TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said that the Palestine issue shows that the major powers apply double standards toward democracy and human rights.

“(The) Palestine (issue) reflects the world powers’ double standards and the politicization of democracy and human rights,” Mottaki said on Thursday at the third Bali Democracy Forum, which was held on Thursday and Friday in the Indonesian city.
The Bali Democracy Forum is a novel initiative, launched by Indonesia on December 10 and 11, 2008, with the goal of promoting regional international cooperation in the field of democracy and political development amongst countries in Asia.
“Palestine is a case that demonstrates these powers’ duplicity. They shout the slogan of democracy, but when the results are not in their interests, they don’t accept them,” Mottaki said.
People’s votes should be respected, and elections should not be a sham, he stated.
“We should not employ a selective procedure for putting democratic values into practice. Democracy means respecting people’s demands, will, and votes,” he noted.
He went on to say that democracy cannot be established in a region where extra-regional powers intervene in the internal affairs of countries.
Experience has shown that extra-regional powers’ invasions, occupations, and hegemonistic approaches have negatively affected countries’ political development, he said.
The world powers use democracy as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of developing countries, particularly in the Middle East region, he stated.
All countries have the right to independently choose their path to development and their political system, and other countries should respect their choices, he said, adding that the political system of each country should be established based on its people’s beliefs, history, and societal situation.