ID :
9288
Mon, 06/02/2008 - 01:00
Auther :

UK official: Sanctions against Iran will harm Britain

UK official: Sanctions against Iran will harm Britain Tehran, Jun 1, IRNA Head of Iran-Britain Chamber of Commerce Lord Andrew Philips on Saturday lambasted sanctions against Iran and said his country willsuffer a lot if it backs the move.

Such improper actions prevent Britain from exploring new economic andbusiness opportunities in Iran, he said.

Referring to the deep-rooted economic ties between the two countries, he said, "Countries such as Russia and China have replaced us in the Iranian marketplace which is a source of regret for us." Iran-Britain Chamber of Commerce, by elaborating the realities and depicting a prosperous future, is helping to improve economic ties between the twocountries, he said.

British officials have a wrong concept of current developments and by supporting economic sanctions against Iran have reduced the volume of trade exchange with Iran by 77 percent which is source of concern forBritish businessmen, he said.

"We have voiced our concerned many times and believe that such improper actions would only inflict huge losses on our government," hesaid.

On imposing sanctions against Iranian banks, he said that the Americans are stock-holders in many banks in Britain and since these banks have no branches in the US, they are under direct pressure whichruns counter to the advantages of British businessmen.

Adopting particular economic policies have decreased investment opportunities and continuation of such strategies would only increaseeconomic gaps between the two countries, he pointed out.

US policies on imposing sanctions against Iran is not a prudent decision and seems to be impractical, he said and expressed the hope that the moderates would come to the office in the US to help revisethe country's international policies.

The Iran-Britain Chamber of Commerce should not stop efforts to help resolve current disputes and, "I believe that the chamber of commerce could boost the exchange of trade cooperation to one billion pounds."

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