Kharrazi : U.S. Organizing Terrorist Groups, Bandits Against Iran
Kharrazi, speaking at a press conference, said Washington is supporting the terrorist groups to confront Iran, and at the same time accuses the Islamic Republic of helping the Al-Qaeda terror network.
He pointed out to Iran's efforts to defuse tension in Afghanistan and voiced regret that Washington has taken up the 'accusatory language' against the Islamic Republic.
"It is regrettable to see that the U.S. has branded Iran as part of the axis of evil, while Tehran's efforts and its positive role in Afghan developments are a point of praise," the Iranian foreign minister said.
Kharrazi said the international community never welcomed U.S. branding Iran as part of the axis of evil, and stressed that the Islamic Republic never deserves to be juxtaposed with Iraq.
"We have been accused of supporting the Al-Qaeda while we had much earlier than the U.S. condemned the terror network," he said.
The Iranian foreign minister said such U.S. behavior was a token of Washington's insincerity in dealing with world issues, and reiterated that the Islamic Republic had played its share to fight terrorism in Afghanistan by handing over Al-Qaeda suspects to their respective countries.
"Today, we announce once again that whoever has any intelligence on the network, can forward it to us and we will immediately follow up the matter," he said.
Kharrazi called for evaluating the performance of Iran and the U.S. in their struggles to fight terrorism on the eve of the anniversary of September 11 attacks on U.S.landmarks.
"The U.S. has never sought for a fundamental solution to uproot terrorism in Afghanistan," he said. " Otherwise, how is it possible that terrorism is rooted out in Afghanistan, while its economic woes and the problem of opium poppy cultivation still remain unsolved?" He pointed out Iran's efforts to promote security in Afghanistan, and recalled Tehran's efforts to encourage Afghan groups to cooperate with the interim government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Kharrazi said Iran has already started projects to reconstruct Afghanistan, stressing that the Islamic Republic is one step ahead of other nations in their pledges to rebuild the war-torn country.
The Iranian foreign minister said the performance of the U.S. government in uprooting terrorism had never been 'positive'.
He criticized the White House for taking up a bullying approach and resorting to violence after September 11 attacks on U.S. landmarks.
Kharrazi also regretted that Washington had been trying to propagate anti-Islamic thoughts in the aftermath of the attacks.
"Undoubtedly, violence and rigid-mindedness must never be answered by the same evils," he said. "Iran's approach to that effect has always been to identify and address the roots of tension, to manage it, to encourage an international struggle to fight terrorism, and to propagate the idea of dialogue among civilizations and coalition for peace."