The Islamic republic of Iran slammed Qatar Tuesday for holding weekend talks with Israel, saying contacts with the Jewish state were in conflict with its chairmanship of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference.
"Under OIC resolutions, all contact with the Zionists is banned," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said in a statement read by an announcer on state radio, AFP reported. "The Zionist regime is concentrating all of its efforts on winning legitimacy, and justifying its crimes and repression against the defenseless people of Palestine," the statement elaborated.
"This sort of contact merely satisfies the wishes of the Zionist regime." Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani met Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres in Paris Sunday for talks which have also been criticized by the Gulf state's opposition and the tightly-controlled press in Saudi Arabia. (Albawaba.com)
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