By IRNA,
Tehran : Iran’s Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said Iran never considered stopping dispatch of Iranian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the minor Hajj.
Making the remarks during his press briefing on Saturday, he said the Foreign Ministry and the organization in charge of Hajj rituals did not confirm certain reports about the claimed Saudi disrespect to Iranian pilgrims.
He said Iran did not complain of any serious misbehavior towards its nationals making Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia.
Pointing out that the minor Hajj pilgrimage was a highly important religious issue, he stressed that a great number of Iranians who have already applied for the journey to Saudi Arabia for the ritual will have the opportunity to do so with no obstacles.
Elham noted that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has personally examined the case and, based on the reports of the Hajj Organization as well as the Foreign Ministry, the issue of postponing the pilgrimages was totally dismissed.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Elham said the government was happy with the performance of the Iranian parliament in examining the proposed budget plan for the coming fiscal year.
In answer to a question, the spokesman reiterated that the elections law barred executive managers still in office from interfering in election’s administrative procedures and said managers, in different positions, are not allowed to waste even the shortest of their times on the election debates instead of heeding to people’s affairs.
Stressing that the government has embarked on no policies or measures to bar or restrict its critiques from voicing their contradictory views, he said people should abide by laws and act transparently when offering their views and criticisms.
Asked to comment on the recent remarks by former British foreign secretary Jack Straw who has said west’s animosity towards Iran stemmed from its ignorance towards the realities in Iran, Elham said Iran has always reiterated that changing views and presuppositions was the key to solving world problems.
However, he said, mere rhetoric was not enough and the words had to change into actions and administrative policies to be effective.
Elham also commented on the US attempts to sabotage Iran-Russia ties and said such acts could never affect ties between the two countries given the fact that Moscow and Tehran enjoyed complete cooperation which was ever growing both in quality and quantity.
Stressing that the ongoing talks between the US and Russia over America’s missile defense wall in Europe does not concern Iran, the spokesman said the regional countries considered Iran as a good friend and never looked at it as a threat to the regional, Arabian or neighboring states.