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Setback for US as Ban set to attend Tehran summit
Disregarding appeals by the United States and Israel, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to attend the Non-Aligned Summit in Tehran next week.
Ban’s decision is being viewed here as a setback to Washington’s efforts to intensify the isolation of Iran in the international community over its nuclear pursuit.
While Israel had openly demanded that he not visit Tehran with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu even making a highly-publicised telephone call to Ban on this matter, the US had been working behind the scenes to prevail upon him to stay away.
Ban will be in Tehran from August 29 to August 31, during which he will attend the summit and is expected to have a private meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be among the heads of State and Government attending the 120-nation meet.
Announcing the visit, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the Secretary-General “takes seriously his responsibility and that of the United Nations to pursue diplomatic engagement with all of its Member States in the interest of peacefully addressing vital matters of peace and security”.
Agreeing that Ban is “fully aware of the sensitivities” linked to the visit, the spokesman said the UN chief would “use the opportunity to convey the clear concerns and expectations of the international community” on issues including Iran’s nuclear programme, terrorism, human rights and the crisis in Syria.
Nesirsky said the Secretary-General looks forward to the NAM Summit as an opportunity to work with the participating heads, including the host country, towards solutions on issues that are central to the global agenda. These include follow-up to the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, disarmament, conflict prevention and support for countries in transition.
The US, renewing its concerns over Iran manipulating the summit and diverting attention from its own failings, called upon all leaders attending the NAM summit to urge Tehran to fulfil its international obligations.
“We’ve made that point to participating countries. We’ve also made that point to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding: “Now that he has decided to go, he needs to use the opportunity to reflect the view of the international community with regard to Iran’s behavior, and we hope he will do that.”
“We are all going to watch and see how this proceeds and whether he takes the opportunity to make clear the concerns that the international community has about Iran’s behaviour,” Nuland said.
The American Jewish Committee, a highly influential advocacy group, said in a statement that it was “deeply disappointed” with Ban’s decision, calling it a “grave mistake”.
“Tehran is not the place for the UN secretary general to visit, not at this time, not to meet with this Iranian regime,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris, adding: “We are stunned that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would honour a regime that consistently ignores both him and the world body he heads in ways that threaten regional and global security.”
Disregarding appeals by the United States and Israel, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to attend the Non-Aligned Summit in Tehran next week.
Ban’s decision is being viewed here as a setback to Washington’s efforts to intensify the isolation of Iran in the international community over its nuclear pursuit.
While Israel had openly demanded that he not visit Tehran with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu even making a highly-publicised telephone call to Ban on this matter, the US had been working behind the scenes to prevail upon him to stay away.
Ban will be in Tehran from August 29 to August 31, during which he will attend the summit and is expected to have a private meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be among the heads of State and Government attending the 120-nation meet.
Announcing the visit, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the Secretary-General “takes seriously his responsibility and that of the United Nations to pursue diplomatic engagement with all of its Member States in the interest of peacefully addressing vital matters of peace and security”.
Agreeing that Ban is “fully aware of the sensitivities” linked to the visit, the spokesman said the UN chief would “use the opportunity to convey the clear concerns and expectations of the international community” on issues including Iran’s nuclear programme, terrorism, human rights and the crisis in Syria.
Nesirsky said the Secretary-General looks forward to the NAM Summit as an opportunity to work with the participating heads, including the host country, towards solutions on issues that are central to the global agenda. These include follow-up to the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, disarmament, conflict prevention and support for countries in transition.
The US, renewing its concerns over Iran manipulating the summit and diverting attention from its own failings, called upon all leaders attending the NAM summit to urge Tehran to fulfil its international obligations.
“We’ve made that point to participating countries. We’ve also made that point to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding: “Now that he has decided to go, he needs to use the opportunity to reflect the view of the international community with regard to Iran’s behavior, and we hope he will do that.”
“We are all going to watch and see how this proceeds and whether he takes the opportunity to make clear the concerns that the international community has about Iran’s behaviour,” Nuland said.
The American Jewish Committee, a highly influential advocacy group, said in a statement that it was “deeply disappointed” with Ban’s decision, calling it a “grave mistake”.
“Tehran is not the place for the UN secretary general to visit, not at this time, not to meet with this Iranian regime,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris, adding: “We are stunned that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would honour a regime that consistently ignores both him and the world body he heads in ways that threaten regional and global security.”
