PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), May 30: The 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on Tuesday backed Iran in the standoff over its nuclear ambitions and condemned Israel for its brutal occupation of Palestinian lands.

The communique issued by the grouping of mostly developing nations after two-day talks in Malaysia, emphasised the right of all nations “without any discrimination” to nuclear technology for research and energy production and warned against any attack on peaceful nuclear facilities.

“The ministers reaffirmed the basic and inalienable right of all states to develop, research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” it said.

“Any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities — operational or under construction — poses a great danger to human beings and the environment, and constitutes a grave violation to international law.”

The vote of support for Iran is a rare boost for the nation which is locked in a diplomatic standoff with major powers over its nuclear ambitions.

The United States suspects Iran is working toward building on nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian drive for atomic power, and accuses Tehran of failing to cooperate with the IAEA.

Iran denies the charges, saying its nuclear work is confined strictly to generating energy and insisting that it has always cooperated with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The NAM communique also condemned Israel for a military campaign which it said had resulted in death and injury to Palestinian civilians through excessive force and extra-judicial executions.

“The ministers expressed their deep regret that the Palestinian people continue to suffer under the prolonged and brutal Israel military occupation of their land since 1967 and continue to be denied their fundamental human rights.”

The statement targeted Israelis “settlers” and the construction of a controversial separation wall as the “core danger to the realisation of the inalienable and national rights of the Palestinian people”.

The Palestinian issue featured prominently at the NAM talks, which were overshadowed by a row between the Hamas and Fatah representatives which prompted host Malaysia to urge the rival factions to sort out their differences.

Mahmud al-Zahar, the head of Hamas in its Gaza Strip stronghold, quit the delegation on the eve of the two-day meeting in protest over the arrival of Fatah’s Faruq Qaddumi as head of the Palestinian delegation.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said that if the Palestinian leaders wanted to be respected they should project a united front. “If there are any differences or disputes between them, it is for them to sort it out, ” he said.—AFP