I
ranian President Hassan Rou-
hani said on Aug 6 that Tehe-
ran favors talks with Washing-
ton but the United States must
first lift sanctions it imposed on the
Islamic republic.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran
favors talks and negotiations and,
if the US really wants to talk, before
anything else it should lift all sanc-
tions,” Rouhani said in remarks aired
live on state television.
Rouhani said “peace with Iran is
the mother of all peace” and “war
with Iran is the mother of all wars”
as he defended a landmark 2015
nuclear deal between Iran and world
powers.
Rouhani, speaking at the Foreign
Ministry after meeting with his top
diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif,
said Iran was ready for talks regard-
less of whether or not the US was
party to a landmark nuclear deal.“Whether they want to come into
the JCPOA or not, it’s up to them,”
said Rouhani. “JCPOA” refers to the
2015 deal known formally as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,
which was signed by Iran, the US,
France, Russia, Britain, Germany,
China and the European Union.
Rouhani told the US: “If you want
security, if your soldiers want secu-
rity in the region, (then agree to)
security for security.”
“You cannot harm our security
and then expect your own security.
Peace for peace and oil for oil,” he
added. “You cannot say that you
won’t allow our oil to be exported.
“Strait for strait. It cannot be that
the Strait of Hormuz to be free for
you and the Strait of Gibraltar not
to be free for us.”
Zarif on Aug 5 confirmed reports
that he had turned down an offer
from a US senator to meet US Presi-dent Donald Trump at the White
House.
Tensions between Iran and the US
have soared since Trump announced
last year that the US was withdraw-
ing from the deal in May 2018 and
began reimposing sanctions against
the Islamic republic.
The nuclear deal set limits on
Iran’s nuclear program in exchange
for the removal of punitive economic
sanctions. Following the US pullout
from the nuclear accord and reimpo-
sition of sanctions, Iran’s oil exports
have seen a sharp decline.
At the height of the crisis, Trumpsaid he called off airstrikes against
Iran at the last minute in June after
the Islamic republic’s forces shot
down a US drone.
Zarif said on Aug 5 that Iran’s min-
imum demand for oil sales under
the 2015 nuclear deal is 2.8 million
barrels per day.
Besides, the European parties
should fulfill their promises concern-
ing the return of Iranian petrodollars
after the oil sales, Zarif said.
He said Iran will take another step
to reduce its nuclear commitments if
the parties to the deal fail to secure
Iran’s economic interests.To secure trade with Iran and skirt
US anti-Iran sanctions, the Europe-
an Union announced in January the
launch of a special payment channel
with Iran known as the Instrument
in Support of Trade Exchanges.
However, Teheran said the EU
mechanism lacks feasibility in sup-
plying Iran with petrodollars.
Iran has also been locked in a
high-seas standoff with the United
Kingdom — a US ally — since Royal
Marines helped to seize a tanker
carrying Iranian oil off Gibraltar on
July 4.
XINHUA — AGENCIESPresidentRouhani:USmustliftall
sanctionsbeforenegotiationsgoahead
Iranfavors
talkswith
Washington
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan on Aug 7
told India to withdraw its high com-
missioner after the country decided
to downgrade diplomatic relations
and suspend trade ties with India
during a national security commit-
tee meeting amid recent Kashmir
tensions.
The Indian government has also
been informed that Pakistan will not
be sending its high commissioner-
designate to India, Pakistan’s Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
The Hindu nationalist-led govern-
ment of India on Aug 5 scrapped a
constitutional provision that allowed
the Muslim majority state of India-
controlled Kashmir to make many
of its own laws and barred non-res-
idents from buying property there.
Islamabad has condemned New
Delhi’s decision as “illegal”, stating
Kashmir is an internationally recog-
nized disputed territory. Both India
and Pakistan claim it in its entirety.
The Pakistani parliament on Aug 7passed a resolution against the Indi-
an decision and the recent surge in
unprovoked firing and shelling by
Indian forces along the Line of Con-
trol, the de-facto border between the
two countries in the disputed area.
Addressing the joint session in
Islamabad, Fakhar Imam, chairman
of Pakistan’s National Assembly’s
Committee on Kashmir, said that
Kashmir is an internationally rec-
ognized dispute on the agenda of
the United Nations Security Council,
and the Indian move posed a great
threat to peace, security and stability
in South Asia.
The joint parliament session
also called upon the Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation to convene
an extraordinary high level session
on the Indian move, and asked the
international community to stop
India from undertaking actions that
may lead to a dangerous escalation
affecting not only South Asia but the
entire world.During the national security com-
mittee meeting chaired by Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan, senior
cabinet ministers and military offi-
cers discussed the situation inside
Indian-controlled Kashmir and
along the Line of Control.
Khan also directed the military
to continue its vigilance and be
prepared to face any aggression.
Pakistan is also suspending bilateral
trade with India.
Editorials and social media in Pak-
istan were buzzing with opposition
to India’s decision.
Talking to local media, Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi
said that his country will take the
issue to the UN Security Council, and
will also take friendly countries into
confidence regarding the dispute.
A United Nations spokesman
said on Aug 5 that Secretary-Gen-
eral Antonio Guterres is very con-
cerned about rising tensions in the
Kashmir region and is urging allparties “to exercise restraint”.
“We are following with concern
the tense situation in the region,”
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
said. “We’re also aware of reports
of restrictions on the Indian side of
Kashmir, and we urge all parties to
exercise restraint.”
The Indian move has drawn pro-
tests in Kashmir, apart from criti-
cism as well as praise at home.
InBeijing, Foreign Ministryspokes-
person Hua Chunying said on Aug
6 that China always opposes India’s
inclusion of Chinese territory in the
western section of the boundary
under its administrative jurisdiction,
and this position “remains firm and
consistent and has never changed”.
The eastern, central and western
sections of the China-India bound-
ary have never been officially demar-
cated. China and India have been
in negotiations to resolve territorial
disputes in recent years.
“Recently, the Indian side hascontinued to undermine China’s ter-
ritorial sovereignty by unilaterally
changing its domestic laws,” Hua
said in a statement released on the
Foreign Ministry’s website. “China
cannot accept this practice, and it
will not have any efficacy.”
In a separate statement, Hua also
expressed China’s serious concerns
over the current situation in Kash-
mir, calling on India and Pakistan to
exercise restraint, act with caution
and avoid taking actions that uni-
laterally change the status quo and
exacerbate tensions.
“China’s position on the Kashmir
issue is clear and consistent. It is an
issue left over from the past between
India and Pakistan, and this is also
the consensus of the international
community,” Hua said, urging both
sides to peacefully settle this issue
through talks and consultations, and
safeguard the peace and stability of
this region.
XINHUA — AGENCIESPakistanexpelsNewDelhi’shighcommissionerafterdowngradingbilateraldiplomaticties
IndianmoveonKashmirdrawsstrongreactions
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (center) attends a meeting at the Iranian Foreign Ministry in
Teheran on Aug 5.IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSECHINA DAILY GLOBAL WEEKLY August 9-15, 2019 WORLDNEWS 11