Velayati office rejects UN chief spokesman’s remarks

(MNA) - The office of Ali Akbar Velayati released a report on Monday in which it dismissed remarks by the UN secretary general spokesman about the content of talks between Ban Ki-moon and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last Wednesday.

Velayati is a senior foreign policy advisor to the Supreme Leader.

According to the report, what Velayati has narrated from Ban has been taken directly from his talks with the Leader and there are videos of the meeting which was held at the presence of reporters.

In the meeting, the report say, Ban addresses the Supreme Leader as such:

“As a Supreme Leader and also religious leader of not only Iran, but also this region, you can play crucially important role.”

Elsewhere in his talks, the UN chief said:

“You have an important role to play; you have been playing in the situation in Lebanon, Iraq. I know you are very much concerned for situation in Bahrain.
These are all the areas that Iran has been playing and will continue to play an important role. I like to focus on one area today, on Syria. One of my main purposes of coming to meet you is to ask you to exercise maximum influence in resolving this crisis in Syria… I think in this region, only Iran can play this crucially important role.”

Ban had visited Tehran to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement summit which ended on Friday.