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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) welcomes Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey (R) as Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki gestures in Tehran March 17, 2008.
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BERN (EJP)---Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has rejected criticism of her visit to Iran last week and denied allegations she was the victim of state propaganda by the Iranian authorities trying to bypass international sanctions.
Calmy-Rey said she raised human rights issues during her talks with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Foreign Minister.
She also said her presence at the signing ceremony for a multibillion-euro contract between a Swiss energy firm and Iran's national gas export company was in the interest of Swiss business and diplomacy.
The deal between the Zurich utility Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft Laufenburg (EGL) and National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) would bring gas from Iran to Europe as early as next year, the Swiss company said.
Calmy-Rey said Switzerland had its own strategic interest to defend, despite criticism by other countries.
The United States and Israel accused Switzerland of setting a bad example.
Israel voiced a protest, calling Calmy-Rey's visit to Tehran an “act unfriendly to Israel”.
“We don't think that now is the time for people to be investing in Iran, not only in its petroleum or natural gas area, but in any sector of its economy,” a State Department spokesman said.
Swiss Jewish organizations said that they were disappointed with the Swiss overnment's support for the gas contract.
The Swiss Foreign Minister also said she covered her hair during her visit to Iran to respect the local tradition and to be able to hold talks on human rights and Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
The pictures of Calmy-Rey wearing a headscarf provoked an outcry in Switzerland as critics accused her showing a sign of submission.