Iranian diplomat questions West's double-standard approach

Almaty, April 28, IRNA – A senior Iranian diplomat slammed the West's double-standard approach towards such issues as human rights and nuclear disarmament.

Ramin Mehmanparast, who was talking in a special panel discussion focusing on Iran during the 9th Eurasia Media Forum on Tuesday, referred to various challenges aiming to distance man from its eutopia, blaming them as the sources of tensions, conflicts, crises and disturbances.

Focusing on the double-standard approach of the West towards certain issues like its interpretation of the term "democracy" in different countries, he asked how it was that in one country protests were considered as a sign of democracy and in another an indication of the ruling regim's dictatorship?

Mehmanparast, who is a senior advisor to the Iranian foreign minister and serves as the spokesman for the ministry at the same time, said the answer to this fundamental question was that in one country such protests would satisfy the West while in another country their interests are met by considering objection to the polls and demanding a recount a move to destabilize the country.

Pointing to the issue of human rights and various anti-human rights crimes committed in the world amid silence of western media, he said while the West condemns conviction of a person who has committed horrible crimes in the interest of western countries, it considers resistance to occupiers and those who kill innocent women and children of an oppressed nation an act of terrorism.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Foreign Ministry spokesman touched upon the issue of anti-terrorism campaign and said "Western countries claim that they fight terrorism, and on the same pretext they consider it their right to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. However, we can see that after some years, not only terrorist activities have increased, but a connection has been revealed between terrorist groups and the intelligence services of the western occupiers."

"Another instance of biased behavior is the double-standard policy and selective approach that a number of greedy countries adopt. On the one hand, there are those independent and committed countries which are members of specialized international organizations and have undertaken not to develop nuclear arsenal in return for receiving advanced nuclear know how for peaceful purposes are exposed to immense pressure as well as illegal political limitations.

"On the other hand, nuclear powers that should do away with their nuclear weapons not only have done nothing in this regard, but they have stockpiled tens of thousands of these weapons. Pointing to the main focus of the one of the panels which is called "unknown Iran", he said "what remains obscure is today’s unknown world and the western countries’ political culture which is menacing to the world security and is threatening nations’ rights.

"They see their interest in exploiting other countries and consider advanced sciences their own exclusive rights and consider independent countries who oppose cruelty and injustice a nuisance to their unjust leadership of the world today," he said./end