Global media distort regional facts

Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker says the international media try to distort the reality in the region and portray a fabricated image before the world’s public opinion.

“Important international media are trying to establish a new image before the public opinion by altering realities in the region, [therefore] for those of us that have clearly supported the regional movements, holding these meetings and face to face discussions was of particular significance,” Ali Larijani said upon his arrival in Tehran on Saturday.

Larijani, heading a parliamentary delegation, visited Indonesia and Singapore and discussed recent regional developments and bilateral ties with officials of the two East Asian countries.

“It was an appropriate time to support the innocent people of Bahrain and other countries and hold talks about them,” Mehr news agency quoted Larijani as saying.

The Majlis Speaker described one of the objectives of his visits as efforts to reach a consensus on important regional issues among parliaments of the three nations.

In recent months, a wave of revolutions and anti-government uprisings has swept across the Arab world.

In January, a revolution in Tunisia ended the 23-year rule of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In February, another revolution led to the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after three decades of authoritarian rule. Both dictators were firmly backed by the US and most other Western ‘democracies.’

Revolutions have also begun in Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain, while anti-government demonstrations have been held in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, and Algeria.