Thursday, July 15, 2004

US, Israel behind beheadings, kidnappings in Iraq: Khamenei

Wednesday July 14, 2004

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday accused US and Israeli "agents" of being behind the wave of beheadings and kidnappings in Iraq, not Muslims, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also described terrorism as a "loathsome, horrible phenomena" and that fighting it was "of great importance." In comments made during a meeting with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Khamenei said: "We seriously suspect the agents of the Americans and Israelis in conducting such horrendous terrorist acts and cannot believe the people who kidnap Philippines nationals, for instance, or behead US nationals are Muslims." The state-run agency, which carried Khamenei’s comments, did not elaborate on his remarks.

Khamenei also renewed his criticism of "Western countries" that back dissidents regarded by Iran’s hard-line Shiite Muslim regime as terrorists. He was apparently referring to fighters belonging to the Iranian exile group, Mujahideen Khalq. The supreme leader said Western countries have double standards by claiming that "terrorists are now living freely under the supportive umbrella of those Western countries, which claim to be the standard bearers of the international campaign against terrorism."

# ANTENNA SHARON | 5:30:00 pm |