Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini gave a speech opening the non-aligned movement summit, for heads of states, on Thursday.
"We have gathered here today to inject a new life and stimulus into the Non-Aligned Movement," he said.
In his speech, Khameini claims the country has no interest in producing nuclear weapons.
"I insist that the Islamic Republic of Iran is never seeking nuclear weapons," Khamenei said, rebutting Western and Israeli suspicions that his country was engaged in pursuing such a goal.
"We will never give up the right to peaceful nuclear energy," he said, underlining Iran's determination to push ahead with its atomic program. "Our motto is nuclear energy for all, and nuclear weapons for none," he added.
Furthermore, Khamenei has criticized the UN and especially the Security Council, describing this instance as illogical, unfair and as a relic of the past used by the United States to impose a brutal policy of the world.
"They (the United States) speak of human rights when it is in the interest of the West," said Khamenei. "They talk of democracy and intervene militarily in other countries," continued the cleric.
Meanwhile, in his speech, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi criticized the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Today there is a revolution against the tyrannical regime in Syria. Only foreign effective intervention can help to end the bloodshed in Syria," he added.
"We all have to announce our full solidarity with the struggle of those seeking freedom, dignity and justice in Syria, and translate this sympathy into a clear political vision that supports a peaceful transition to a democratic system of rule that reflects the demands of the Syrian people for freedom,” Morsi stressed.
The speech sparked protests by the Syrian delegation, who stood up and left the room during the speech.
Following Morsi's remarks, the head of the Syrian delegation, Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, accused the Egyptian president of inciting to continue the bloodshed in Syria and interfering in Syria's internal affairs
Opinion:
I do not think that there is a need for the conference to continue till tomorrow. Iran is insisting on its mysterious nuclear program and stressing on Bashar al-Assad remaining as president of Syria.
Obviously, we know very well that none of the states present in this conference will remove sanctions applied on Tehran. Briefly, I think that the conference is unsuccessful and the reason is that all that is happening in Syria of killing and destroying did not get the required attention, but on the contrary Iranians tried to underestimate the miserable situation over there and to draw the attendees' attention to the sanctions on Iran only.
The weird thing is the presence of Syrian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and not Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, as previously announced by the regime. The Assad regime trusts that Moallem will not defect, that’s why he has been sent instead of al-Sharaa.
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