News / Politics

Iran urges Arab League to strengthen unity

Wednesday, 20 July 2016 4:54 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 20 July 2016 5:21 AM ]

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi

Iran has rejected recent remarks by the secretary general of the Arab League against the Islamic Republic, calling on the Arab body to work toward strengthening Muslim unity.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Tuesday reiterated Iran’s stance that the crises in certain regional countries can only be resolved through dialog and enhanced interaction among concerned parties, emphasizing that, “No country has the right to meddle in the affairs of regional countries.”

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League’s secretary general, had claimed in an interview with London-based Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday that Iran is interfering in the affairs of Arab countries.

Qassemi said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the Muslim world to grasp the sensitive condition of the region and the world at the current point in time and seeks stronger unanimity and unity in the Muslim world vis-à-vis such common threats as the Zionist regime (Israel)’s aggression, terrorism and extremism.”

“Islamophobes,” the Iranian official said, “are attempting to create and prolong sectarian and religious violence and to particularly drive a wedge between Shias and Sunnis by creating and stirring up tensions and discord within the Muslim Ummah.”

He expressed hope that Aboul Gheit would take notice of such realities and “solemnly work toward the unity of the Muslim world.”

Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit

Aboul Gheit, a 73-year-old Egyptian politician, whose term as the secretary general of the 22-member Arab League began on July 3, faces an uphill battle given the five-year-old war in Syria, the militancy in Libya, a rising threat from Takfiri terrorists, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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