Iranian MPs want nuclear activities resumed
Iranian MPs sent a letter to President Mohammad Khatami today asking him to implement a law allowing Iran to resume nuclear activities “as soon as possible,” state-run radio reported.
“We ask the government to implement the law as soon as possible,” the 175 MPs said in a statement read in the parliament, in a session broadcast live on the radio. There are 290 members in Iran’s parliament.
The statement said that while the latest round of talks could be considered a success, it was possible that Iran would have nothing to gain at the end of them.
Last week, Iran’s hard-line Guardian Council approved a law that encourages the government to pursue nuclear goals despite international pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.
Parliament passed the bill on May 15 and sent it to the Guardian Council for approval. The council must vet all bills before they become law.
However the law’s passing does not force the government to immediately resume uranium enrichment.
It calls on the government to develop a nuclear fuel cycle that includes resuming the process of enriching uranium, a prospect that has drawn criticism from the US and Europe because the technology could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
The legislation was viewed as strengthening the government’s hand in negotiations with European Union representatives, allowing it to demonstrate domestic pressure to pursue its nuclear programme as talks have deadlocked.
Earlier last week Iran agreed to meet with European Union negotiators for a new round of talks in the summer.
France, Britain and Germany, acting on behalf of the 25-nation European Union, want Tehran to abandon its enrichment activities in exchange for economic aid, technical support and backing for Iran’s efforts to join the WTO.
The European Union has threatened to take Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions if it resumes uranium reprocessing. Tehran says it won’t give up its right to enrichment but is prepared to offer guarantees that its nuclear programme won’t be diverted to build weapons.
Iran suspended enrichment last November under international pressure led by the US. Iran maintains its programme is peaceful and only aimed at generating electricity.
