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Ahmadinejad calls for Muslim unity

22 September 2010 02:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for unity among Muslim countries, highlighting the need for vigilance against "Israeli plots", APA reports quoting.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a meeting with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Tuesday on the sidelines of his US visit to attend UN General Assembly’s annual session in New York.

The Iranian president and Amr Moussa both agreed that cooperation between Iran and Arab countries can help maintain unity and solidarity among Muslim countries.

Amr Moussa, in his turn, called Iran as one of the powerhouses of the Middle East and said, "Iran is a brotherly country for all the Muslim states and the Arab League is keen on bolstering ties with it."

Ahmadinejad said despite the fact that Iran agreed to conduct a nuclear fuel swap in a third country, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed a declaration in Tehran on May 17, according to which Iran would ship 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey to be exchanged for 120 kilograms of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel rods to power the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment.

Ahmadinejad said the declaration could be regarded as a confidence-building measure that provides an opportunity for cooperation between Iran and the West, but the Western powers did not take the chance.