Iran’s envoy to the United Nations has urged Ban Ki-moon to maintain his impartiality after the Secretary General joined the U.S. Secretary of State in expressing concern about Iran’s nuclear program.
IRNA reports that Mohammd Khazai referred to the recent statements by Ban Ki-moon in which the secretary general said Iran may be using the negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency to cover up the building of a nuclear bomb.
Khazai said: “It is unfortunate that the Secretary General of the United Nations has taken a position against the peaceful nuclear activities of Iran that contradicts his duties as well as fundamental international principles.”
Yesterday, Ban Ki-moon told the Washington Post: “We should not give much more time to the Iranians and we should not waste time. We have seen what happened with the [North Koreans].”
Khazai urged the Secretary General to “guard the principles of justice and trust” and focus his energy “on finding diplomatic means to resolve international disputes and crises.”
He emphasized that such statements by the UN chief right before the meeting between Iran and the G5+1 only intensify differences rather that encouraging the two sides to resolve those differences.
The two sides are to meet on February 26 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
