Pan-Arab Parliament urges Iran to stop provocation over UAE's islands

Cairo - April 18, 2012 (WAM) - The Arab Parliament has urged Iran to stop provocative acts over the issue of the UAE's three islands, Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the d Lesser Tunb. The speaker of the Arab Parliament Ali Salem Al-Dakbasi, in press release, reiterated the Pan-Arab body's complete denunciation and rejection of statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Iranian former Revolutionary Guard Chief Mohsen Rezai who is the current Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council. "While the Arab Gulf states tackle the issue of the three occupied islands of the UAE in a positive, rational and civilised way, the Iranians act in a provocative way which we reject," Al-Dakbasi said. He accused Iran of using irresponsible threats and statements in an attempt to distract attention from its occupation of another country's territory, adding that this is not the respectable and civilised manner of treating neighbours. "If Iran has historical rights to the three UAE's islands, why wouldn't it accept arbitration by the international law and the referral of the whole issue to international Court of Justice," Al-Dakbasi wondered. President Ahmadinejad's visit to Abu Musa. He added the Ahmadinejad's visit provoked anger from Arabs towards Iran. "All Arabs back the UAE's defence of its historical rights and full sovereignty on the three islands." "This visit has exposed Tehran's false claims regarding its friendship and peaceful relations with the Gulf countries", Al-Dakbasi said. Iran needs to know that Pan-Arab security is indivisible whole and that Iran's friendship with Arabs should be inseparable from a policy of non-intervention and non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states and a keen interest in establishing good neighbour relations with Arab Gulf states. - Emirates News Agency, WAM