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                        Non-Aligned Nations Meet in Iran

   by VOA News

   Representatives of nearly 120 nations, including dozens of
   heads-of-state, have convened in Tehran for a meeting of the
   Non-Aligned Movement.
   At the opening ceremony Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar
   Salehi called for NAM leaders to stand against Western sanctions
   imposed to punish Tehran for its nuclear activities.
   Salehi also urged NAM to take a stand against terrorism, especially of
   the state-sponsored type, and accused U.S., British, and Israeli
   intelligence services of being involved in the murders of four Iranian
   nuclear scientists since 2010.
   With Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, it is likely
   that the Syrian crisis will be high on the agenda of the five-day
   conference.
   There have been conflicting reports about whether the leader of Iran's
   ally Hamas will attend the conference.  Iranian news agencies say Hamas
   political leader Ismail Haniyeh has not been invited, but Haniyeh's
   office says he plans to attend.
   The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he will not
   attend if Haniyeh takes part.
   The Non-Aligned Movement is a Cold War organization that was supposed
   to provide a forum for countries that were allied with neither the
   United States nor the Soviet Union. But since the Soviet Union was
   dissolved in 1991 the group has struggled for both identity and clout.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/non_aligned_nations_meet-in_iran/1495
   815.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/non_aligned_nations_meet-in_iran/1495815.html