Tasnim � Iran�s Foreign Ministry rejected an Emirati- proposed document issued as the final statement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting, saying the Iranian delegation left the meeting unfinished in protest at the Emirati foreign minister�s unprofessional conduct.

In a statement in the early hours of Sunday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi gave an account of what happened on the final day of the OIC meeting in Abu Dhabi, saying the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates was seeking to propose and ratify a document dubbed �the Abu Dhabi statement� as the final communiqu� of the gathering without hearing the views of delegations from other countries.

He said Iran and Pakistan immediately protested against the Emirati minister�s behavior and such handling of the conference.

�Despite the protest from our country�s delegation and from a number of other delegations, the Emirati foreign minister intended to impose his own demands on the meeting by misusing the privilege of hosting the meeting, in a move in contradiction to all known norms, and by ignoring the voices of protest, and did what he called ratification and announcement of the statement,� Qassemi deplored.

Given that the United Arab Emirates had raised bogus allegations about the three Iranian Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb in its statement, the Iranian delegation expressed strong protest at the move and left the meeting, the spokesperson said, adding that the measure created tense situation in the meeting, caused it to finish, and made other delegations leave the meeting gradually, which resulted in Abu Dhabi�s failure to achieve its objectives and illegitimate demands.

Qassemi underlined that Iran considers the Emirati-initiated statement as invalid, saying last night�s developments prevented a normal closing ceremony like other international meetings.

�From the viewpoint of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the statement offered by the Emirati delegation on the final day of the (OIC) meeting lacks legal validity and is not referable,� Qassemi underlined, saying the Emirati foreign minister behaved in an �inexperienced, unprofessional, and totally rudimentary manner� and failed to impose his objectives on the gathering.

The spokesperson finally reiterated that Iran has full sovereignty over the Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb without a doubt, stressing that such futile and inappropriate attempts by Abu Dhabi would have no impact on Iran�s historical and definite sovereignty over those islands.