Thursday, June 10, 2010
Worthless Sanctions
Against Iran Says Hugo Chávez
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has strongly condemned a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
Speaking in a televised speech Wednesday night, Chavez condemned the newly-approved UNSC measure against Iran and criticized the West for not taking any such step against Israel.
"Israel massacres, kills, doesn't comply with United Nations resolutions ... and the United Nations acts as if nothing has happened," the Venezuelan president said.
On Wednesday, the 15-member UN Security Council passed a US- drafted resolution for the imposition of new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
UNSC member states Brazil and Turkey voted against the new round of sanctions, while Lebanon abstained from voting.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reacted strongly to the resolution on Wednesday, saying, "For the Iranian nation, such resolutions count for nothing."
Chavez also praised and affirmed recent remarks by the Iranian president on the UNSC vote, saying "Well said, man. Not worth a penny."
The fourth round of sanctions was adopted against Tehran over its uranium enrichment program -- which has been portrayed as a threat in the West despite repeated assurances from the International Atomic Energy Agency on the non-diversion of nuclear material in the country.
This is while earlier on Tuesday, 118 member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) voiced their support for Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
