Edited by Robin Silberman
Rezaee Makes Proposal in Interview with Tagesspiegel
According to Mehr News, Mohsen Rezaee, a candidate in the ongoing tenth presidential election round of the Republic of Iran, stated in an interview with the newspaper Tagesspiegel, “My aim is to take the way of national development and to also adopt decisions, perspectives and approaches leading to the creation of the Iran we want in the year 2025 and for the future.” Pointing out that the US is using certain countries in the region to leverage influence, Rezaee affirmed, “Once the Americans change their ways, we will change ours,” and added that “This position of the US has increased the strain in the region and has widened the rift between some Arab countries and Iran.”
As he continued, he explained: “I intend to do away with three grievances: the mismanagement in the country, the miserable economic policy and the misguided conduct in international relations.” Speaking of the Hamas in Palestine in another part of the interview, Mohsen Rezaee stated, “Hamas is defending Palestine and we believe that this defense is warranted. All Palestinian factions – Jewish, Christian and Muslim – should sit down at one table and decide their future based on the principles of humanity and democracy. Our wish is for all the inhabitants of occupied Palestine to have equal rights.”
Rezaee then continued to say that he rejected the two state-solution for the occupied territories and considered it defeated. In response to a question as to whether he accepts Israel as Zionist government, he declared, “This must be decided by the Palestinians themselves. The UN should hold a referendum among the actual inhabitants of Palestine and Iran will accept the outcome.”
With respect to the issue of Iran’s nuclear program he also stated, “I would suggest having joint enrichment on Iranian soil with the involvement of the US, Europe and Russia. We would then pursue our peaceful nuclear policy in the framework of this cooperation.”
With regard to the change in the approach of the new US administration to Iran, he emphasized, “As I see it, this change in US foreign policy can be trusted. The US are no longer interested in spearheading all the disputes and military campaigns around the world. This atmosphere is conducive for talks.” He also pointed out, “I want to propose a plan laying out the steps we are to take and the steps the US is to take.” By way of example, he added, “We could work together in managing the financial crisis; our endeavor is to fight drug trafficking; to establish peace and security in the Middle East and to create a regional security system.”
He also stated: “We should establish a form of cooperation based on the European model. Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should be the main players in the region: just like Germany and France in the European Union. Then we would be able to dispatch an Islamic peace troop to Afghanistan and Iraq.”
[Editor’s note: some rewording and omissions have been made to eliminate repetition].
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