West must now help Iran develop nuclear power industry: Rafsanjani

AFP ^ | December 20, 2003

[Shermy]

TEHRAN (AFP) - Influential former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani challenged Western powers to make good on their obligations and help his country develop its nuclear power industry.

Rafsanjani was speaking a day after Iran signed a protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows for snap inspections of Tehran's nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"The ball is now in the (Westerners') court," he said Friday. "We have a long time until the definitive adoption of the additional protocol" by the Iranian parliament. "If the other countries also keep to their commitments, the process that is underway will succeed."

Rafsanjani was insisting that, in exchange for signing the protocol and for steps it has taken in recent months to shed light on its nuclear program, Western countries help it "by furnishing the technology necessary" for developing civilian atomic energy.

"But if they want to trick us, to profit from the situation or to create a climate of menace and fear, they will get nothing," he warned in a sermon preached at Friday prayers and broadcast by state radio.

"I hope that the leaders of the world will have the intelligence to understand that it is the interests of the region and of the world for them to fulfill their commitments."

The protocol obliges signatory countries to provide the IAEA with much more precise information about their nuclear activities than is required under the NPT.

And it authorizes the IAEA to carry out more intrusive inspections of nuclear facilities.

Under the agreement, states commit to giving IAEA inspectors information about, and short-notice access to, all parts of their nuclear fuel cycle.

They must also offer access to any location where nuclear material is or may be present, and the IAEA may give as little as two hours' notice before it visits a site.

The United States and other Western countries suspect that Iran has been using its civil atomic energy program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran roundly denies.

[Shermy]

Door to the backroom-bargain open a bit?

[SJSAMPLE]

Riiiigggghhhhtttt.
An oil rich country needs to develop its nuclear "power" industry. Sounds logical to me.

[TheCrusader]

"Influential former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani challenged Western powers to make good on their obligations and help his country develop its nuclear power industry."

How stupid do these people think we are?

[sauropod]

Isn't Rafsanjani a person tied up extensively w/ the mullahocracy?

[RightWhale]

An oil rich country needs to develop its nuclear "power" industry.

Aside from the apparent Iranian intent to develop nuclear weapons, which would presumably be held in abeyance by open inspections, what would be the problem with nuclear power instead of burning fossil fuels? Shouldn't we in America do the same?

[Shermy]

IMO:

Rasfanjani is a big player in Iran, and with the nukes he's the one who announced he wanted them to destroy Israel, and the Muslim Middle East would "only suffer damages."

The current Iranian deal on nuclear weapons was sweetened with promises, by the "West", to build the electricity stations. That is, replace the Russians (with perhaps inferior equipment) with the Axis of Greed (France, Germany) and their better technology. Naturally, France and Germany will be paid. Remember, Bush praised the Axis the other day for its workings in Iran on this issue.

In return Iran agrees to inspections of other sites - the ones for bomb making.

Heck, a similar set-up worked in North Korea!

< /sarcasm>

[mhking]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[samtheman]

Liberate Iran.

[anniegetyourgun]

Euroweenies and our own leftists would never go for it. We will have to offer our services in setting up windfarms all over Iran instead. ; ]

[RightWhale]

windfarms all over Iran

President Carter, famous American scientist, demonstrated that Iran has some difficult environment for turbines. Windfarms would be good if the tech problems with dust can be overcome. Apaprently they have a surplus of wind, which would be a plus for the plan. Aside from that, Iran would be ideal for permanent storage of the world's nuclear waste, so maybe a deal could be worked out.

[SJSAMPLE]

One question: Why?
Given the abundance of oil in Iran, why would they be in such a hurry to develop nuclear "power"?

In America, we try to use nuclear power because burning fossil fuels is expensive and we don't have the vast reserves that would support out need.

They want WEAPONS, pure and simple.

[wadeintothem]

Iran should be helped to develope their Nuke Plant into a pile of rubble.

[RightWhale]

why would they be in such a hurry to develop nuclear "power"?

Maybe they are worried about Global Warming. Perhaps they themselves could explain why they need this tech.

[hosepipe]

[ Influential former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani challenged Western powers to make good on their obligations and help his country develop its nuclear power industry. ]

Western powers being France, Germany and/or Russia... who are trying to look busy and lookin over their shoulders after the capture of "SADAAMS BRIEFCASE".

The boy should keep his trap shut... There are other ways to force regime change other than war!... This dude is spitting into the wind.. and pulling on supermans cape...

[Hank Rearden]

Influential former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani challenged Western powers to make good on their obligations and help his country develop its nuclear power industry

You'd think he'd just STFU and be happy we don't just blow that turban off his head.

[Elric@Melnibone]

How stupid do these people think we are?

Stupid is as stupid does. (And, as a species, humans are stupid.)

What I want to know is, why should we help them build a nuclear power industry when we don't have one of our own?

[SquirrelKing]

Whenever I get to feeling all "angried up" about that region, I just remember this post...

[SJSAMPLE]

You're shitting me, right?
God, I HOPE you're shitting me.
You couldn't possibly be that naive.

[RightWhale]

You couldn't possibly be that naive.

Sure. What are they going to do? They are surrounded. Maybe since the world is round they figure they have us surrounded. The mullahs are losing their grip, but haven't lost it yet. Opening Iran to inspectors is a step to opening the borders. N Kor should do the same.