Iran blames U.S. for global terrorism

12/31/2004 7:00:00 PM GMT

Iran’s national security chief, Hassan Rohani, blamed the U.S. foreign polices in Iraq and elsewhere for the expansion of global terrorism.

On Friday, the Iranian News Agency cited Rohani as saying that the "U.S. interference in the internal affairs of states and the injustice done in Iraqi prisons and elsewhere are the reasons for the spread in world terrorism."

He also said that the U.S. slogan of fighting terrorism is a “big lie”, adding that “the real fight against terrorism should start by curbing injustice and unfairness."

"The policies and practices adopted by the U.S. in the world make the world's peoples hate America," he said.

Rohani also accused the United States of trying to provoke another crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.

Washington accuses Iran of covertly developing a nuclear weapons program and wants Tehran’s nuclear file to be sent to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iran denies the accusations, insisting that it nuclear program is mainly aimed at the peaceful generation of electricity.

"Iran needs to produce electricity from nuclear energy, but the U.S. is trying to make up and create problems for Tehran," Rohani said.

Iran, Syria to boycott Iraq neighbors meeting

Meanwhile, Iran and Syria decided not to participate in the upcoming meeting of Iraq’s neighboring countries in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Lebanon’s daily As-Safir newspaper said that the Iranian foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazai and his Syrian counterpart, Farouk Al Sharra, will not attend the convention.

The paper did not say who would represent the two countries if they decided to attend the meeting.

The meeting, planned for January 6, will be attended by the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, as well as Egypt, which hosted previous meetings of Iraq's neighboring countries as well as the parley of Iraq's donor states.

The ministers are expected to discuss how Iraq's neighbors can support the political process in Iraq, particularly the upcoming national elections, planned for January 30.

Earlier this month, Jordan's King Abdullah II alleged that the Islamic republic is trying to influence the outcomes of Iraq’s elections for its own political ends, a charge that Iran strongly rejected.

Also Iraqi and U.S. officials claim that Syria sends military equipment to Iraq and allows insurgents to cross its border into Iraq.

Syria has strongly rejected those claims, saying it is doing its best to tighten control at the terrain that defines its border with Iraq.

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