Iran’s Khatami condemns war on foreign soil as terrorism
by AVET DEMOURIAN; Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Worldstream
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, Armenia — Iranian President Mohammad Khatami suggested
Wednesday that attackers who seized a school in Russia discredited
Islam, and he added that conducting military action in a foreign
country could be a form of terrorism.
Speaking during a visit to Armenia, Khatami condemned terrorists who
use religion a pretext, saying they “commit a double crime: taking
the lives of innocent people and discrediting religions that teach
peace and humanism.”
Khatami was speaking at a new conference with Armenian President
Robert Kocharian, who condemned last week’s hostage-taking raid on
a school in Russia. Russian officials have alleged the attackers
include several Arabs and have pointed the finger at rebel leaders
from mostly Muslim Chechnya.
“Today’s realities are such that terrorist acts can be carried out
in the West and in the East, in Iran and in America,” Khatami said,
according to a translation of his comments.
“Terrorism manifests itself in various ways: from explosions on planes
and in apartment buildings to the conduct of military actions on the
territory of a foreign country,” he said. He added that “any person
who places himself above justice can be considered a terrorist.”
Khatami and Kocharian signed a treaty laying out principles for
cooperation between their countries and adopted a joint declaration
calling the Iranian leader’s visit “the beginning of a new stage”
in relations between the neighbors.
Also signed Wednesday was an agreement on financing and contracting for
a gas pipeline linking Iran and the small Caucasus Mountain nation to
its north. The two countries’ energy chiefs also signed a memorandum
on cooperation.
Kocharian said that “energy remains a very important sphere in our
bilateral relations” and said the countries intend to link their
infrastructure to bring energy cooperation “to a new regional level.”