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Friday August 25, 1:17 PMEx-Iranian President Khatami calls for dialogue to promote peace(Kyodo) _ Visiting former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami called Friday for dialogue among governments and civil and international organizations to promote peace.The call from Khatami, in a speech at the United Nations University in Tokyo, came amid souring ties between Iran and the international community over the country's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program. Emphasizing the need for "dialogue among civilizations," which he promoted during his presidency between 1997 and 2005, Khatami said, "The capacity of a strategy of dialogue to promote peace and tackle the problems the world is suffering can and must be used." He also called for the involvement of scholars and civil and international organizations, saying, "The dialogue of cultures and civilizations is an international issue that cannot remain restricted to an inter-governmental level." Iran has been a target of international criticism over resuming its uranium enrichment program, but Khatami said Iran has "the right to use" nuclear energy and is only seeking peaceful uses. If Iran is isolated by some countries over the issue, it would ask other countries to take a stand, he added. Iran, under current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a hard-line conservative, on Tuesday gave its response to an incentives package offered by major powers to resolve the nuclear standoff but did not touch on its uranium enrichment program. The package was jointly offered in June by the five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany, and the members are likely to reject Tehran's terms for talks. Khatami is in Japan to attend the Religions for Peace 8th World Assembly, which opens in Kyoto on Saturday. |
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