Iran: Nuke Deal With EU States Isolates U.S.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
FOX News Webpage
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's nuclear agreement with three European states is a "victory" that isolates the United States, Iran's representative to the U.N. nuclear agency said Wednesday.
The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany secured a commitment Tuesday from Iranian officials to suspend uranium enrichment and to sign an additional protocol to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty that gives U.N. inspectors the right of unfettered access to the nation's nuclear sites.
"A big conspiracy has been foiled ... (and) the United States has been isolated," Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told state-run television.
He said the United States had sought to bring Iran's nuclear program before the U.N. Security Council. Iranian officials want to avoid their nuclear program going before the council, since it could impose sanctions.
The commitment, announced after a day of talks in Tehran between the European ministers and Iranian officials, came as Iran faced an Oct. 31 deadline to prove to the IAEA that its nuclear program is peaceful. If Iran fails to satisfy the IAEA, the U.N. agency is expected to refer the matter to the Security Council.
The United States, which strongly suspects Iran has a secret program to build nuclear bombs, cautiously welcomed Tuesday's agreement.
President Bush told reporters in Indonesia Wednesday he was grateful to the European ministers "for taking a very strong universal message to the Iranians that they should disarm."
"The Iranians, it looks like they're accepting the demands of the free world, and now it's up to them to prove that they've accepted the demands. It's a very positive development," Bush said.
The joint statement released at the end of the Europeans' visit gave no timeframe for Iran's signing the additional protocol. Nor did it say for how long Iran would suspend uranium enrichment.
But late Tuesday, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hasan Rowhani, said Iran would sign the protocol before the next IAEA board meeting on Nov. 20.
Also Tuesday, Iran agreed to tell the IAEA the origin of traces of weapons-grade uranium that the agency's inspectors had discovered at two facilities, said diplomats in Vienna, where the agency is based. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has called those traces the most troubling aspect of Iran's nuclear activities. Iran says the contamination stemmed from equipment it imported, but it had been reluctant to name the country of origin. Once the agency knows where the equipment comes from, it can test the truth of Iran's claims.
Iranian representative Salehi said Tuesday's agreement "showed the United States that global issues cannot be resolved by war and destruction, but by dialogue."
"It is a victory for us, the EU and the international community," Salehi added. "I believe Iran's case will be resolved within the IAEA."
The three European ministers promised that if Iran does meet its commitments, their countries would help it acquire peaceful nuclear technology.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he appreciated the efforts of Iran and the European foreign ministers and urged Iran to "further cooperate" with the IAEA to resolve all outstanding issues.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Wednesday his government was looking forward receiving information from the IAEA on its expanded cooperation with Tehran.
"Russia is prepared to continue cooperating with Iran, including in the nuclear sphere, in strict compliance with international obligations," Ivanov said, according to the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies. Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear reactor.
However, Israel's military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, warned Tuesday that if Iran completed its uranium enrichment program, it would be able to produce its own nuclear weapons without outside help within one year.
Israeli officials charge that Iran is covertly acquiring nuclear arms know-how, at least some of it from countries of the former Soviet Union. Iran denies such allegations.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100859,00.html Iran's relies on public might
22nd Of October, 2003
IRIB News
Tehran, Oct 22 - The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said here on Wednesday that nuclear weapons never guarantee the strength of any country, stressing that Iran's strength relies on people's "knowledge, perseverance and faith".
Ayatollah Khamenei, speaking at a meeting with the elite university students, said Iran has never been pursuing nuclear weapons, stressing that allegations of certain western states to that effect are merely meant to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear technology.
"We have repeatedly declared that we do not need nuclear weapons because we never believe that the possession of such weapons would provide the ground for the country's strength and authority," he said.
"We believe that the strength of every country depends on its capable human sources who are armed with knowledge, faith and perseverance."
Ayatollah Khamenei said certain developed countries are trying to undermine the efforts by others to make scientific breakthrough in various areas in order to make them remain consumers of their own products.
This, the Supreme Leader said, is the reason why they are angry with Iran's scientific advancement, particularly in the area of nuclear technology.
"They apparently say that Iran must not pursue nuclear weapons. Yet, what they really want to say is that Iran must not have nuclear technology so that it would always have to rely on the technological advancement of the west," Ayatollah Khamenei said.
The Supreme Leader said the countries that claim to be spearheading an international struggle to safeguard world peace and security are themselves using atomic bombs as well as other types of weapons of mass destruction.
"The claim of these countries that they are struggling to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons is like that of a major smuggling kingpin who considers himself as the authority responsible for fighting smuggling," he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei called Iran's elite youth as the source of hope and dynamism for the country, stressing that the officials must try to satisfy the demands of the youth.
"I would like to advise the youth to promote their determination and earnestly struggle to overcome the problems. They should also struggle for the prosperity of the country," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei also said that the Iranian youth have already proved their capability in different fields of science by winning several international academic awards.
"There is no doubt that if all the people, particularly the youth, put forth the best of their struggles, and the officials carry out an efficient planning for using the resources of the country, Iran will stand in the frontline of the world's scientific arena in next few decades," he said.
http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=190903