Iran's Rafsanjani tells Muslims to 'kick' Americans out of region
Posted: Friday January 14,2005 - 09:47:08 am
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's influential former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, told Muslims in the weekly sermon to "kick" Americans out of region.
AFP/File Photo
"The Muslims should take advantage of the political openness and kick the Americans out of the region," Rafsanjani said in a sermon broadcast on state radio.
"The United States cannot mislead people any more and claim that they want to bring about freedom and the democracy... the shame of Abu Gharib and Guantanamo still trails the US and it cannot claim to speak about human rights," said Rafsanjani, now the head Iran's arbitration body.
He also asked Iraqis to resist and not "to be afraid of the American and British soldiers and the terrorists who attack the leaders," referring to assassination of an aide to Iraq 's top Shiite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Wednesday.