Eradicating terrorism sounds like an impossible dream unless an international coalition with humanitarian purposes and not tainted by political and personal interests is formed, a senior statesman says.
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Expediency Council, made the remark in a meeting with Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko in Tehran on Monday, IRNA reported.
Pointing to restoration of peace to the Balkan Peninsula and the consequent peaceful co-existence of followers of different religions in the region, Rafsanjani said, "The ground was prepared to promote Islamic culture in that area which explains why we decided to strengthen our relations with Croatia after its independence."
Referring to the atrocities and genocide perpetrated during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, he said at the time Iran did its best to put an end to the conflict; nonetheless, world powers put formidable obstacles in the way of peace.
Appreciating Croatia's humanitarian assistance to the helpless migrants fleeing from terrorist groups operating in the Middle East, the cleric reiterated, "Undertaking such an onerous task can put a heavy economic burden on any country's shoulder; nonetheless, such a benevolent practice is approved by all humans regardless of their nationality, religion or sect."
According to the politician, under the current circumstances and based on the present political equations allowing an influx of migrants to enter your territory has no plus points as lots of states are grappling with mass unemployment; however, humanity obliges us to lend migrants a hand and not let them die a miserable death.
Referring to the impact of the growth of terrorist activities on international security, the former president noted, "To address such a serious challenge, the roots need to be traced so that past mistakes are not repeated and ineffective approaches are not adopted again as they will bear no fruit."
Exploitation Behind Violence
Rafsanjani believes it is a long time that hegemonic powers have been exploiting and plundering not only the low-cost workforce but also natural resources in underdeveloped Asian and African countries, the result of which has been a growing number of violent and dissatisfied youth who are willing to commit any crimes to take revenge on those who discriminated against them; still, because they cannot reach such people, they massacre innocent people to spread insecurity.
That is why those who seek elimination of extremism have no alternative but to create jobs in poor countries and try to stop exploiting them, he stated.
Highlighting the absence of a unified approach to combat terrorism, he warned that the present situation harms everybody as the whole world will be exposed to the "virus" of terrorism sooner or later.
Describing Rafsanjani's attitude toward terrorism as positive, Leko said, "Those who live in the Middle East cannot experience peace unless a comprehensive political framework is developed internationally and all countries fulfill their obligations in the fight against extremism."
According to the top Croatian lawmaker, bombardment is not a viable solution to "consign terrorism to history."
He noted that all seasoned European politicians unanimously stress that Iran is a key player in the region without which the dream of restoring peace can never come true.
Although Croatia is a member of the European Union, which imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, it never halted efforts to boost cooperation with Tehran, he said, expressing hope that his country's economic collaboration with Iran would reach an acceptable level.
