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Iran won't discontinue uranium enrichment- says US is afraid of "the power of Islam"

9/17/04

Rafsanjani: Iran will reject any resolution calling for suspension of uranium enrichment

Tehran, Sept 17, IRNA

Tehran Substitute Friday Prayer Leader and Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said in Tehran on Friday that the US is afraid of the power of Islam.

Rafsanjani, speaking at the weekly Tehran Friday Prayer gathering, said the US seeks to spread its hegemony around the globe which is in contradiction to the teachings of Islam.

The Americans are not truthful when they tout slogans declaring an all-out war against terrorism, he said, adding that if they really seek to defeat terrorism they should deal with the MKO or impose pressure on Israel to stop them from further committing acts of terrorism.

Referring to the double standards practised in US policies, he said US officials do not practise what they preach because they continue to support Israel, which has the biggest stockpile of nuclear weapons.

If the Americans are sincere in their words, they should go after Israel which possesses many weapons of mass destruction, he pointed out.

Lambasting the US' double standards in dealing with Iran's and South Korea's nuclear activities, he said that while the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully cooperative with the IAEA and has opened its doors to IAEA inspectors, the country continues to be subjected to pressure but they (Americans) have closed their eyes to the nuclear activities of South Korea.

Moreover, he said the Americans are guilty of misusing the issue of human rights to achieve their hegemonic ambitions around the globe, he said.

The Tehran substitute Friday Prayer leader and chairman of the Expediency Council said in his second sermon that if the IAEA Board of Governors passes a resolution that would call on Iran to terminate its uranium enrichment, the resolution would surely be rejected.

Referring to the IAEA's ongoing meeting in Vienna which focuses on the Iran nuclear case and an upcoming resolution which the Board of Governors is expected to issue, he said that any such resolution which calls on Iran to permanently suspend its uranium enrichment activities would be against the IAEA mandate and will make it subject to an international litigation.

If any such resolution is issued, the Islamic Republic of Iran will have the option of lodging a complaint with the International Court of Justice in The Hague which can proceed against the IAEA for having exceeded its powers under the NPT treaty which guarantees member states the right to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, he said.

The issuance of a new IAEA resolution is considered as a significant test for members of the IAEA Board of Governors, he said, adding that if they do come up to their responsibilities as the international community's nuclear watchdog, then they should not expect Iran to yield to their demands.

If they wish to impose their hegemony and the law of the jungle, the Islamic Republic of Iran will prove once again that it will not yield to any power and will defend its rights anywhere in the world.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is for peaceful application of nuclear technology under the supervision of the IAEA, he said, adding that the Americans are against Iran's exercise of the right, claiming there is no justification for Iranians wanting to benefit from nuclear technology for civilian purposes.

On the issues affecting Iraq, he said that since the Americans have forgotten the lessons they learned from Vietnam, the Iraqis are there to teach them the lesson anew and which they will remember for the next two or three generations.

www.payvand.com/news/04/sep/1153.html