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UN Welcomes Greater Mutual Cooperation on Mideast Issues

Guterres said Iran is a close partner of the UN in dealing with all regional issues
UN Welcomes Greater Mutual Cooperation on Mideast Issues
UN Welcomes Greater Mutual Cooperation on Mideast Issues

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres applauded ongoing consultations with Iran on Middle East issues, saying the world body welcomes broader cooperation with the Islamic Republic in this regard. 
“In all these [regional] issues, Iran is a close partner of the UN,” he said in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, ISNA reported. 
Acknowledging Iran’s principled position on the Afghanistan crisis, he called for the establishment of an inclusive government in the South Asian country where all groups have a say. 
“The UN’s mission in Afghanistan has become more serious,” he said, stressing the need for ensuring that the rights of all groups and ethnicities as well as women are upheld in the future of this country. 
Guterres also reiterated the UN’s rejection of the United States’ exit from the 2015 nuclear deal, expressing continued support for the internationally recognized agreement.
The deal was originally signed between Iran and the six world powers, but the US withdrew and reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran, which are still in place despite the current indirect negotiations in Vienna, Austria, to revive the accord.
During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian also described Iran’s relations with the UN as “close and respectful”, appreciating the secretary-general’s constructive efforts toward global peace.
“Iran supports UN initiatives and welcomes its impartial and fair stances,” he said. 
He said a more active and constructive role on the part of the UN is needed in this region more than ever today. 
“From Palestine to Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, everywhere there is a need for the fair and responsible presence of the UN,” he said. 
After decades, the humanitarian conditions in Palestine are still appalling due to the occupiers’ measures and the crimes of the Zionist regime of Israel, he pointed out.
The ultimate solution must be a referendum and the vote of the original inhabitants of Palestine, according to the foreign minister. 
He expressed regret that the UN has acted passively in the past, hoping this approach will change during the term of the incumbent secretary-general. 
“Parts of the Syrian land in under foreign occupation and regarding Yemen, this anti-human siege must end,” he said, naming other issues in the Middle East region where the UN must step in. 

 

 

Instrument of Terrorism 

Amir-Abdollahian later censured the US for using sanctions and terrorism against other nations for its own political goals, including the cowardly assassination of the top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani. 
“The UN’s united voice against such arrogant measures is essential,” he said.   
The US killed General Soleimani in Iraq on January 2020 along with Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and other fighters. 
The foreign minister said Iran is pursuing the case at national and international level to bring those behind this crime to justice.
He described the killing of the general as a clear example of terrorism in a separate meeting with UN General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid. 
“Today, the phenomenon of terrorism has entangled the world,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.     
Although a special legal committee has been established in Iran to pursue the assassination, he said, the UN has an important part in this regard as well. 
The foreign minister later highlighted the effective role of the Islamic Republic in the fight against terrorism from Lebanon to Iraq and Afghanistan in cooperation with regional governments. 
He also said sanctions have become an instrument of terrorism against nations, calling on the UNGA to stand against the US unilateralism and law-breaking by promoting multilateralism. 
“Despite slogans, the US has linked economic terrorism with health and medical terrorism,” he said, stressing the need for the international community’s strong response to such an approach. 
Shahid said the multilateral system is the only viable choice for the international community, describing the UNGA as the best mechanism built so far to promote the concept. 
“The coronavirus pandemic demonstrated how interconnected countries are and nobody would be in safety unless everyone is safe,” he said, adding that the UNGA will do its best to fulfill its duties successfully. 
 

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