Thanks for the ping!
LONDON, October 20 (IranMania) - South African President Thabo Mbeki and Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani stressed the need for a bilateral strategic partnership in the first round of their talks in Pretoria, MNA said.
Larijani and Mbeki discussed international issues and generalities of bilateral cooperation in various spheres and agreed that bilateral relations should be enhanced.
Larijani thanked South Africa for its measures at the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors session last September and expressed hope that Pretoria would maintain its positive approach at the next IAEA Board session in November.
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Deputy Director Mohammad Saeedi has also accompanied Larijani on the trip to South Africa.
South Africa is a permanent member of the IAEA Board of Governors.
Background:
In the mid 70's SA had nukes http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/rsa/nuke/
South Africa was isolated from interactions and activities with most of the developed countries for many years because of its nuclear weapons development program and the practice of apartheid. This isolation was especially true in the areas of nuclear energy and its applications. South Africa developed a complete nuclear fuel cycle, including advanced waste management techniques. South Africa operates two nuclear power reactors (built by the French, but based on a Westinghouse design) at Koeberg near Cape Town.
South Africa also acquired the technology to build nuclear weapons. South Africa developed at least six nuclear warheads, which it later acknowledged, along with a variety of missiles and other conventional weapons. These projects were undertaken with some cooperation from Israel -- another technologically advanced, militarily powerful, nuclear-capable nation surrounded by hostile neighbors.
Beginning in 1975 two test shafts over 250 meters deep for conducting nuclear tests were drilled at the Vastrap military base in the Kalahari Desert. A Soviet surveillance satellite detected these test preparationss in August 1977, and the Soviets notified the US of their discovery. South Africa was forced to cancel the tests in the face of diplomatic pressure from America, the Soviet Union, and France.
A flash over the Indian Ocean detected by an American satellite in September 1979 was suspected of being a nuclear test, possibly conducted by either Israel or South Africa, alone or in combination. the Carter administration assembled a panel of scientists from academia to review the data. After their review, the panel concluded that, lacking independent collaborative data to support a nuclear origin of the signals, the original interpretation of the satellite data could not be justified. The panel said the flash could have been caused by a combination of natural events, specifically a micrometeorite impact on the detector sunshade, followed by small particles ejected as a result of the impact.
Methinks, the lady doth protest too much.
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?ArchiveNews=Yes&NewsCode=35739&NewsKind=CurrentAffairs
'Involvement of Pretoria in Iran N-plan not true'
LONDON, September 20 (IranMania) - The South African Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nomfanelo Kota dismissed claims by Israeli diplomatic sources on South Africa's participation in Iran's nuclear program, said IRNA.
Turning to the report issued in the periodicals of Israeli regime quoting diplomatic sources associated with the country's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, she said that such a claim is baseless.
She called on Israel to submit the relevant documents to South Africa to prove its claim.
Kota called for Israel's explanation on its claim of nuclear cooperation between Iran and South Africa.
The claim by Israeli officials of Iran-South Africa atomic collaboration was published while the South African President Thabo Mbeki calls for resumption of talks on Iran's nuclear issue.
During the 60th regular meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York attended by the heads of member states, Mbeki said that the relevant negotiations should be conducted with UN close cooperation.
Criticizing the world nuclear powers, he called for advancing the plan on annihilation of weapons of mass destruction.
The president referred to the arsenal of the nuclear powers as a threat to the world security and said that the UN efforts to free the world from nuclear weapons has failed.
On the other hand, according to the news media of Israeli regime, in a sideline meeting with Mbeki in New York, Sharon called on South Africa to stop supporting Iran's nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Ynetnews has released a news item on the issue saying that Sharon has asked South Africa to discontinue its support for Iran within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors negotiations.
According to the report, the Israeli premier has rather called for South Africa's support for referral of Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council.
As an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) at the IAEA Board of Governors, South Africa has always been supporting Iran's legal right to access to peaceful nuclear technology.
In her mid-September remarks, the South African Foreign Minister Delamini Zuma said that all world countries are entitled to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
During her speech at Cape Town University, she added that development is the main objective of Iran's nuclear activities.
She noted that countries such as Iran and South Africa should be authorized to use nuclear technology for peaceful applications.