Gorbachev criticises US approach to Iran’s nuclear programme

     London: Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has warned the US about its approach of trying to pressure Iran not to develop nuclear weapons.
     “We must not dictate our terms. We must conduct responsible dialogue with Iran,” the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner said during a visit to London to attend an International Leadership Summit conference.
     Speaking on BBC’s Newsnight on Tuesday, he said that he did not think there were great differences between Russia and the USA on nuclear programmes.
     The Russian leadership were ‘truly committed’ in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Gobachev said, suggesting that the difference was in approach. During his interview, he also criticised the US for launching a military invasion of Iraq, warning that the ‘use of armed force was a great mistake’ which the rest of the world will have to pay for.
     “It was a mistake to start this war and I think the British government had a part to play in it,” the former Soviet leader said.
     He also believed that the US had the wrong approach in the way it was trying to force democracy on Iraq, saying that it was ‘counting on fast track solutions.’ The Middle East region was ‘very complicated’ and needed help and assistance with democratic processes, “but not squeezed into patterns that are used by one country or another,” Gorbachev said.

Copyright 2005 IRNA

Daily Times, October 20, 2005