ME suffers lack of ground for peace

Sayed Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, Secretary General of the International Conference in Support of the Intifada and Qods said Sunday that the Middle East suffers lack of ground to restore peace.

He made the remarks to a conference in Tehran on challenges facing the Middle East process especially after the Annapolis confab in the United States.

Mohtashamipour regretted that the Annapolis confab failed to make any real reference to the Palestinian problems while the issue has always been on agenda any time Arab leaders have ever met.

"Peace will not take place unless the rights of the wronged side are restored and the bullying side abandons mood. Otherwise, peace would prove illogical," he added.

The prominent activist believed that hopes for peace were dashed as there was no balance of power between the feuding sides.

Mohtashamipour also blamed Israeli reluctance for peace and the interference from outside, especially the US as non-productive for the peace process.

"America wishes to witness relentless conflict in the Middle East in order to secure its own interests and sell its arms and dominance to the Arab states," he noted.

"Palestinians are victims of the colonial bloc of Zionism. The Palestinian nation have a 6000 year history of residence in Palestine. However, a 60 year old regime is bent to infringe on their rights," Mohtashamipour added.

The one day conference on ME peace process was co-held in Tehran Sunday by the Qods News Agency and the Islamic Azad University.

It received a warm welcome from experts and analysts in Middle East issues from home and abroad.

Secretary General of Iran-based Society in Defense of Palestinian Nation (SDPN), Mojtaba Rahmandoust and the secretary-general of the International conference for the Support of the Palestinian Resistance and Intifada, Ali Akbar Mohtashami-Pour delivered speeches in the conference.

Adel Aoun, representative of the Lebanese Amal movement and Abu Osama al-Mo'ti, representative of the Gaza-based Palestinian government (Hamas) are also among the guests of the conference.