Iran’s Ahmadinejad says “Sudan, Iran defenders of Islam”

By Rizwan Khatik - Tue Sep 27, 6:30 am

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday said that Sudan and the Islamic Republic are united as “defenders of Islam” as pressure from Western governments on their respective countries continues.

“Iran and Sudan will stand together as defenders of the Islamic world and the independence of the region,” he said after meeting Sudan’s Presdient Omar al-Bashir during a brief visit to Khartoum.

“Both countries are facing pressure from the colonialists, who want to impose things that affect our people negatively. They are trying to apply pressure on independent states, because they don’t want them to be strong,” he added.

The Iranian president was in Khartoum to meet with Sudanese officials on energy and higher education issues that the two countries hope to boost in the near future.

Sudan’s delegation included the deputy foreign minister, and the ministers of oil, labor, information and presidential affairs.

Bashir said that he supported Iran’s push for a nuclear program and said the west should remain outside internal matters.

“We will work together to build a relationship based on cooperation and respect and mutual benefits, and we are looking forward to closer cooperation with Iran,” he said.

“We confirm that we support the right of Iran to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.”

Iran has been under international scrutiny over their civilian nuclear program, which many Western leaders believe is to be used to develop a nuclear weapon.