Iran Focus: Baghdad, Oct. 22 In a fiery Friday prayers sermon delivered in Arabic, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Arabs to reject peace with Israel and to consolidate gains by radical Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq, as the country heads to parliamentary elections in December. Iran Focus
Baghdad, Oct. 22 In a fiery Friday prayers sermon delivered in Arabic, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Arabs to reject peace with Israel and to consolidate gains by radical Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq, as the country heads to parliamentary elections in December.
Khamenei, whose speech in Tehran was carried live on the Iranian regimes Al-Alam satellite television channel, said there were strong suspicions that the United States and its coalition partners had an influence on, and participated in, the bitter incidents in Iraq, referring to terrorist attacks in the war-torn country. Irans official media often carry reports blaming the terrorist attacks in Iraq on American and Israeli intelligence agencies.
Khamenei said he prayed to God to rid the Iraqis of their oppressors, particularly the Great Satan.
Excerpts from Khameneis speech follow:
It is with great regret that we see some leaders in the Muslim world waiting for any opportunity to make rapprochement with the Zionist enemy. They do so in the hope of winning the favours of the Americans. Attempts to normalise the presence of Israel in the region are part of an old Zionist strategy that was initiated by Ben Gurion.
Muslims and Arabs have been resisting this plot with all their might. Even when peace agreements were signed between some Arab countries and Israel, the people of these Arab countries firmly rejected peace with the Zionist enemy and did not submit to the normalisation plan.
Normalising ties with Israel is so hideous and vile that those who are kowtowing to Israel have to conceal their positions, at least initially.
All Palestinian groups are today anxious and furious at the cooperation of some Arab and Muslim countries with Israel and their attempts to normalise their ties with that state.
After their withdrawal from Gaza and their defeat, the Zionists have been doing everything they could to turn the joy of Palestinians in the liberation of this small pocket of their homeland into bitterness. The Zionists used their propaganda and their security agencies to create discord among the Palestinians. The Palestinian groups and all the people of Palestine are expected not to allow a wall of mistrust be built between the operational forces in Palestine. We are confident that the people of Palestine, who have proven their vigilance in the face of their enemies conspiracies, will not allow disagreements to grow among their groups.
The victory in Gaza is a great one, and any lack of vigilance with regard to its gains could, God forbid, turn it into a defeat. Israel is in a state of despair and retreat, and its new defeat comes on top of the defeat it suffered in the West Bank.
Next Friday is the Day of Quds (Jerusalem), the day when Muslim people can express their feelings towards Palestine and Jerusalem without needing their official statesmen. All Muslims around the world want to declare their resolution and determination with regard to this vital issue of our Muslim nation.
As for Iraq, the Iraqi constitution was adopted in a national referendum, and this is a very welcome event, and a step in the direction of establishment of a popular government in Iraq. It is, therefore, very necessary to focus on the next stage, which is the next elections. These elections are extremely important. The constitution has an Islamic approach to the future and puts emphasis on Iraqs unity, independence and territorial integrity. But this will not be put into practice unless the elected government will have genuine faith in these values and concepts. I pray to Almighty God that our brothers in faith and our family in Iraq emerge with success from this great test, too.
Let the nightmare of occupation in Iraq come to an end, for we feel anxious and annoyed by the insecurity in the brotherly nation of Iraq and by the aggression on the lives and properties of the people of Iraq.
The presence of the occupiers in Iraq strengthens suspicions that they have an influence on, and participate in, the bitter incidents that happen there. Our Iraqi brothers must take a serious and courageous stance on this issue.
May God bless our Muslim nation with dignity and honour, and help the Iraqi people overcome the conspiracies of Global Arrogance, and rid them of their oppressors, particularly the Great Satan.
