Tehran, March 01: Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has denounced the use of human rights as a pretext to achieve political ends, saying the issue should not be abused.
“We should raise the issue of human rights without paying heed to political objectives and taking sides in favor of certain countries,” IRNA quoted Salehi as telling reporters in Geneva on Monday following his address to the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
He pointed to the ongoing developments in the region and said, “There are two forms of popular movements, which include moves that are administered by others and few people take part in them. These moves exist in all countries.”
“But on the opposite side, there are true popular movements,” the top Iranian diplomat added.
Salehi stressed the importance of distinguishing between true popular movements and those which are led by “foreign powers.”
The Iranian minister added that he held “clear and frank” discussions with his counterparts on Monday and noted that all sides may naturally be critical of the view points of others.
“We discussed issues that have had good outcomes so far,” Salehi concluded.
On the sidelines of the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Iranian minister held talks with his Russian, Austrian and German counterparts as well as EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
——–Agencies