Iran can play effective role in solving intl. problems: Annan

Tehran Times:

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed the significant contribution Iran can make to the solution of many of world problems as well as the collective global response to global challenges.

Making the remark in his message to the two-day International Conference on United Nations Reform which opened in Tehran on Sunday, he said no reform proposal, however important, should distract the UN from certain urgent tasks, particularly the need to resolve protracted conflicts and ensure that countries in difficult transitions receive the support they need.

He noted that the UN will continue to work for peace and stability based on democratic self-government in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as many other countries and for a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis and emphasized that "Iran has an important contribution to make to the solution of many of these problems, as well as to our collective global response to global challenges."

The secretary-general further stated that he looked forward to "continuing to work with the authorities of the Islamic Republic under its newly elected President, His Excellency Mr. Mahmud Ahmadinejad, as I have done with the outgoing government, and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting him at the 2005 World Summit in New York in September."

Saying that the reform agenda put forward by him on March 21 this year was of vital interest to Iran as to other countries in the region, he referred to the importance of a culture of peace and the need to build and strengthen it at both the national and international levels and noted that he strongly supported efforts to promote a dialogue among civilizations through the United Nations.

Regretting that any culture of peace is threatened by resort to terrorism "which Iran --like too many other countries-- has experienced it at first hand", Annan believed terrorism does not emanate from any particular religion or ideology nor is it directed only at certain countries or people. He said all must agree how to define it and adopt a comprehensive convention outlawing it in all its forms, stressing that "while I am fully aware of the sensitivities and concerns that exist on this issue, I believe we must be able to agree that the legitimate fight of a people to resist foreign occupation does not and cannot include the right to deliberately kill or maim civilians and non-combatants." READ MORE

Touching upon such other issues as respect to human rights and use of force by states, he admitted that these were "points of great sensitivity for Iranians, since the Security Council failed to take such measures when Iran was attacked in 1980, and Iran was left to exercise its right to self-defense on its own."

At the end of his message, the UN Secretary-General stressed, "All countries, both developed and developing, must do their part to ensure that, between now and the year 2015, the fight against poverty and disease is taken to a new level" and urged all participants in the conference to do their utmost to make sure that the September World Summit is used to ensure an increased global cooperation and solidarity.

Kofi Annan has yet to speak out in support of Ganji and instead goes to Tehran (where many would be happy to educate him), denies that terrorism emanates form an ideology and expects Iran to agree to a definition for terrorism. Incredible.