Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:16:28 GMT
 Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki |
Following are excerpts of the interview:
Press TV: As you know, the Gaza offensive has been going on for 22 days. First of all, what do you think is their objective, and second, has Israel achieved what it was after?
Mottaki: In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. As you just mentioned, the Israeli regime's leaders had certain objectives in mind. According to the (Israeli) spokesman, seventeen objectives have been mentioned… (including) undermining Hamas and also destroying its missile power and also its defensive power. And also, in the next stage, they said that they wanted to undermine Hamas. These are the statements that they have made.
They had other goals. Some observers said they had other objectives and after their defeat in the 33-day war (in Lebanon), Israelis needed a victory for its own internal affairs, and considering the situation that they were experiencing inside the country, as Olmert has resigned and Ms. Livni could not form a cabinet and Ehud Barak was one of the contenders; therefore, they had to create a scenario so that they would be able to create a positive atmosphere as far as the elections are concerned.
There were some other analyses… I don't have to get into the details, but the situation is that Israel did not manage to do what it wanted and could not destroy Hamas and the resistance in Gaza. They could not even undermine or weaken Hamas. When you look at the martyrs of Hamas and the casualties of Israel, you see that there is not a major difference. And the military power of Hamas did not get destroyed.
The Zionist regime did not attain its objectives. The main issue is that they have unilaterally announced a ceasefire and Hamas has its own conditions for accepting the truce and says that the Israeli ground forces should leave Gaza. Israeli is doing so at the moment. Therefore, the resistance continues. Some 1310 people have been martyred in Gaza, including innocent children and women, and 5000 have been wounded. This is a human rights violation. The second Israeli defeat happened in Gaza.
Press TV: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel wants to change the equation of the region. Were they successful in achieving that?
Mottaki: I think they wanted to weaken the resistance in the region and to impose their own version of peace on the Palestinians. Their efforts over the past 30 years have failed because the underlying problem is something else.
They seek to change the equation of the region and destroy the resistance and also create a compromise through such means. But what is happening right now is strengthening the resistance and the myth of Israel's invincibility has been shattered. Therefore, we believe that we are witnessing the emergence of a new Middle East, which is freedom-seeking and against hegemony and insists on its rights.
Press TV: Many diplomatic efforts have been made on Gaza, such as the summits of Doha, Kuwait, and Egypt. How successful have the summits been?
Mottaki: Diplomatic efforts, as you said, have been made in different circles. The Security Council, unfortunately, was too late, and it issued the resolution after fourteen days. And in the region, a question has been raised as to why Arab countries were not ready to hold meetings in this regard. But the Doha summit was a realistic effort and voiced strong support for Gaza and a logical approach was adopted in the meeting.
The Kuwait summit was at a lower level, although it also expressed support for the Palestinians. But the Sharm el Sheikh and Tel Aviv meetings were in line with supporting Israel. Diplomatic efforts should focus on (establishing) stability and peace in Gaza and reopening border crossings, especially Rafah. But they (in Sharm el Sheikh) are following other agendas and they are trying to impose pressure on Hamas and the people of the region.
The reconstruction of Gaza has to start as soon as possible. International aid should go to Gaza through the legal government of Hamas to reconstruct the damaged houses and infrastructure. If the leaders of the Israeli regime had been brought to justice for imposing 33 days of war on Lebanon, they would not have dared to conduct the same type of offensive against Gaza.
Unfortunately, nowadays some Western media outlets are trying to impose a certain kind of sanctions on the Gazan people through the censorship of news and footage. But Europeans should question their leaders as to why they went to Sharm el Sheikh and why they did not take action in response to the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. I am asking why the interests of the United States must be contingent upon the interests of Israel. How long should these ties continue to exist? I think the new administration of the United States will have to face this question.
Press TV: Mr. Obama will take office on January 20. He said during his election campaign that he would bring change to US foreign policy. Can he bring change?
Mottaki: His main slogan was based on change but the changes are not defined. We think Mr. Obama is the result of a change and he has been elected as a result of a certain change in the society of the United States. Americans cannot be contemptuous anymore. The Bush administration has left two unfinished crises for Obama (Iraq and Afghanistan). And the United States and its policy have failed in both of them.
In the last days of the previous US administration, the greatest atrocities of history were committed (by Israel in Gaza) and it was condemned by the United Nations and a fact-finding mission, which has started its work. The new administration will be held responsible for this, and they will have to clarify their positions and formulate new policies.
We believe Obama should take the first honest step to defy the past eight years of US polices and rectify these policies. The Obama administration should prove that it has the will for change. Obama should take practical steps and practical approaches. He should recognize the new Middle East and adopt good policies. The Obama administration will have to face realities, some bitter truths, which are the result of lack of trust and hatred of the people of the world toward US hegemony.
Press TV: How do you see the future of Iran-US ties?
Mottaki: Over the past 30 years, the policies of the United States have not changed toward Iran. US policy toward Iran was not realistic and it was aggressive over the years. We tried to turn these challenges into opportunities. We have succeeded in this regard. Former US secretaries of state have admitted that Washington has made a number of mistakes toward the Islamic Republic. The Obama administration, in the first step, should accept that US policies toward Iran over the past 30 years were wrong and the next step is to adopt practical measures toward Iran.
Press TV: What kind of practical measures? There have been reports of a US proposal to open interests sections in Tehran and Washington.
Mottaki: Currently, the US plots against the people of Iran in all international arenas and ignores international law. They have failed because of our resistance. The US also opposes the Iranian nuclear program, saying that it is against the proliferation of atomic weapons.
But we do not think that the US is honest in this regard. Iran seeks nuclear power only for energy purposes. The issue of the interests sections is an issue in the media and is not an official request by the government of the United States. We are ready for new approaches by the United States and will study the US request for talks. (But) fundamental changes are needed in US policy on Iran.
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