Iran casts doubt on success of liberman latam mission 2009 / 07 / 22
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Sao Paulo, Jul. 21
With
Israeli foreign minister on a visit to Brazil to stem Iran's influence
in South America, an Iranian envoy casts doubts on the success of any
such mission.
Iran's Ambassador to Brasilia Mohsen Shaterzadeh argued that "A visit by such an individual from an illegitimate regime can never impact the relations of Iran and Brazil, two independent countries."
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman started a 10-day tour of Latin states on Tuesday, starting from Brazil's economic hub, Sao Paulo.
Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced that one of the key aims of his trip is to challenge what it called Iran's "growing activity in South America."
Lieberman will also visit Argentina, Peru and Colombia, excluding a trip to Venezuela, as the country shares the closest ties with Iran among Latin states.
Venezuela expelled Tel Aviv's Ambassador to Caracas in January to protest the Israeli war on Gaza, which left over 1,400 Palestinians dead.
Commenting further on the Israeli minister's visit to Latin America, Iran's Shaterzadeh said "At the moment, the Israeli regime is known as a racist government that has the blood of Palestinians on its hands. The regime has even lost its close friends".
The Iranian envoy's remarks tallied with comments made by a leading member of Brazil's ruling party about Lieberman on Wednesday.
"Lieberman is a racist and a fascist" The Brazilian left is organizing protests against him and against the policy he represents," secretary of international relations for the Workers Party (PT) Valter Pomar was quoted by Haaretz as saying.
The Iranian ambassador pointed to the volume of trade between Iran and Brazil, explaining that it had grown significantly in recent years in comparison to Brasilia's other partners in the Middle East.
Shaterzadeh cited the level of trade between Israel and Brazil as a reason for a possible failure of Lieberman's mission in his South America trip, saying trade transactions between Tel Aviv and Brasilia add up to only a sixth of the volume of trade between Tehran and the Latin state.
The Iranian envoy also talked of plans by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to conduct a previously postponed tour of Latin America, including Brazil, after his inauguration for a second term in office.
The Iranian president was scheduled to visit South America in May. However, he put off the trip to a later date, as it was scheduled too close to Iran's presidential election.
منبع: press TV
- By Mohsen Shaterzadeh
- English News