Iran Press/America: The NAM which represents 120 member states in a communique received by Iran Press News Agency on Saturday said the US move was a blatant breach of the agreement between the world body and the US government and a violation of international law.
"The Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) strongly rejects the denial of the issuance of the entry visa by the Government of the United States to H.E. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to attend the United Nations Security Council Meeting at the invitation of the current President of the Security Council scheduled for 9 January 2020 as a flagrant violation of the provisions of the United Nations Headquarters Agreement as well as international law."
Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif was due in New York on January 9 to attend a UN Security Council meeting held at the invitation of Vietnam, which holds the presidency of the UN Security Council.
Last June, the US Treasury Department announced that Iran's Foreign Minister would be sanctioned as part of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign to force back Iran at the negotiations table under US conditions.
NAM's communique reiterated that political considerations shall not be an impediment to participation of the UN member states in the global body's meetings.
"The Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) recalls paragraph 24.6 of the Final Document adopted at the 18th Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan on 3-6 April 2018, in which the Ministers expressed their serious concern about the denial of or the delay in the issuance of entry visas to the representatives of any NAM Member States by the host country of the United Nations Headquarters and reiterated that political considerations shall not interfere with the provision of facilities required under the Headquarters Agreement for the Member States to participate in the United Nations activities."
The US government has imposed tough restrictions on Iranian diplomats and officials entering the United States, limiting the movement of diplomats and their families to a small area of New York City, close to the United Nations headquarters.
Recalling Paragraph 24.7 of the Baku Final Document, the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) also called upon all countries hosting United Nations and other international meetings "to abide by their obligations to issue, without discrimination and undue delay, entry visas to member country delegations in accordance with the Host Country Agreements."
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