Iranian President Asks for EU's Help to Stop Massacre of Muslims in Myanmar

Rasa - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in New York described the situation of the Muslims in Myanmar as "shocking", and called for the European states' help to stop their massacre and plights.

News ID: 432537

Date: 19 September 2017 - 21:18

RNA - "Hard conditions have been imposed on Myanmar Muslims and 400,000 people have been displaced. Pressures on Myanmar government to stop genocide and violence against Muslims are necessary, and undoubtedly, the EU plays an important role to stop inhumane pressures on Muslims in Myanmar and help the displaced people," Rouhani said during the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly conference on Monday evening.

He also referred to the pains and displacement of thousands of Yemeni people as a result of the Saudi-led war against the country, and expressed the hope that negotiations among the Yemeni groups would start soon after the ceasefire and Europe would help security of this region.

Lofven, for his part, described the situation of Myanmar Muslims as tragic, and said his country will do whatever it can to stop this tragedy, specially through efforts at the UN Security Council.

In relevant remarks last Tuesday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei strongly blasted the international bodies and those who claim to be advocates of human rights for silence on the plights and pains of Muslims in Myanmar, and called on the Islamic countries to adopt practical measures against the Myanmar government.

"Of course, religious prejudice may play a role in this incident but it is a political issue because it is executed by the Myanmar government which is headed by a cruel woman who has won the Nobel prize, and actually the Nobel Peace Prize died with such incidents," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

He lashed out at the UN secretary-general who has only sufficed to the condemnation of the crimes in Myanmar, and said, "Those who claim to be advocates of human rights and start hues and cries sometimes for punishment of a guilty person in Iran, don’t show any reaction to the massacre and displacement of tens of thousands of people in Myanmar."

Ayatollah Khamenei underlined the need for the Islamic governments' action and practical measures, and said, "Of course, practical action doesn’t mean deployment of military forces but they should increase political, economic and trade pressures on Myanmar government and shout against such crimes in the international circles."

The Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar have long been subjected to discrimination in Buddhist-majority country, which denies them citizenship.

Myanmar's government regards them as illegal migrants from Bangladesh, even if they have lived in the country for generations.

Refugee camps near Bangladesh's border with Myanmar already had about 300,000 Rohingya before the upsurge in violence last month and are now overwhelmed.

Tens of thousands of new arrivals have nowhere to shelter from monsoon rains.

Those flocking into Bangladesh have given harrowing accounts of killings, rape and arson by Myanmar's army. Myanmar authorities deny any wrongdoing.

Most have walked for days and the UN says many are sick, exhausted and in desperate need of shelter.

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