Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami said on Saturday that Iran would respect any decision taken by the Palestinians for peace in the occupied lands. He also reiterated Tehran's rejection of the Israeli regime.
"Any step for the realization of a real and just peace in the Middle East is positive and we will honor what the Palestinian people accept," he said.
Khatami, who was talking at Mehrabad airport upon return from a two-nation European tour of Austria and Greece said, "Iran, according to its moral and political commitments, does not recognize Israel and we will never recognize a regime which is based on occupation and follows a policy of repression," he added.
Europe, Khatami said, is worried about the escalation of violence in the occupied lands, in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hardline policies, reported IRNA. "Although the European Union recognizes the Israeli government, the union's call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is considered a step forward," he added.
Khatami reiterated Iran's call for the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homes and holding referendum in the occupied lands as the key to establishing real peace in Palestine.
EU
Meanwhile, the leaders of the European Union called Saturday on both Israel and Palestinians to rein in the violence. Ending a two-day summit, they said in a statement there "is no military solution to this conflict."
Israel's "use of excessive force" against Palestinians cannot be justified, they said. Equally, the leaders said, "actions against medical and humanitarian institutions and personnel are particularly unacceptable."
They added that "the indiscriminate [Palestinian] terrorist attacks killing and injuring innocent civilians must be condemned" and that the Palestinian Authority, headed by Yasser Arafat, "has the full responsibility of fighting terrorism with all the means at its disposal."
According to Reuters, they urged Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from Palestinian-run areas and lift all restrictions on the movement of Arafat. In addition, they demanded that Israel stop the 'executions without trial' of Palestinians, to freeze the building of settlements, and to relieve the closures imposed upon Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
They also called upon Israel to allow international observers to uphold a cease-fire between Israel and the PA.
"The European Union Committee is convinced that observation by a third party can assist both sides in their efforts and will push them to accept the the fact that the observers can help them reach a peace agreement," they said.
(Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
