"An Iranian view of Sudan's achievement"
Interview: Mohammad Sa'eed Nua'mani
Executive Intelligence Review, March 13, 1998, pp. 33

For the past four years, Mr. Nua'mani has been the representative of Iran's Iman Khameni in Sudan and East Africa. He is now the deputy chairman of the Culture and Islamic Relations Organization, which oversees all cultural and Islamic affairs outside Iran. He was interviewed on Feb. 21 (1998) in Khartoum.  

EIR: What is your evaluation of National Congress here in Sudan over the past week?  

Nua'mani: Of course, our view is that each country has its own conditions and situations that are specific to that country. Generally, it is not necessarily the case, that whatever might be undertaken in one country, should be applied in every other country, because there are technical and general issues involved here, such as participation in political matters, and the participation of the people in decision-making, in making its own future, according, of course, to rules and foundations. These issues differ from one country to another. The principal basis here is participation. The principal basis is democratic consultation. But, democracy in the form existing in the West does not necessarily fit for the East, or for the Islamic countries, for example.    

While we reject dictatorship and reject despotism and oppression, we say that the practice in each country depends on its conditions and situation. What we saw here, for example, was a beautiful thing, in conformity, of course, with the conditions of Sudan. The ruler and the people sit together and consult and talk with each other. We found representatives of women, men, and youth, and from different regions, talking about their issues, their conditions and opinions, in full freedom. We regard this as a unique value.

EIR: Iranian President Khatami called for a dialogue of civilizations and a dialogue with America, during a televised interview. What kind of response do you think is necessary from the United States and from the West? What would be an appropriate response?

Nua'mani: As a matter of fact, Mr. Khatami's idea is an Islamic idea, emerging from an Islamic viewpoint. We see the world as one family, created, as God said, of "peoples and tribes, so that you may interrelate." And within the one family, there should a dialogue. Thus, the American people are a member of this human family. The existing problems are not between us and the American people; these are problems between us and the ruling authority. For that reason, there have been actually certain problems that prevented the existence of contact between us and the American people. Among these problems, for example, take the propaganda [against Iran]. 'Mere are certain Zionist circles that are forming public opinion and influencing public opinion in the United States. It is they who created the barriers between us and the American people. And Mr. Khatami wanted to remove these barriers, and reach the thought and opinion of the American people directly.  

EIR: What do you think the consequences in the Islamic world would be, if there were a military strike against Iraq?

Nua'mani: We bear in mind that Iran is currently the chair- man of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. A call came from the secretary general of the OIC, Mr. Izzidden Al-Iraqi, who came and met with Mr. Khatami and the officials there [in Iran], and he was assigned the mission of finding the coordination necessary for establishing a unified Islamic stance, because in general we are, first, against aggression against any country, especially as Iraq is a member of the OIC. Moreover, we have other neighbors in a very sensitive region of the world, and if, God forbid, a catastrophe takes place in this region, it will have effects on the whole world. Most of the oil is located in this region, most of the oil the world needs is in this region.    

We also want to add that if something takes place, it will not be against the regime only, but also, the lives of innocent women, elderly people, and children will be lost. From an Islamic and human standpoint, we are against any kind of tension. Therefore, we are against any kind of aggression, and we do not see that the U.S. alone has the right to implement what it wants on the world, despite the fact that we have our own thoughts about the right to veto and the permanent members of the United Nations [Security Council]. That is, we have our own thoughts about the fact that there should be any permanent members at all, and that they should have the right to veto. But despite that, even among these five members, there is disagreement. The world is in no need of a custodian, especially if this custodian's weapon is force only. The world cannot be run and administered through the logic of power.

For that reason, we said from the beginning and repeat now: As in one family, the world, the greater family, should have dialogue and consultation. God, praise be to Him, gave man reason and logic, and this should be the tool of removing problems, not force.