ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN IRAN, 2 - 3 SEPTEMBER
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Tehran on Saturday, 2 September, from an overnight stop at Doha, Qatar. He was greeted at the airport by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr. Abbas Araghchi.
At 2 p.m., the Secretary-General held talks with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Motaki. They held wide-ranging talks, which included implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, the nuclear issue and human rights.
He then met the Chairman of the Expediency Council and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The Secretary-General reviewed the outcome of his visits to Lebanon, Israel and Syria. Their discussions also dealt with the nuclear agenda and Iran’s engagement with the international community.
He later met for one and a half hours with the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani. When speaking to reporterslater, Secretary-General Annan described his discussions with Iranian leaders in Tehran that day as “very good and constructive”. He said they had discussed the nuclear issue, as well as the many regional issues of concern to Iran and to the United Nations. “I found the discussions helpful and it will come in handy as I move ahead with my work”, he said, “and I need all the help I can because your region is keeping me and the United Nations very, very busy.”
That evening, Foreign Minister Motaki hosted a working dinner for the Secretary-General and his delegation.
The Secretary-General met in Tehran Sunday morning with Dr. Kamal Kharazzi, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Strategic Committee and former Foreign Minister. They had a wide-ranging discussion about developments in the Middle East in general, the situation in Lebanon in particular, and the future of the region.
At 11:30 a.m. the Secretary-General held talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The talks lasted for one hour and 40 minutes and covered the Secretary-General’s visits to Lebanon, Israel, and Syria to discuss implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. They also discussed the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, the dire economic and social situation in Palestine, and the nuclear agenda.
In a press conference after the meeting, held jointly with Foreign Minister Motaki, the Secretary-General said the President “had reaffirmed his country’s support for implementation of resolution 1701, and agreed that we should do everything possible to strengthen the territorial integrity [and] the independence of Lebanon and work together for the reconstruction of Lebanon”. Regarding the nuclear issue, the Secretary-General said that “the President reaffirmed Iran’s preparedness and determination to negotiate and find a solution to the crisis”. The Secretary-General said that he had also raised the issue of the Holocaust cartoon exhibition and stressed that, while he believed in freedom of expression, it should be used responsibly and with sensitivity and judgement.
The Secretary-General then flew to Doha, Qatar.