Iran's Supreme Spiritual Leader Urges Arabs: Boycott Middle East Peace Talks

October 13, 2007 2:23 p.m. EST

Tehran, Iran (AHN) - Iran's spiritual leader and highest authority Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that he will not attend a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference on Saturday.

He also urged other Arab countries to boycott the international meeting organized to carry out peace talks between the Israel and the Palestine. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reportedly stated that the conference is formulated to hurt the Palestinians.

According to the Associated Press, Khamenei said in a speech, "Efforts are being made to once again make an imposition on the Palestinian people in the name of peace. ... The result of all conferences held in the name of peace so far have been to the detriment of the Palestinian nation."

His statement was made on the last day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to a large number of people gathered at Iran's Grand Mosque.

Iran's spiritual leader added that the step by the U.S. is to show their support for Israel. According to reports, the U.S. did not disclose much about the high-level meeting. In the past, Palestinians have demanded creation of a separate Palestinian state. But Israel wants to discuss and finalize such issues as borders, the disputed region of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.

Iran, which doesn't acknowledge the existence of Israel as a state on former Palestinian land has said it would rather prefer to see Jerusalem as a capital of the Palestinian state, reports say.

Meanwhile, according to Agency France Press, Iran's Chief also added, "As the Palestinians themselves are not participating in this conference, how can the others (Arab states) do so." He indicated the true voice of the Palestinians belonged to the Islamic militant Hamas and not to Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently the Palestinian president.

He also mentioned that President Abbas should not make any concessions to Israel at the conference. "There will be a new peace conference later this year, but this conference will bring great losses, not only for the Palestinian cause but the entire Arab and Muslim world," he said.