TUNIS: A U S delegation walked out of celebrations for Tunisia’s new constitution in protest yesterday after an Iranian official criticised the United States and Israel in his address to guests in Tunis.
The ceremony, which included French President Francois Hollande and other foreign dignitaries, was meant to mark Tunisia’s newly adopted constitution, widely praised as a model for the region.
Three years after its uprising inspired the “Arab Spring” revolts across the region, Tunisia is progressing to full democracy with a new charter and caretaker government in charge until elections later this year.
Addressing the ceremony at the National Assembly, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani referred to Israel as a “cancer” in the region and accused it and the United States of trying to “sterilise” the Arab Spring revolutions.
“What was intended to be a ceremony honouring Tunisia’s achievements was used by the Iranian representative as a platform to denounce the United States,” the US embassy in Tunis said in statement.
The US delegation left after the “false accusations and inappropriate comments”, it said.
While Tunisia has advanced towards democracy, other countries such as Libya and Egypt have struggled with unrest and violence since overthrowing their long-ruling autocratic rulers.
A ceremony at the national assembly, where the constitution was adopted on January 26, burnished Tunisia’s positive image in contrast with other Arab Spring nations, such as Libya and Egypt, which remain plagued by instability and political turmoil.
ANKARA: Iran is ready to answer the UN atomic agency’s questions about its nuclear programme, a senior official was quoted as saying ahead of talks today expected to broach sensitive military-related issues.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hopes to persuade Iran to finally start addressing long-held suspicions it may have researched how to build atomic bombs. Tehran has rejected the accusations of weaponisation-related work as forged and baseless, while saying it will cooperate with the IAEA to clear up any “ambiguities”.
Today’s meeting comes 10 days before Tehran and world powers, building on a landmark interim deal that took effect last month, start talks on a long-term accord on Iran’s nuclear aspirations that would avert the threat of a Middle East war. A spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said the meeting had been scheduled for one day but might be extended, the Isna news agency reported yesterday.
The “aim is to answer the IAEA’s questions”, Behrouz Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by Isna, without elaborating.
Iran’s Press TV English-language state television said in a headline on its website, citing the same official: “Iran ready to answer all IAEA questions.”
Diplomats are cautiously optimistic that after today’s talks in Tehran the team of senior IAEA inspectors will be able to show at least some progress in gaining Iran’s cooperation. Iran-IAEA relations have improved since last year’s election of a relative moderate, Hassan Rowhani, as president of Iran on a platform to ease the country’s international isolation. Under an agreement signed in November, the IAEA has already visited a heavy water production plant and a uranium mine in Iran. However, those first steps did not go to the heart of its investigation and Western diplomats will watch today’s meeting closelyAgencies
