Israel’s efforts to discourage participation in NAM summit are futile: Iran

TEHRAN,Aug.15(MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Tuesday that the efforts of the Zionist regime to discourage participation in the upcoming summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran are in vain. According to the Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation with United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday and told him that his anticipated trip to Tehran to attend the NAM summit would be a major mistake even if it is made with good intentions. And the Israeli Foreign Ministry has ordered Israeli embassies to encourage their host countries to not attend or only send low-level representatives to the Tehran summit, which is scheduled to be held from August 26 to 31, the Israeli daily Maariv reported. Speaking during his regular press briefing, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that it is not the case that independent countries would reconsider their views due the desperate efforts of the “fake” Zionist regime. “We do not think that the status of the United Nations or the secretary general of this organization or independent countries, whose officials make decisions independently, would be affected by such measures. And they will show in practice that they have serious determination to convene, hold consultations, brainstorm their ideas, and cooperate with each other,” he stated.