Tehran, YJC. Head of Iran-UK friendship group says Jack Straw’s request to meet former Iranian president had been rejected.
The
head of the Iran-UK parliamentary friendship group Abbas Ali Mansouri Arani
speaking in interview with the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency pointed
to issues circling around recent UK parliamentarians’ visit to Tehran.
The
lawmaker said "It is natural for parliamentarian groups to express willingness
to meet different people. But prior to the trip, the Iranian parliament sent them
the meetings’ time table and it was emphasized that it is the parliament of the
Islamic Republic of Iran which settles the meetings. Therefore, I am not aware
if Jack Straw had been interested in meeting Khatami. He was rather interested
in meeting the heads of branches, to which the Iran-UK parliamentarian
friendship group did not agree.”
The
former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw led a parliamentarian delegation to Tehran
in the first week of 2014.