Iran urges action on Bahrain crackdown
PressTV--Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has urged the international community to take action to stop violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters in the Middle East and North Africa.
“International bodies have more responsibility regarding these developments so they should make a serious move and take concrete action, Mehmanparast said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“Their silence can show the public opinion that ... their claims of advocating human rights are political and people of the world would remember the oppression against the people of this region and the silence that came with such oppression.”
He also called on the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to break the silence and to step in to stop “unjustifiable” acts against anti-government protesters.
Mehmanparast further pointed out that the approach of crackdown and violence and interference of other countries in crisis-hit Bahrain was a wrong approach.
“A Wave of awakening has been created among regional people and this wave will bring with it changes in the countries. The solution to deal with this popular wave is to listen to people's demands and to fulfill them,” he said.
The Iranian spokesperson reiterated that the pace of changes will accelerate if crackdowns on protesters continued and the demands of people were remained unanswered.
Mehmanparast also criticized certain countries for raising allegations against the Islamic Republic to solve their own internal problems and said Iran pursued a non-interference policy.
“Interference in the [internal] affairs of other countries is not on our foreign policy at all. Instead, respecting the sovereignty of other countries and establishing relations based on mutual respect are among our basic principles.”
He, however, said that Iran will continue its diplomatic efforts to help stop violent crackdowns on regional nations, in particular Bahrain.
Mehmanparast also called on regional countries to be vigilant not to fall into traps of the US and Israel, which seek to sow division among Muslim countries to shield their interests.
People in Bahrain have been holding anti-government protests since February 14, demanding constitutional reforms as well as an end to the al-Khalifa monarchy.
Demonstrators maintain that they will continue the protests until their demands for freedom, constitutional monarchy, and a proportional voice in the government are met.
The peaceful popular movement in Bahrain has been violently repressed since mid-February, leaving scores of anti-regime protesters killed and many others missing.
To help the Bahraini government crush the anti-government protests, neighboring Arab states of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have deployed their troops to Bahrain.
“International bodies have more responsibility regarding these developments so they should make a serious move and take concrete action, Mehmanparast said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“Their silence can show the public opinion that ... their claims of advocating human rights are political and people of the world would remember the oppression against the people of this region and the silence that came with such oppression.”
He also called on the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to break the silence and to step in to stop “unjustifiable” acts against anti-government protesters.
Mehmanparast further pointed out that the approach of crackdown and violence and interference of other countries in crisis-hit Bahrain was a wrong approach.
“A Wave of awakening has been created among regional people and this wave will bring with it changes in the countries. The solution to deal with this popular wave is to listen to people's demands and to fulfill them,” he said.
The Iranian spokesperson reiterated that the pace of changes will accelerate if crackdowns on protesters continued and the demands of people were remained unanswered.
Mehmanparast also criticized certain countries for raising allegations against the Islamic Republic to solve their own internal problems and said Iran pursued a non-interference policy.
“Interference in the [internal] affairs of other countries is not on our foreign policy at all. Instead, respecting the sovereignty of other countries and establishing relations based on mutual respect are among our basic principles.”
He, however, said that Iran will continue its diplomatic efforts to help stop violent crackdowns on regional nations, in particular Bahrain.
Mehmanparast also called on regional countries to be vigilant not to fall into traps of the US and Israel, which seek to sow division among Muslim countries to shield their interests.
People in Bahrain have been holding anti-government protests since February 14, demanding constitutional reforms as well as an end to the al-Khalifa monarchy.
Demonstrators maintain that they will continue the protests until their demands for freedom, constitutional monarchy, and a proportional voice in the government are met.
The peaceful popular movement in Bahrain has been violently repressed since mid-February, leaving scores of anti-regime protesters killed and many others missing.
To help the Bahraini government crush the anti-government protests, neighboring Arab states of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have deployed their troops to Bahrain.