Iran urges oil ban on states backing Israel

Tehran | Reuters | 23-11-00 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Arab states yesterday to stop selling oil to countries backing Israel as a punishment for Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

"Muslim countries, mainly Arabs, should seriously punish Israel and its backers - both politically and economically," Khamenei said on state television.

"They can cut off the flow of oil and organise waves of public protests against them," Khamenei said in a speech to a group of clerics. "Such actions can be carried out, but they (Muslims) are not living up to their responsibilities do so. Muslims are guilty of inaction."

More than 250 people, mainly Palestinians, have been killed in a two-month uprising waged by Palestinians against Israel. Iran, a major oil producer, is opposed to the Middle East peace process and has repeatedly called for stronger international action in support of the Palestinians.

Iran's foreign ministry praised Egypt for recalling its ambassador from Israel in protest against Israeli military strikes on the Palestinians. It also hailed Jordan for deciding to delay sending its newly appointed ambassador to Israel as a gesture of protest.

"These are positive steps in line with recent resolutions of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC)," Iran's news agency IRNA quoted ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as saying.

"We hope they are a prelude to taking further steps to fully restore the rights of the Palestinian nation," he said. Iran, the previous head of the OIC, called on Muslims to cut all ties with Israel at a summit of the Islamic body in Qatar earlier this month.

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-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), November 24, 2000

Answers

If the Arabs really DO choose to "play their oil card," it'll be WW111. Course, that IS what Clinton said he needed to stay in office is it not? - Jesse.

-- Jesse (wearyhobo@icqmail.com), November 24, 2000.

Hiya Jesse. Don't over-estimate the importance of Clinton in anyone's grand scheme of things, and don't under-estimate even Uncle Sam's willingness to avoid WW3.

Will the Israeli occupation situation get worse before it gets better? Sure looks like it.

Will the rest of the arabs play their oil-card against the US/Israel? It's predictable, but not guaranteed.

Will the US .gov sooner see armageddon rather than a serious political defeat at the hand of the arabs? I dunno, but megalomaniacs aren't necessarily psychotic, (here's hoping.)

And that Iraqi guy - modelled on Stalin, tutored by Bush - he's a bit of a wildcard too, no?

-- number six (iam_not_a_number@hotmail.com), November 27, 2000.