Manouchehr Mottaki
Manouchehr Mottaki | |
|---|---|
 Manouchehr Mottaki at the 2008 World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland | |
| 8th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Assumed office 24 August 2005 | |
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Preceded by | Kamal Kharazi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 12, 1953 Bandar Gaz, Iran |
| Political party | Islamic Society of Engineers |
Manouchehr Mottaki (Persian: منوچهر متکی, born 12 May 1953 in Bandar Gaz) is the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Whilst technically appointed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he is considered to be closer to more pragamatic conservative factions and during the 2005 presidential election, he was the campaign manager of Ali Larijani, the right-conservative candidate.
He grew up in Bandar-Gaz and went to school there. Bandar-Gaz by that time during the Reza Shah Pahlavi considered an important city in the north with a national railroad and several infrastructures.This was because the city was considered as a transit bridge to the north mainly to the former Soviet Union. After graduation, he joined the army and as national plan joined the public education program by that day which was conducted by the government. He went to Khorasan province and established a school in a poor village around Mashhad and taught there. After his service in the army, since he was interested in social and political issues, he decided to travel abroad both for experience and study. By that time many Iranians traveled to India as a popular academic destination. So he traveled there for a few years before the revolution in Iran.[1]
After the revolution, he was elected by the people of his home town and the neighboring cities as the first parliament representative and assigned by other representatives as the head of the national security and foreign policy committee due to his politic and diplomatic talents. During his years in Majlis (Congress) and effective collaboration with the foreign ministry, he was employed by the ministry after parliament.He already served as member of parliament in the first Majlis, head of seventh political bureau of Foreign Ministry (1984), Iran's ambassador to Turkey (1985), Foreign Ministry's secretary general for Western European affairs (1989), deputy foreign minister for international affairs (1989) and deputy foreign minister for legal, consular and parliamentary affairs (1992).He has also been Iran's ambassador to Japan (1994), advisor to foreign minister (1999), deputy head of Culture and Islamic Communications Organization (2001) and Head of foreign relations committee of 7th Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. he then developed within the ministry during 24 years of continuous presence in different positions.[2] He worked in many positions in the Majlis until Ahmadinejad appointed him as Foreign Minister.
In this role he is anticipated to meet with US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, June 25-27 2009 at the meeting of Foreign ministers of the Group of Eight in Trieste, Italy. The formal agenda is to discuss multilateral efforts in Afghanistan.[3]
Mottaki holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Tehran and a bachelor's degree from Bangalore University in India.[4]
Mottaki quotations:
“Referring the case to the Security Council would be a lose-lose game, and we would prefer that this game does not happen. We see a win-win situation, that is where the EU and international community have confidence and the Islamic Republic of Iran reaches its legitimate right.”
“The Islamic Republic pays great cost to control and prevent transfer of narcotics to West.”
“We do not accept global nuclear 'apartheid' and scientific 'apartheid'.”
“All voluntary measures taken over the past two-and-a-half or three years have been halted and we have no further commitment to the additional protocol and other voluntary commitments.”
“We should try to cool down the situation. We do not support any violence.”
“Nobody can remove a country from the map. This is a misunderstanding in Europe of what our president mentioned.”
“The time for using language of threats is over, it's time for negotiation. We express our readiness for negotiations based on justice and a comprehensive compromise. We want to peacefully solve the problem.”
“Nuclear weapons are not in Iran's defense doctrine.”
“The issue is quite simple. We would like to enjoy our membership as well as the other members of the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty. The country has followed the rules and regulations of the [International Atomic Energy Agency] and wants to keep its rights.” [5]
Appearing on The Charlie Rose Show on 6 October 2008, Mr. Mottaki referred to a speech by Caspar Weinberger onboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War, that "the U.S. will uproot the Iranian people". [1]
See also
References
- ^ Mottaki's interview in a popular Tv show "SANDALIYE DAGH"
- ^ Biography of Mottaki, nominee for post of foreign minister
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084405.html
- ^ Mottaki's biography on the official Iranian Presidential website
- ^ Manouchehr Mottaki quotes
External links
- Manouchehr Mottaki, "How Can Anybody Be Persian?" Le Monde, 25 October 2007
- SPIEGEL audacious INTERVIEW with Iran's Foreign Minister "We Warned the United States"
