Chair of the Elders group of former world leaders Mary Robinson lamented on Thursday the US refusal to grant a visa to Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a move that effectively barred him from participating in a UN Security Council meeting amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th January, 2020) Chair of the Elders group of former world leaders Mary Robinson lamented on Thursday the US refusal to grant a visa to Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a move that effectively barred him from participating in a UN Security Council meeting amid heightened tensions in the middle East.
"He was going to speak about the role of the UN Charter in supporting international peace and security, but is being prevented from doing so as tensions have arisen between Iran and the United States," Robinson said during the UN Security Council meeting. "This is highly regrettable. It is precisely in times such as these that we need to hear the voices of all concerned."
Robinson, former first woman president of Ireland, chairs the Elders, who define themselves as "an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights." The body was established by former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace laureate Nelson Mandela.
The United Nations informed Iran that the United States would not grant visa to Zarif, spokesperson for the Iranian mission told Sputnik earlier this week. Iran submitted an application for a US visa on December 10, a day after Zarif received an invitation to attend Thursday's UN Security Council meeting, he added.
