Iran: Athletes form human shield (around uranium conversion facility)

News 24 (South Africa) ^ | January 21, 2006

[Stoat]

Athletes form human shield
22/01/2006 17:02  - (SA)  

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Isfahan - Iran on Sunday gave a fresh show of its determination to press on with its disputed nuclear programme, enrolling about 1 000 athletes to form a human shield in front of a key nuclear facility.

The demonstration, which took place in front of just a handful of journalists, was held under winter sunshine outside the main gate of a uranium conversion facility near the historic central city of Isfahan.

"Since we have reached this technology indigenously and with our own scientists, we will safeguard it at any cost," the director of the facility, Behrouz Samani, said at the event.

Around him were about 1 000 sportsmen and women of all ages and from across Iran, who were wearing free T-shirts brandishing the slogan: "Nuclear Energy is our Legitimate Right."

Work at the Isfahan site, where uranium is converted to gas as a precursor to the sensitive enrichment process, had been suspended as part of a deal with Britain, France and Germany in November 2004.

Reactor fuel

Iran ended the freeze in August 2005, renewing fears it could acquire the technology needed to make nuclear weapons and leading the EU-3 to push for Iran's referral to the UN security council.

Iran insists it only wants to make reactor fuel, and further backed away from the nuclear suspension earlier this month by resuming enrichment research at another facility in Natanz.

"We the athletes will defend our right to research and the activities that lead us to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," said a statement from the athletes read out at the demonstration.

"We consider this to be our legitimate right and will not surrender it before our last breath, and in accordance to the orders of our supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), we will definitely not close down our nuclear activities and this is our red line," said the statement.

Also shouted at the gathering were the habitual chants of "Death to America, Death to Britain".

Britain, France and Germany have called an urgent meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board for February 2, with Western diplomats confident the meeting will result in Iran's case being referred to the security council despite the reluctance of Russia and China.

[Gunny P]

maybe it's the hope of a "reach around" at the same time that makes their day.

and as for "Nuclear Energy is our Legitimate Right."..I'll simply add...

"Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is callin' yonder"

[blondee123]

Maybe we'll luck out and Code Pink-o will go over there to join them.

I think Cindy Sheedevil & Jessie Jackson should join them too.

[American in Israel]

hmmm, one thousand athletes, vs a few million civilians. My guess is the sports guys loose. Nuclear war is a bit bigger than "human shields" as it is based on wiping out whole cities. The choice that Iran offers is do not kill our basket ball players to stop us from wiping out your women and childen whole citys at a time.

Ironic how the most evil of men try to hide behind the virtue of their enemies.

[Dustbunny]

Stuck on stupid !!!

[Stoat]

Ironic how the most evil of men try to hide behind the virtue of their enemies.

Well-stated, and they also have no problem with carrying their normal societal oppressions into battle with them, as evidenced by Saddam's 'human shield' program and his habit of hiding weapons and soldiers in schools and hospitals.  I've always felt that a good measure of a culture is how they treat their women and children.....if they stone them to death and burn them alive because they accidentally allowed a quarter-inch of ankle to show from beneath their burka, I tend to view that as a country that I don't want to spend my hard-earned vacation dollars in.  Hiding your soldiers or your clandestine nuke facility behind women and children elicits a similar response from me....it screams out that this is a culture that needs to be eradicated and replaced with a culture that worships it's women and honors it's children, as the West generally does.

[Stoat]

Stuck on stupid !!!

If they continue on their present course that's fine with me, because the only thing that they will accomplish will be to galvanize international opinion against them.  If they begin to act rationally, then that could be a problem because it will cause the 'usual suspects' in the 'international community' to go squishy.  Iran's leadership and it's nuke facilities need to be taken out, and as long as they keep doing this insane sort of stuff then the path is clear for the sane adults of the world.