Salehi: Iran Ready to Help Solve Crisis in Mali

Iranian Foreign Minister has denounced West’s double standards in supporting terrorists in Syria, and fighting them in Mali, and has said Iran is ready to help solve Mali’s crisis, Iranian Mehr news agency reported.

Ali Akbar Salehi, who is in Ethiopia to attend 20th African Union Summit, told reporters Saturday evening that bloodshed in Mali should be ended immediately. He pointed to extremist groups and military intervention in Mali, and said “Islamic Republic of Iran opposes both extremism and military campaign and interference by foreign countries in Mali.”

The Foreign Minister called Western policies on Mali ‘double standard,’ and asserted that “while West is fighting extremists in Mali, they are supporting them in Syria.”

Salehi also pointed to Western support for extremism in Afghanistan, and he believed that “extremism is a foster child of the West, and now they both must face crisis in the west and international community as a result of their policy.”

Salehi added that Iran, as NAM president, was ready to solve unrest in Africa, saying that “we hope West will listen to [our statements], so that we can control the crisis.”

He speculated that in the future, the NAM conference and its affiliated entities examine Mali’s issues. The Foreign Minister also said that most African countries are NAM members, and half of them are African countries.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will host the 20th African Union Summit 2013 on Sunday and Monday, where 54 high-ranking officials of the Union members, international organization representatives, and observer members are participating.