ARCHBISHOP: IRAN ENTITLED TO PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY
Sari, Mazandaran prov

Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Aug. 30, 2006

Head of Iranian Catholic Armenians’ Prelacy Council Archbishop Nishan
Karakahayan said on Wednesday that Iran is entitled to peaceful use
of nuclear energy.

Archbishop Karakahayan told director general of the provincial
branch of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-
Esmail Imamzadeh that Iran’s right is supported by all the Catholic
church leaders and all true Christians worldwide.

Karakahayan criticized western and European statesmen, the so- called
followers of Christianity, for denying citizenship rights of religious
minorities and for abusing human rights and Christianity.

He, however, praised the Islamic Republic of Iran for well treating
the minorities, saying the country provides the best haven for
religious minorities.

"Iranian Armenians are fully thankful for the great blessing of the
Islamic Republic, which has officially recognized their rights and
provided them with the best condition of living."

The religious figure condemned Zionists’ crimes, saying the US’
support for the regime is contrary to all the teachings of Jesus and
of all the divine religions.

Imamzadeh said for his part that divine religions, especially Islam
and Christianity, have had a great share in promotion of spirituality
and ethics and in campaign against tyranny and arrogance of the
satanic powers.

He called on the world freedom lovers and Muslims as well as the
Christian leaders and archbishops to confront the ambitious powers, the
Zionist regime’s state terrorism and imperialism,. He said the Catholic
church should fulfill its historical mission in that connection.

He went on to say that Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran provide
the most suitable atmosphere for peaceful coexistence of human beings,
of divine religions and of the religious and ethnic groups.

The Iranian official said that while minorities are provided with all
the citizenship rights and are represented at Majlis, the European
and western states violate the UN’s human rights charter, deprive
Muslims from their most basic citizenship rights and do not even
allow Muslim girls to attend classes with an ordinary dress.

He then outlined religious fundamentals of the Islamic Republic of
Iran and also the blatant injustices that the so-called pro-democracy
states have been committing in Iran for a period of 27 years after
triumph of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

He called on arch Bishop Karakahayan, who is archbishop of 15
countries, to do his best to present real image of Iran’s Islamic
establishment to the world public opinion.