WASHINGTON: Arguing that Iran does not deserve to host the NAM summit, the US has said Tehran would attempt to manipulate the upcoming meet to advance its own agenda as it is trying to “skirt sanctions” over its nuclear program.
Being hosted by Iran, the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit would be attended by global leaders like UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Tehran next week.
“Iran is going to try to manipulate this (NAM) summit and the attendees to advance its own agenda and to obscure the fact that it is failing to live up to multiple obligations that it has to the UN Security Council, the IAEA and other international bodies,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at her daily news conference last evening.
Last week, the US had expressed its opposition to Ban traveling to Tehran to attend the summit, noting that this is not a good decision.
“We frankly, don’t think that Iran is deserving of these high-level presences that are going there,” Nuland said in response to a question.
“That said, these individual countries will make their own decisions at what level they choose to be represented. We would hope and expect that those who choose to go will take the opportunity of any meetings that they have with Iran’s leaders to press them to come back into compliance, to use the opportunity of the P-5 plus one talks, to come clean about their nuclear program and take up all of the other concerns that the international community has about Iran’s behavior.”
Nuland said Iran is trying to “skirt sanctions” wherever it can. -PTI
