Iran defiant over nuclear fuel rights
Iran’s president proclaimed his country’s “inalienable right” to nuclear energy and offered foreign countries and companies a role in his nation’s uranium enrichment programme to prove Tehran is not producing nuclear weapons.
In a fiery speech to the UN General Assembly, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected a renewed offer from the European Union, backed by the US, to halt uranium enrichment in exchange for economic and other incentives.
He claimed Iran continues to abide by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and accused some “powerful states” – an apparent reference to the US and some Europeans – of engaging in “nuclear apartheid” by discriminating against access by NPT members to material, equipment and peaceful nuclear technology.
France’s Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy welcomed Ahmadinejad’s rejection of nuclear weapons and adherence to the NPT but reiterated that Tehran should not have a nuclear fuel cycle.
“We don’t see what the involvement of third countries will contribute to establish confidence,” he said.
A senior US State Department official called it “a very aggressive speech” that appeared to go beyond European ”red lines.”
A British Foreign Office spokesman called the speech “unhelpful.”
Ahmadinejad said Iran’s religious principles prohibit the country from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He implicitly accused the Europeans and Americans of “misrepresenting” Iran’s desire for civilian nuclear energy “as the pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
“This is nothing more than a pure propaganda ploy,” he said in last night’s speech.
Ahmadinejad rejected European and American claims that Iran doesn’t need to enrich uranium because it can obtain it from other countries. He insisted repeatedly that Iran would not be dependent on anyone else for its energy needs, and said “the peaceful use of nuclear energy without a fuel cycle is an empty proposition”.
The US and the Europeans have threatened to refer the Tehran nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions, if Iran doesn’t stop enriching uranium.
Washington has led efforts to line up support at tomorrow’s board meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, for a referral to the council.
Taking direct aim at the US, Ahmadinejad accused “those who have actually used nuclear weapons, continue to produce, stockpile and extensively test such weapons” of using uranium-depleted munitions and arming Israel with weapons of mass destruction.
Instead of occupying itself with Iran, he said, a new General Assembly committee should investigate how Israel acquired weapons of mass destruction and propose measures to achieve total disarmament and a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.
To reassure the international community of Iran’s peaceful intentions, Ahmadinejad said his government is prepared to take “far-reaching” steps beyond the requirements of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to ease other nations’ fears of its intentions.
The IAEA has already installed cameras to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities, he said.
As a further “confidence building measure and in order to provide the greatest degree of transparency the Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to engage in serious partnership with private and public sectors of other countries in the implementation of uranium enrichment programs in Iran,” he said.
“We will work with public and private companies in the context of Iranian and agency laws,” Ahmadinejad said at a news conference afterward.
He noted that US President George Bush said recently that he approves of Iran having a peaceful nuclear programme.
“This is a step forward,” he said, “but this means that others are to produce the fuel and sell it to us to use and for us to be always dependent on others – this is outside the NPT and this is not acceptable to my nation.”
Momentum for Security Council action grew after Tehran last month rejected incentives offered by Britain, France and Germany – negotiating on behalf of the EU – and resumed uranium conversion.
The Europeans say Tehran broke its word by unilaterally restarting that activity while still discussing ways to reduce international suspicions about its nuclear agenda.
Ahmadinejad said Iran has made clear its peaceful intentions and is co-operating with the IAEA.
“So when they threaten us this means they have no rationale, no logic or backup and we are not going to cave in to the excessive demands of certain powers,” the Iranian leader told reporters.
“We believe we should not give up to bullying in international relations,” he said.
“Iran is presenting in good faith its proposal for constructive interaction and a just dialogue,” Ahmadinejad said.
“However, if some try to impose their will on the Iranian people through resort to a language of force and threat with Iran, we will reconsider our entire approach to the nuclear issue,” he warned.
