jesuitsdidit
01-04-2009, 10:09 PM
A former president of Iran believes the Islamic theocracy can peacefully co-exist with Israel as "brothers and sisters" and has defended his chequered record on human rights.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/israel-iran-can-coexist-says-khatami-20090324-9915.html
Israel, Iran can co-exist, says Khatami
Stephen Johnson
March 24, 2009
A former president of Iran believes the Islamic theocracy can peacefully co-exist with Israel as "brothers and sisters" and has defended his chequered record on human rights.
Dr Seyed Mohammad Khatami's visit to Australia has attracted criticism from some in the Jewish community who have questioned his reformist credentials.
The former leader of Iran told a Canberra audience on Tuesday Iran had a history of living peacefully with its neighbours, putting him at odds with Iran's current hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was reported in 2005 to have said he wanted Israel "wiped off the map".
"The ... Iranian nation has always looked forward to co-existing with different nations around the world," Dr Khatami said at the Australian National University.
"But with respect to the crisis that is going on in the Middle East, the crisis should be resolved through a just approach. It requires a global wheel.
"If such solutions based on justice would be realised ... to observe the right of different ethnic groups and peoples in the region ... humans can live next to each other as brothers and sisters."
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9392/30551074nc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Mohammed Khatami
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7576/65026564ti0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Seyed Mohammad Khatami
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6471/89774672hr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Mohammed Khatami - "reformist"
On the eve of Dr Khatami's visit, the head of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, Colin Rubenstein, said the former Iranian leader did little to advance human rights.
"Khatami left office in 2005 having accomplished relatively little reform: pro-democracy protests were brutally suppressed under his watch, and newspapers and journals were banned," Dr Rubenstein wrote in a newspaper opinion article.
"He advocated the death penalty for homosexuals, continued the punishment of stoning for adulterers, opposed women's rights, and repressed minority religious and ethnic groups, such as the Baha'i."
Dr Khatami, the leader of Iran from 1997 to 2005, withdrew from Iran's election race this week, and pledged to support former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi.
He defended his record on female attendance at universities and denied people of the Baha'i faith were persecuted.
"I'm looking forward to when no human will be incarcerated because of his religious beliefs," he said.
Dr Khatami believed insecurity in Afghanistan was being driven by Pakistani elements.
"Unfortunately, the security and peace in Afghanistan is more shaky than before," he said.
"Unfortunately, some of the groups contributing to the insecurity in Afghanistan are living in parts of Pakistan."
The former president added peace in the Middle East could be achieved only if Palestinian refugees were granted the right to return to their homeland.
"Unfortunately, the most basic rights of human beings, which is the right to go back to the homeland, they have been deprived of," he said.
Dr Khatami did not refer to Iran's nuclear ambitions, but he said if nations put as many resources into dialogue as developing weapons of mass destruction, they could "achieve much more".
The Shi'ite cleric, considered a political moderate in Iran, called for a system of dialogue between nations and a consensus on global ethics that was driven by philosophers, scientists, artists and intellectuals rather than politicians.
"Dialogue opens windows for exchanging ideas rather than seeking to impose one's tastes and interests on another," he said.
"It seems that never in history has the environment been more prepared for dialogue than today."
Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser gave the vote of thanks and backed Dr Khatami's call for global dialogue.
© 2009 AAP
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/israel-iran-can-coexist-says-khatami-20090324-9915.html
Israel, Iran can co-exist, says Khatami
Stephen Johnson
March 24, 2009
A former president of Iran believes the Islamic theocracy can peacefully co-exist with Israel as "brothers and sisters" and has defended his chequered record on human rights.
Dr Seyed Mohammad Khatami's visit to Australia has attracted criticism from some in the Jewish community who have questioned his reformist credentials.
The former leader of Iran told a Canberra audience on Tuesday Iran had a history of living peacefully with its neighbours, putting him at odds with Iran's current hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was reported in 2005 to have said he wanted Israel "wiped off the map".
"The ... Iranian nation has always looked forward to co-existing with different nations around the world," Dr Khatami said at the Australian National University.
"But with respect to the crisis that is going on in the Middle East, the crisis should be resolved through a just approach. It requires a global wheel.
"If such solutions based on justice would be realised ... to observe the right of different ethnic groups and peoples in the region ... humans can live next to each other as brothers and sisters."
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9392/30551074nc6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Mohammed Khatami
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7576/65026564ti0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Seyed Mohammad Khatami
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/6471/89774672hr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Mohammed Khatami - "reformist"
On the eve of Dr Khatami's visit, the head of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, Colin Rubenstein, said the former Iranian leader did little to advance human rights.
"Khatami left office in 2005 having accomplished relatively little reform: pro-democracy protests were brutally suppressed under his watch, and newspapers and journals were banned," Dr Rubenstein wrote in a newspaper opinion article.
"He advocated the death penalty for homosexuals, continued the punishment of stoning for adulterers, opposed women's rights, and repressed minority religious and ethnic groups, such as the Baha'i."
Dr Khatami, the leader of Iran from 1997 to 2005, withdrew from Iran's election race this week, and pledged to support former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi.
He defended his record on female attendance at universities and denied people of the Baha'i faith were persecuted.
"I'm looking forward to when no human will be incarcerated because of his religious beliefs," he said.
Dr Khatami believed insecurity in Afghanistan was being driven by Pakistani elements.
"Unfortunately, the security and peace in Afghanistan is more shaky than before," he said.
"Unfortunately, some of the groups contributing to the insecurity in Afghanistan are living in parts of Pakistan."
The former president added peace in the Middle East could be achieved only if Palestinian refugees were granted the right to return to their homeland.
"Unfortunately, the most basic rights of human beings, which is the right to go back to the homeland, they have been deprived of," he said.
Dr Khatami did not refer to Iran's nuclear ambitions, but he said if nations put as many resources into dialogue as developing weapons of mass destruction, they could "achieve much more".
The Shi'ite cleric, considered a political moderate in Iran, called for a system of dialogue between nations and a consensus on global ethics that was driven by philosophers, scientists, artists and intellectuals rather than politicians.
"Dialogue opens windows for exchanging ideas rather than seeking to impose one's tastes and interests on another," he said.
"It seems that never in history has the environment been more prepared for dialogue than today."
Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser gave the vote of thanks and backed Dr Khatami's call for global dialogue.
© 2009 AAP