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Iran denounces US for failure to reach truce in Rome conference
28/7/2006 10:03

Iran yesterday condemned the United States' for supporting Israel in the conflict with Lebanon's Hezbollah, holding Washington's "hegemonic behavior" responsible for the failure to reach a truce between the two sides in a Rome conference, local Fars news agency reported.

The U.S. support for Israel was the reason underlying the failure, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

"As long as the U.S. policies are fully in support of Israel and triggering tension and war in the Mideast region, the establishment of security and sustainable peace is impossible," he added.

The United States' unilateral support for Israel meant continued mass killings of innocent people, destruction of the economic infrastructure and continued crisis in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, said the spokesman.

Meanwhile, Asefi warned the U.S. against its "arrogant and conceited attitude", saying the U.S. "hegemony and unilateral policies" would beget wrath and abomination of the people in the region.

Asefi also expressed concerns to the massive casualties and damages during the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, demanding the United Nations compensate Lebanon's losses.

No agreement on an immediate ceasefire between Israel andHezbollah had been reached in the one-day international conferencein the Italian capital Rome on Wednesday.

Foreign ministers from 15 Western and Arab countries attended the conference which was co-chaired by Italy and the U.S. Iran's top officials have recently reiterated strong indignation at Israel and the U.S. role in the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, calling on the international community to be more active to stop the violence.

Israel launched a massive bombardment and limited ground assault on Lebanese Hezbollah after the Shiite militant group abducted two Israeli soldiers on July 12.

More than 400 Lebanese and over 50 Israelis have been killed in the conflict so far.



Xinhua