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Iran in Response to Arab Summit: We Abide by Non-Interference | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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London- Iran has rejected a call by the Arab League summit that was held in Jordan this week to stop meddling in internal Arab affairs.

Iran has “said repeatedly it does not need to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries and always abides by the principles of good neighborliness and respect for the sovereignty of governments and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said Thursday.

He described the Arab Summit declaration as “fruitless” and “baseless.”

The final statement from Wednesday’s summit condemned Iran’s “meddling in Arab affairs” and the “inciting statements” of Iranian officials against Arab countries.

Arab foreign ministers had discussed during the preparatory meetings for the summit a draft resolution that condemns “Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.”

The draft also urged Tehran “to stop its provocative acts that undermine trust-building and threaten the security and stability of the region.”

“We cannot, however, hide our deep sorrow for some Arab and Islamic leaders, who instead of dealing with the most important crises in the region and the Muslim world… go astray and fail to distinguish friend from foe, either intentionally or by mistake,” said Ghasemi in response to the draft.

“It’s very regrettable that some are trying to change reality and replace the Zionist regime (Israel) with Islamic Iran as an illusory and fabricated enemy,” he added.

On calls for Iran to stop the occupation of UAE islands, Ghasemi said: “These islands are Iranian and will remain Iranian.”

“We basically take these repetitions at different Arab meetings as interference in the domestic affairs of the Islamic republic of Iran and categorically condemn such claims,” he added.