Ahmadinejad added, "Shanghai Cooperation Organization is rapidly finding its place in the world and naturally, this meeting, too, is of special importance."

Focusing on time for Iran's permanent membership at Shanghai Cooperation Treaty, the Iranian president reiterated, "Whenever the Shanghai members would decide to accept new members they would survey Iran's proposal."

Asked whether Shanghai Cooperation Organization and its increasing strength is due to member states' will to confront the US strength and the domineering of NATO, he reiterated, "Any organization has its own particular functions and expectations from it should be within that range, but of course it is to be noted that the US and NATO are not the entire world. They have enough troubles to keep them busy."

A reporter asked Iran's stand regarding South Ossetia.



Ahmadinejad replied, "If alien powers would cease interference, the regional nations can solve their own problems."

The president reiterated, "We are friends of the entire regional nations, and enjoy deep relations with the Georgian nation, but we think the leaders of Georgia had to manage the situation more carefully, so that countries from beyond the region would not have found an excuse to interfere in their affairs."

He added, "There is information based on which the Zionists were very actively interfering in flickering the flames of war in the Caucasus region and we suggest the aliens not to interfere in this problem, since that way the regional countries would tackle the problem effectively."

The president said, "Iran is the friend of entire nations and favors the prevalence of peace and friendship in the region and the world. We hope for a day when the nations would live at peace, and free from enmities side by side of one another, but of course, based on the legal definition of some sides, some groups of peoples are not regarded as nations."

On results of his meeting with the Russian president, he stressed, "Iran and Russia enjoy good ties and are two good regional neighbors and partners. In that meeting we had good talks on various issues, including bilateral cooperation and it was a constructive meeting, which we hope would lead to further expansion of bilateral cooperation."

A reporter asked whether Russia would build Iran's second nuclear reactor. Ahmadinejad said, "No. We will build it ourselves." In response to a question on opening a US Interests Section in Tehran and whether the matter could affect the process of melting the frozen relations of the two countries, the Iranian president said, "I suppose the hardness of Iran-US relations is tougher than ice."

He added, "If the US officials had listened to the suggestions of experts, the problems would have already been solved." At the beginning of the press conference, too, President Ahmadinejad attributed the current problematic status of the world on one hand to the discriminatory approach and interference of certain countries in other nations' affairs, and on the one hand due to the reaction and resistance of the nations and human beings to such policies.



He added, "We think the right thing to do is that everyone would respect the laws and observe justice in their conduct so that the international relations would take shape based on laws and justice." The president meanwhile thanked the Tajik officials,

and particularly President Imomali Rahman for fine holding of Shanghai Conference and begged the pardon of the Tajik nation for having missed the opportunity to meet them during his short visit of their country.

Dushanbe, Aug 29, IRNA