By NNN-KUNA
Dakar : Iran, Turkey and Iraq should be united against terrorism by the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the 11th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference here Thursday, he said this unified attack against the PKK should “take into account that territorial integrity is not interfered with and the innocent people are not killed.”
The Turkish Army commenced a land operation in northern Iraq on Feb 21 with the aim of wiping out PKK rebels, classified by Turkey, the EU and the US as a terrorist organisation. Turkish troops withdrew on Feb 29.
On his country’s nuclear file, he said Iran’s fight for its right to possess nuclear capabilities was not just to preserve the Persian state’s rights, “but also the rights of all nations.”
He said the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council because of this were “not a problem,” adding that his country “believes that the nuclear issue is judicially finished, but the hostility remains with some nations.”
On March 3, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to tighten and widen sanctions on Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment activities, and warned that it would do it again in three months if Tehran fails to comply.
Asked about Lebanon, Ahmadinejad said there were powers exercising “hegemony” in the country and that the Lebanese people should be allowed to “choose for themselves,” calling for the preservation of the unity and solidarity of the nation.
Lebanon has been without a president since November 2007 when the term of Emile Lahoud expired. The parliamentary session for electing a president has been postponed 14 times so far.
As for the publication of cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the Iranian president said that the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned these actions, describing this insult as “the act of a madman.” He said resorting to such means to insult a religion reflected “defeat and weakness.”
On the appointment of a US envoy to the OIC, the president said that those who think that this could change the image of the US among Muslim nations “are mistaken,” adding that there was increased awareness among the public on such issues thanks to the media.
He also said that the OIC was “young”, adding that the adoption of a revised charter would be “a big step in enhancing the capabilities of the member states.”
The OIC leaders are looking to approve amendments to the charter, as the organisation was established in haste in 1972 after the Al-Aqsa Mosque was torched.