President Khatami Calls on the British Government to Apologize

President Khatami, the President of Iran, has called on the British government to apologize for the arrest of former Iranian political figure Hadi Soleimanpour, who was detained in Britain on charges of involvement in a terrorist operation in Argentina. A state newspaper in Iran quoted Mr. Khatami's remarks on Sunday, stating that he hopes Britain will soon take action to release the former Iranian ambassador to Argentina. Mr. Khatami mentioned that he will soon engage in negotiations with the Argentine government regarding the arrest of Mr. Hadi Soleimanpour. On Thursday, British police arrested Mr. Soleimanpour in Durham, a region in northern England, based on an international warrant. The Argentine government claims Mr. Soleimanpour was involved in the bombing on July 18, 1994, which occurred at a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, resulting in the deaths of 85 people. At the time of the bombing, Mr. Soleimanpour was serving as Iran's ambassador in Argentina. On Thursday, the Iranian government denied any involvement in the bombing at the Jewish center, asserting that the arrest was politically motivated rather than based on alleged terrorist collaborations. Tehran, in widespread protests against Mr. Soleimanpour's arrest, announced it would refrain from any economic and cultural relations with Britain and Buenos Aires.