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Iran opens intâ€™l anti-terrorism conference

25 June 2011 20:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Iran opened an international conference against terrorism in Tehran on Saturday with the attendance of regional and international high ranking officials, APA reports quoting â€œXinhuanetâ€.
In a message read to the opening ceremony of the conference, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that fighting against terrorism is a responsibility for all countries.
Terrorism is not a new phenomenon. However, the emergence of weapons of mass destruction has made it hundreds of times more dangerous, Khamenei said in his message.
The Iranian leader added that Israel has committed a number of terrorist acts against the Palestinians and continues openly its terrorist acts outside and inside the Palestinians.
The United States, Britain and some Western states, with a dark record of terrorist acts, have now added the claim of fighting terrorism to their rhetoric, he added.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that his country is ready to help independent nations to fight terrorism.
Drawing on the threats posed by terrorism against the international security, he said that global determination is needed to fight the vicious phenomenon.
He also underlined the root cause of terrorism, saying that poverty, discrimination and humiliation are the reasons behind the growth of terrorism which were used by the evil to reach their inhuman goals.
In a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon on the sideline of the conference, Ahmadinejad emphasized the regional countryâ€™s vital role for comprehensive fight against terrorism and extremism.
For his part, Rahmon underlined the global and regional statesâ€™ responsibility to actively engage in fight against terrorism.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said here Saturday that justice and peace are the best means to fight international terrorism and with the cooperation of Iraqâ€™s friends fight against terrorism will be kept on.
Taherian Mobarekeh, the secretary of the conference, said in the opening ceremony that the Islamic Republic is going to create global convergence and unity against terrorism by holding the conference in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Friday that the conference will confront the "double standard" of the world powers on terrorism.
The world powers enter the scene under the pretext of campaign against terrorism when their interests are at stake but negotiate with terrorists for their own interests, Mehmanparast was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
"The measures which endanger lives of innocent people are condemned and they should be confronted ... It is necessary to forge consensus and ensure global unity to fight terrorism," he said.
"The conference is to form a platform where different views could be expressed. Participants from different corners and parts of the world can take part in the deliberation," Iranâ€™s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Mehdi Akhondzadeh told Press TV on Friday.
The two-day International Conference of the Global Campaign against Terrorism has brought together senior officials from several countries.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Afghani President Hamid Karzai, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived in Tehran on Friday to attend the conference. Also, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived here on Saturday.