Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 18 July 2019
Iran's top diplomat walks back from remark on missile talks

By AMIR VAHDAT ture the missiles for its own
Associated Press defense.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — He cited the 1980s Iran-Iraq
Iran's foreign minister said war and tweeted that, "For
Wednesday that his country 8 YEARS, Saddam (Hussein)
has no choice but to manu- showered our cities with
facture missiles for defense missiles & bombs provided
purposes — comments that by East & West. Meanwhile,
reflect more backtracking NO ONE sold Iran any
after a remark by the top means of defense. We had
diplomat suggesting the no choice but building our
missiles could be up for ne- own. Now they complain."
gotiations. "Instead of skirting the issue,
Mohammad Javad Zarif US must end arms sales to
said in an interview with Saddam's reincarnations,"
NBC News that aired ear- Zarif also said.
lier this week that if the U.S. Tensions between Teh-
wants to talk about Iran's ran and Washington have
missiles, it needs "first to stop sharply escalated since
selling all these weapons, President Donald Trump
including missiles, to our re- unilaterally last year with-
gion." drew America from the nu-
Iran has long rejected ne- Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif prepares to address the High Level Political Forum on Sustain- clear deal between Tehran
gotiations over its ballistic able Development, at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. and world powers and re-
missile program, which re- Associated Press imposed sanctions on Iran,
mains under the control sending its economy into
of the Iranian paramili- sions remain high between no condition negotiable Washington and "threw the freefall. America has also
tary Revolutionary Guard Tehran and Washington. with anyone or any coun- ball into the U.S. court while rushed thousands of ad-
that answers only to Su- But the Iranian mission to try, period." challenging America's arm ditional troops, an aircraft
preme Leader Ayatollah Ali the United Nations prompt- In Tehran, the Foreign Min- sales" to its Mideast allies. carrier, nuclear-capable
Khamenei. ly called Zarif's suggestion istry's spokesman, Abbas Zarif himself on Wednesday B-52 bombers and ad-
The foreign minister's re- purely "hypothetical" and Mousavi, tweeted late on backpedaled on the mis- vanced fighter jets to the
marks suggested a possible said the Iranian missiles Tuesday that Zarif's com- siles issue, saying Iran has Mideast amid unspecified
opening for talks as ten- were "absolutely and under ments meant to challenge no choice but to manufac- threats from Iran.q

Taliban close Afghan health facilities run by Swedish group

By RAHIM FAIEZ Ahmad Khalid Fahim, pro-
JAN M. OLSEN gram director for the Swed-
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ish group, said two staff
— The Taliban forced a members, a guard and a
Swedish non-profit group lab worker, and two other
to close 42 health facilities people were killed in the
it runs in eastern Afghani- attack, while a fifth person
stan, the organization said has been missing.
Wednesday, the latest at- Insurgents contacted the
tempt by the insurgents to staff and ordered the NGO
show strength amid nego- to shut down, Fahim add-
tiations to end the country's ed. Faizi said the closures
nearly 18-year war. would affect health ser-
In Sweden, the group's di- vices for around 6,000 pa-
rector called the closures tients, particularly women
"an obvious violation of hu- and children.
man rights and internation- Taliban spokesman Zabi-
al humanitarian law" and hullah Mujahid confirmed
demanded the facilities the closure of the NGO's fa-
be allowed to reopen right cilities. The developments
away. come amid stepped-up
The Taliban currently con- Ahmad Khalid Fahim, program director for the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan speaks during efforts by the United States
trol nearly half of Afghani- an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. to find a negotiated end
stan and are more power- Associated Press to the country's conflict,
ful than at any time since America's longest war. Af-
the October 2001 U.S.-led close the facilities, "it would ing the facilities that closed manager, said the closures ghan talks that brought
invasion. have consequences for over the weekend were in came after Afghan forces together the country's war-
Sonny Mansson, the coun- themselves and their fami- a Taliban-controlled area last week raided a clinic run ring sides ended last week
try director of the Swedish lies." of Maidan Wardan prov- by the NGO in Daimirdad in Qatar's capital, Doha,
Committee for Afghani- "We treat equally anyone ince while others are still district. The Afghan troops, with a statement that ap-
stan, told The Associat- who needs medical care open in the province's gov- acting on intelligence, peared to move closer to
ed Press that the Taliban regardless of who they are. ernment-controlled areas. were allegedly looking for peace by laying down the
threatened the NGO's staff Everyone who needs help Parwiz Ahmad Faizi, the suspected Taliban fighters outlines of a roadmap for
by saying that if they do not gets it," Mansson said, add- group's communications hiding in the clinic. the country's future.q