The Iranian government Monday accused United States President George W. Bush of "complicating" the Middle East situation and "leaving Israel's hands free to proceed with its repression" against the Palestinian people.
"Mr. Bush has made irrational and unreasonable declarations which have again complicated the Middle East situation," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said during a press conference in Tehran.
"This has given us the feeling that the Americans want to justify, like they do every time, a new (Israeli) aggression against the Palestinians and to leave Israel's hands free to proceed with its repression," Asefi said, according to AFP.
Commenting on last week's speech by Bush on a new Middle East strategy, when the US president demanded that Palestinians replace their leader Yasser Arafat, Asefi remarked, "It is up to the Palestinian people to decide who represents them, to choose their leaders." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
