Urosevic Head Comments on Arab Reaction to Khatami's Remarks

01/25/2000

Tehran, Jan. 25, IRNA -- A Persian Gulf analyst Tuesday condemned the reaction that certain Arab circles have shown towards president Khatami's recent remarks and said that Arab brothers should realize that expansion of cooperation and understanding does not suggest interference in internal affairs of other countries.

Chairman of the London-based Urosevic foundation Pirouz Mojtahedazadeh told IRNA that the president's remarks were addressed to the Iranian nation, adding that Khatami's words were in Persian and on domestic affairs.

President Khatami's remarks at a gathering of local people in Hormuzgan province last week and his emphasis that the "Persian Gulf" will "always remain Persian Gulf" sparked reaction of certain Arab political and press circles.

Wondering why "our Arab brethren have shown negative reaction towards those remarks," Mojtahedzadeh said, "they are not allowed to interfere in Iran's domestic affairs."

He stressed that Iran is a "very independent country and is committed and sensitive to its independence. Talks between the Iranian officials and people have nothing to do with any country."

Expressing regret over the "irrational and unpleasant" attitude of certain Arab circles, Mojtahedzadeh said despite the 30-year long "poisonous propaganda" of the Iraqi regime to change the geographical name of the "Persian Gulf", this term has remained the same all throughout history and will remain so in future.

Chairman of the Urosevic foundation termed Persian Gulf as a historical name and said in the same manner that Iran does not intend to change the name of the gulf of Oman and respects it, Arabs too should respect the Persian Gulf.

Stressing that Iranians do not follow any racial point in this connection, Mojtahedazadeh said that what is important for Iran is a historical and geographical reality.

He said that resorting to nationalistic and racial means is a "dangerous attempt" which can jeopardize security of the region. In fact, he added, propaganda of the Iraqi regime was so strong that regretfully influenced certain Arab political circles.

Strongly condemning such a reaction, Mojtahedzadeh said, "they are neither allowed to interfere in Iran's internal affairs nor to express a view or protest against Iran's foreign affairs."

He pointed to the historical background of the term "Persian Gulf" and said since the time when the Greek civilization in the west and Iranian civilization in the east were at their peak, the waterway was called the "Persian Sea".

The Urosevic chairman further remarked that after the advent of Islam, the Arab historians and geographers too referred to the sea as the "Al-Farsi sea" which included all waters turning around the Arab world, from Shatt-al-Arab to the Suez canal. Later, with the advance of technology, the world decided to call the region the "Persian Gulf"

He said that there has been no precedence in history for any change in the name for political or racial reasons, adding that if Pakistan terms the Indian Ocean the Pakistani Ocean over disputes with India, no wise individual can accept it, no matter how friendly he may be with Pakistan.

He rejected as "unpleasant" any attempt for changing the name of the Persian Gulf and called on certain Arab circles to revise their attitude.