Between Khatami and Jumblatt: Questioning the Iranian Regime's Foreign Policy
Yesterday Lebanese leader Walid Jumblatt dropped a bombshell on the Lebanese political scence by making a number of sensational accusations backed by documents issued by the Lebanese army intelligence.
Jumblatt asked for the eviction of the Iranian ambassador and the ban of Iranian flights to Beirut. He accused Iran of sending armaments to Lebanon in violation of international resolutions and basic international norms.
Mr. Jumblatt’s comments are neither anti Shia nor anti Iran the people and the Persian civilization.
Incidentally, these comments, in a way, were echoed by former Iranian President Khatami, a charismatic man.
As an Arab and a Muslim, I want good relations with our important neighbor Iran.
But the hardline rulers of Iran have not been helping.
Criticizing Iran’s policies does not mean hate of the Iranian people or the Shia.
The French agency AFP reports from Tehran that “[f]ormer Iranian president Mohamad Khatami was under fire from hardliners on Monday after comments interpreted as accusing the country's clerical leaders of supporting insurgents in the Middle East. The hardline Kayhan newspaper accused the reformist Khatami of tarnishing the Islamic republic's reputation by implying it was carrying out "sabotage" work in other countries through insurgent groups.” http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iVKHjHkBUfnGqKeF0XbtalgSYYpQ
It’s not?
Mr Khatami was quoted:
"What did the imam (Khomeini) mean by exporting the revolution?" he asked in the speech Friday to university students in the northern province of Gilan, according to the Kargozaran newspaper.
"Did he mean that we take up arms, that we blow up places in other nations and we create groups to carry out sabotage in other countries? The imam was vehemently against this and was confronting it," he added.
The AFP story continues:
"His speech has been seen by some observers as accusing the Iranian authorities of encouraging militants to destabilize the Middle East, in particular Iraq and Lebanon.
The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive moment.
The United States has stepped up accusations that Shiite-majority Iran is arming and training Shiite militias in Iraq and is working to destabilise Lebanon through the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Iran vehemently denies the charges it is destabilising Lebanon and Iraq saying that foreign intervention in both nations are the root cause of their crises.”
Former President Khatami is an enlightened man and makes a great job as the public face of Iran and the world's Shia. One wishes he ran things in Iran- that would greatly help regional peace and relations with the West.
Khatami would bring normal relations with the Arab neighbors and the West.
Jumblatt asked for the eviction of the Iranian ambassador and the ban of Iranian flights to Beirut. He accused Iran of sending armaments to Lebanon in violation of international resolutions and basic international norms.
Mr. Jumblatt’s comments are neither anti Shia nor anti Iran the people and the Persian civilization.
Incidentally, these comments, in a way, were echoed by former Iranian President Khatami, a charismatic man.
As an Arab and a Muslim, I want good relations with our important neighbor Iran.
But the hardline rulers of Iran have not been helping.
Criticizing Iran’s policies does not mean hate of the Iranian people or the Shia.
The French agency AFP reports from Tehran that “[f]ormer Iranian president Mohamad Khatami was under fire from hardliners on Monday after comments interpreted as accusing the country's clerical leaders of supporting insurgents in the Middle East. The hardline Kayhan newspaper accused the reformist Khatami of tarnishing the Islamic republic's reputation by implying it was carrying out "sabotage" work in other countries through insurgent groups.” http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iVKHjHkBUfnGqKeF0XbtalgSYYpQ
It’s not?
Mr Khatami was quoted:
"What did the imam (Khomeini) mean by exporting the revolution?" he asked in the speech Friday to university students in the northern province of Gilan, according to the Kargozaran newspaper.
"Did he mean that we take up arms, that we blow up places in other nations and we create groups to carry out sabotage in other countries? The imam was vehemently against this and was confronting it," he added.
The AFP story continues:
"His speech has been seen by some observers as accusing the Iranian authorities of encouraging militants to destabilize the Middle East, in particular Iraq and Lebanon.
The controversy comes at a particularly sensitive moment.
The United States has stepped up accusations that Shiite-majority Iran is arming and training Shiite militias in Iraq and is working to destabilise Lebanon through the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Iran vehemently denies the charges it is destabilising Lebanon and Iraq saying that foreign intervention in both nations are the root cause of their crises.”
Former President Khatami is an enlightened man and makes a great job as the public face of Iran and the world's Shia. One wishes he ran things in Iran- that would greatly help regional peace and relations with the West.
Khatami would bring normal relations with the Arab neighbors and the West.
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