Iranian President Asks Regional States to Cooperate on Resolving Dust Storms Problem

The campaign against dust pollution is a public demand today and the entire regional countries are expected to heed their responsibilities respectively, Rayeesi said in a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Sunday.

He said that the climate change is not restricted to any certain country and no borders are limits for the climatic phenomena.

Elsewhere, Rayeesi expressed satisfaction with the progressing movement of the Iraqi nation towards unity, and the interactions among various groups for establishment of the new Iraqi government, and argued that the approval of a law on prohibition of naturalizing relations with the Zionist regime at the Iraqi parliament was a blessed act.

The Iranian president said that development of connection routes between the two countries leads to broader economic ties and regional stability, stressing that Iran-Iraq railway project needs to become complete faster.

Al-Kadhimi, for his part, appreciated Iran’s support for the Iraqi Parliament’s decision to ban naturalizing ties with Israel.

He said that the Palestinian issue is a top concern for the world Muslims as the entire freedom and justice seekers in the world favor the liberation of Palestine.

Al-Kadhimi also assured President Rayeesi that the completion of Shalamcheh-Basra railroad will be followed up seriously.

He referred to his meeting with the head of the Iranian Environment Protection Organization about the dust problem and the practical acts that each country must pursue within the framework of an MOU.

Last Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian wrote letters to his counterparts in the region to discuss the origin of dust storms and environmental crises caused by the spread of sandstorms in the region.

He explained that “in addition to bilateral technical cooperation to control tiny particles issue, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for the conclusion of a regional convention with the participation of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, in particular, the United Nations Environment Program and the World Health Organization”.

Amir Abdollahian added in the letter that “it is necessary to create a fund under this proposed convention to which international and regional aid is deposited to use the fund in fighting the particles and deforestation as soon as possible”.

The Iranian foreign minister further pointed out that the dust storms are a regional phenomenon as they spill over boundaries of the regional countries, therefore they require a regional solution.

Amir Abdollahian added that Iran had previously discussed the need for bilateral and collective action to curb the phenomenon of dust storms and deforestation with its Iraqi, Syrian, Kuwaiti and Turkish counterparts.

He also called on Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to focus on Saudi Arabia, which is affected by dust storms itself while it is one of the main origins of the phenomenon.