AFP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday dismissed as a “lackey government” Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s emergency cabinet headed by Salam Fayyad, the official IRNA news agency said. TEHRAN, June 26, 2007 (AFP) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday dismissed as a “lackey government” Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s emergency cabinet headed by Salam Fayyad, the official IRNA news agency said.
“For the past 60 years those who claim self-determination and democracy have used all the power to kill and displace people and install their lackey government in Palestine,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.
“They have removed the popular government of this people and they have installed their lackey government and they want to take decisions for the people, but with these actions they only trample on human dignities,” he added.
Ahmadinejad recently launched his latest verbal attack on Israel, saying a “countdown” had begun that would end with Lebanese and Palestinian militants destroying the Jewish state.
Iran does not recognise Israel and Ahmadinejad has drawn international condemnation by calling for the Jewish state to be wiped off the map.
Abbas sacked Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya when the Islamist movement seized control of the Gaza Strip 11 days ago from Fatah security forces, pushing Abbas to set up a new cabinet without Hamas in the West Bank.
Iran is one of most vocal backers of Hamas and pledged millions of dollars in 2006 to help the Islamist government through a funding drought caused by Western aid cuts.
Ahmadinejad also took a swipe at a meeting of the Mideast Quartet in Jerusalem, saying they won’t solve the Palestinian issue.
“The era of bullying and humbling of the nations is over and do not think that you can gather in a city and decide and then say that the Palestinian issue is over,” he said.
“You have gathered many times and have taken many decisions and some people have put their signature under the treason pact, but it did not solve the Palestinian issue.”
The four powers sponsoring the stagnant Middle East peace process met in Jerusalem on Tuesday for the first time since Hamas seized Gaza, a day after a regional summit in Egypt aimed at bolstering moderate Abbas produced no major breakthrough.
Special envoys of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and United States held talks at the US consulate in Jerusalem.
“If the crimes of these powers continues in Palestine, the criminals will be taking a big step towards death,” Ahmadinejad warned.
