another notorious agreement called Torkmenchi in 1828 which stressed on capitulation, Velayati underlined. He said that after signing the Torkmenchi Agreement, the issue of capitulation became one of the main points of the future contracts inked by Iran and another country. Velayati noted that by imposing capitulation on Iran, Russia took the political independence of this country for the first time, adding that the start of the World War I and the Bolshevic Revolution in Russia enfeebled Russian presence in Iran. This paved the way for Britain to become the sole master of Iran. It was Britain that staged a coup in Iran and helped installed the Pahlavi regime.
After coming to power of Reza Shah, Iran's dependence on Britain increased considerably. By the beginning of the World War II, Reza Khan was sent to exile by Britain and his son Mohammad Reza was named as his successor, Velayati added. From 1320 to 1332, (1941 to 1953) the Irano-British Oil Company was declared a national company in Iran and that due to some pressures, Shah was forced to leave the country but by staging a coup in 1332 (1953) by CIA, Shah returned to the country and the ground was paved for infiltration of the United States to Iran. After the 1332 (1953) coup, the U.S. became Britain's partner in Iran and its share in Iran's oil resources increased.
In a consortium established by Ali Amini, Britain and U.S. enjoyed equal shares of 40 percent, Velayati recalled. He said that Iran's dependence on outsiders continued till the victory of the Islamic Revolution. It took 25 years of struggle against the oppressive regime. However the roots of the Revolution date back to 1341 (1962) when Imam Khomeini replaced late Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Velayati underlined.
Before the Victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Americans did whatever they desired. The number of U.S. consultants in the Iranian Army rose to 60,000. The revenues earned through oil exports was spent for purchasing arms from the U.S. while it was the United States which determined the price of arms. The Shah's regime was completely dependent on the U.S. when the revolutionary campaign started in the country, the U.S. ambassador to Tehran advised Shah to leave the country and as it is revealed in Shah's memoirs, his authority in Iran was less than the authority of a foreign diplomat in this country, Velayati concluded.