West's attitudes on Iran nuclear issue is horrifying - former MP

Islamic Republic News Agency:

The West's attitude towards Iran on the nuclear issue is horrifying and makes the situation very dangerous, according to Labor's former longest-serving MP, Tam Dalyall.

"I thought (Foreign Secretary) Jack Straw was doing his best, when I was in the House of Commons, to have good relations between Britain and Iran, but it all seems to have gone all very sour," said Dalyall, who retired this year after being an MP for 43 years.

In an exclusive interview with IRNA, he disputed views suggesting that having a civil nuclear capability makes it possible for Iran to have nuclear weapons. READ MORE

"I am relaxed about this; first of all, I do not think that this is the intention, as far as I can make out, of the Iranian government to become nuclear power," the 75-year old former MP said.

He suggested that even if Iran had this intention it should be borne in mind 'that Israel has been a nuclear power for a long time, and I know that Pakistan and India are both nuclear powers'.

Dalyall emphasized the need for more versatile energy sources in Iran. "Five years ago, I spent a happy 17 days in Iran, one of the few things that really horrified me was the pollution in the area of historic Persepolis near Shiraz," he said "The reason was the old refineries were moved quickly into that area in the Iran-Iraq war which underlines what I am going to say -- publicly and privately," he said.

"I think not only is Iran entitled to civil nuclear power but is highly desired that your electricity be generated from nuclear power rather than from the oil industry which is finite resource," he told IRNA.

The former MP for Linlithgow in central Scotland, who is now the elected rector of Edinburgh University, said that he was 'wholly in favor of a civilian Iranian nuclear power program'.

"I am horrified by the attitudes towards Iran in the West on this issue and I do think it is truly dangerous," he warned.

He also expressed sadness about the change of Iranian ambassador to London at a time of entering a very dangerous situation.

When asked why Prime Minister Tony Blair was accusing Iran of meddling in Iraq's security whereas the emphasis of the governments of both countries was warm mutual relations, Dalyall said: "The answer is I don't know!! "Three years ago I was asked in a TV program that in my 40 years of experience of House of Commons and eight prime ministers, who was the best and who was the worst and I said the worst was Mr Blair," he said.

"I was asked last year that if I have changed my mind, I said I have changed my mind and now believe he is by far the worst," he added.

The former MP criticized the British prime minister for his record. "I just think that he has completely gone crazy. I am so critical of him for what he did on Iraq," he stressed.

Britain has its own share of leaders in denial.