Iran ready to extradite al-Qaida suspects
Thursday 11 December 2003
Khatami says Iran is the most democratic country in its region
Iran has arrested 130 suspected members of al-Qaida and is ready to extradite some of them.
President Muhammad Khatami said on Thursday that "those who have committed crimes in Iran will be judged in Iran and the others will be extradited to their country of origin".
He said: "There is no place for al-Qaida, no place for any terrorist, for those who act against peace in the world."
Khatami, who was speaking from Geneva, added al-Qaida was "very hostile" to the Iranian government.
The United States has asked Tehran several times to extradite members of the group on its territory, most recently on Monday.
People's Mujahidin
"We believe Iran should turn over all suspected al-Qaida operatives to the United States or to countries of origin or third countries for further interrogation and trial," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington.
However, the US stressed it was not considering a swap of Iranian opposition People's Mujahadin members held by US forces in Iraq in return for al-Qaida operatives held in Iran.
Bin Laden's group is hostile to the
Iranian government
Khatami said Iran was ready to welcome opposition fighters who "are in Iraq and regret" past acts.
"We will welcome them and judge them according to the law," he said.
Reports over the weekend said Jordan's King Abd Allah II was quietly trying to broker a deal between the United States and Iran on the prisoners.
Nuclear weapons
Meanwhile, Iran's president had earlier insisted his country will not make nuclear weapons, and told Muslims they should embrace democracy.
Launching an urgent appeal for dialogue between Islam and Christianity, Muhammad Khatami told the World Council of Churches (WCC) that Islam ruled out the use of nuclear weapons.
"The Islam that I know does not allow the use of nuclear weapons, then we cannot go ahead and manufacture them," he said.
Khatami's comments came a day after Iran said it had given the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the go-ahead to carry out more intrusive inspections of its nuclear programme.
"The Islam that I know does not allow the use of nuclear weapons, then we cannot go ahead and manufacture them"
Muhammad Khatami,
Iranian president
During his address to a seminar on religious tolerance organised by the WCC, Khatami also gave an unusually frank endorsement of democracy.
Democracy
"I think democracy is the only alternative, we can take it as Muslims," he said.
"We must accept this has been materialised in the West, we must accept this as Muslims," Khatami, an Islamic scholar added, warning the alternative was authoritarian and despotic rule.
Iran had problems, the president admitted, "we have violations of human rights, we know these are going on", although he said the country had the most democratic system in the region.
Khatami's speech focused on a plea for religious tolerance, warning that the shared values of faith and religion had been eroded worldwide by bigotry as well as by anti-religious sentiment.
"The dialogue between civilisations, but also the dialogue between religions, in particular between Islam and Christianity are a vital, imperative and unavoidable necessity.
"I have to add in this respect that unfortunately those with power in this world, instead of reducing and removing the misunderstandings, are contributing to their revival," he added.
Islam-Christianity dialogue
"I think democracy is the only alternative... We must accept this has been materialised in the West, we must accept this as Muslims"
Muhammad Khatami,
Iranian president
Iran's president also pointed out that the 20th century had been marked by unprecedented wars and violence, including the "ugly face of terrorism".
He said: "It showed its ugliest face in the cities of New York and Washington in September 2001."
The Iranian leader, seen as a reformist figure in the Islamic state, was in Geneva primarily to attend a UN conference on the impact and development of information technology.
The digital boom has increased the ability to communicate, but has not been able to overcome a gulf in understanding, he cautioned.
"We must note that in our global village, we are unable to understand each other."
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4E1E7462-7154-4FB6-872B-311996432024.htmEU to argue case with US for dialogue with Iran
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
December 11 2003
Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, travels to Washington next week to press the argument that Europe's political and diplomatic dialogue with Iran remains a crucial element in attempts to curb Tehran's nuclear programme.
The visit comes at a delicate point in relations between the EU and US over Iran. The US administration is divided over whether to call openly for regime change in Iran or give the diplomatic track currently pursued by the Europeans a chance.
Neo-conservatives in Washington continue to advocate regime change. But Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state, said "regime change" was not US policy at a Senate hearing on October 28
"The administration is divided over Iran. But we are not going to change our policy. We are waiting for the Iranians to deliver. But that does not mean just being passive," said an EU diplomat involved in negotiations with Iran.
Earlier this week, Mr Solana won support from foreign ministers for a visit to Iran next month, where he will spell out EU policy towards the Islamic Republic - if Iran meets all its obligations set out in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
The decision to send Mr Solana came after Iran said it would sign the "additional protocol", opening the way to enhanced inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog. It also agreed to suspend uranium enrichment - a process required for producing nuclear weapons. The IAEA will monitor the suspension.
Italy, holder of the EU's six-monthly rotating presidency, said Iran should be rewarded for taking those decisions even though it has yet to sign the additional protocol. Franco Frattini, Italian foreign minister, said ministers should consider resuming negotiations on a trade and co-operation agreement. These talks are linked to progress on issues including human rights, combating terrorism, respect for Iran's nuclear obligations and supporting any Middle East peace process.
Britain, France and Germany, which together forged the EU's distinctive policy towards Iran, forced Italy to back down, saying it was too early to send such signals to Iran.
"If we talk about resuming these [trade and co-operation] negotiations, what leverage is then left to us?" asked another EU diplomat. "Iran has to deliver. This will take time, a year or two. We have to judge when is the right time to send the signals."
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