TEHRAN – Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said here on Sunday that negotiations need more courage than quarrelling.

“I believe that negotiation needs more courage than battles and quarrels. I hope that all the politicians of the modern world have this courage,” he said in a meeting with former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
“Wrong policies have increased aggression and extremism in the (Middle East) region.”
Khatami also pointed to the wrong conceptions about Iran in the West and the propaganda campaign against the country, saying, “Unfortunately, there is a wrong view on Iran which sees it as a threat to the region and the world while the regional problems are only solved with (help of) Iran.”
The former president emphasized that “Attaining peace is not easy. First, it needs pacifist people. Secondly, you should fight for it.”
Khatami made a reference to the increasing global concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation and said while the concerns are right, no country can be denied of its rights to nuclear technology for civilian use.
Schroeder, for his part, stated that Iran has right to “peaceful use of the nuclear technology.”
Pointing to his tenure as chancellor, he said, “Our tenure was a better time for cooperation between the two countries and I agree with you, and believe that there are many capacities for cooperation which have not been utilized.