Iran's Response On Nuclear Issue

[KashifAsrar]

Here is another interesting assesment guys !!
Enjoy
Kashif

Defiant Iran master of the nuclear tightrope
Sunday, September 10, 2006

Iran must be treated as a nuclear power and already a member of the Nuclear Club. According to Israeli intelligence, Iran will be able to make a nuclear weapon in two years, while the CIA in Washington estimates five to10 years. Iran insists that it is their right to go nuclear. They say they have obtained this technology and that they will not negotiate over this obvious right. Their project aims to 'produce low enriched uranium to generate electricity,' but the West suspects that Iran is bent on making atom bombs. If Israel is already a nuclear power, then why should not Iran be one, too?


Yüksel Söylemez

Iran must be treated as a nuclear power and already a member of the Nuclear Club. According to Israeli intelligence, Iran will be able to make a nuclear weapon in two years, while the CIA in Washington estimates five to10 years. Iran insists that it is their right to go nuclear. They say they have obtained this technology and that they will not negotiate over this obvious right. Their project aims to "produce low enriched uranium to generate electricity," but the West suspects that Iran is bent on making atom bombs. If Israel is already a nuclear power, then why should not Iran be one, too?
On Aug. 26 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a heavy water plant in Arak in Iran, claiming Iran's nuclear activities are for "peace and justice," disregarding criticism from the West. The chemical formula for heavy water is D20. Instead of hydrogen, heavy hydrogen, which is called "deterium," is used. It is reported that Iranian-produced uranium can be treated in this heavy water plant, perhaps without foreign help.

Iran, as the metaphor goes, is playing a masterful chess game, while the United States is playing a poker game, full of bluffs.

Two recent studies were published, one by the U.S. House of Representatives and the other by the prestigious Chatham House of London. Both agree on Iran's political rise in importance and influence against the superpower, the United States, in the Middle East and perhaps further afield, so much so that Iran claims to be a rival power against the United States, particularly against the heavy naked force of the U.S., especially in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Iran uses the soft power tactic.
Since the 1980s, and even before, during the reign of the late Shah Reza Pahlavi, Iran has been planning to be a regional power. Iran was relieved from Iraq and Afghan Taliban threats, thanks ironically to U.S. military intervention in both countries. As most analysts agree, in the Israel-Hezbollah war the only party that realized obvious political gain was Iran. It gained an advantage internationally and a position of strength, which at the moment may sound like an irony of history. Widespread anti-Americanism in the region, which is also on the rise in Turkey due to Bush policies and America's blind support of Israel whatever it does, whether over Palestine or Lebanon, is creating pro-Iranian sympathy in Turkey and in the region, which is a new phenomenon.

The rise of Iran as a regional power is seen as growing and its influence has spread "for the first time in 2,000 years beyond the Euphrates River," as one analyst remarked.

It was in June this year that the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany in the form of the European Union's Javier Solana solemnly presented a "Package of Incentives" to Tehran. Iran gave no clear or concrete reply to it. Then the matter was referred to the U.N. Security Council and on July 31, 2006, Resolution 1696 was adopted, urging Iran to stop the nuclear enrichment process and report back by August 31, 2006 or else face Chapter VII enforcement measures under Article 41 of the U.N. Charter.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul went to Iran on a peace mission as a friend of Iran to urge them to respond positively and without delay, but to no avail. Iran's answer came on Aug. 26, but as expected was in wishy-washy terms of "No, to stop the uranium enrichment, but yes, to continue to negotiate." The West has been negotiating with Iran for the last six years, urging them to stop the uranium enrichment. Iran was again as adamant as it has been in the past, if not more so now.

Iran bases its masterful chess game on the clashing interests and built-in divisions in the Security Council.

Russia and China are against imposing economic sanctions against Iran, as they have energy and trade agreements with them. France says "no" to any further negotiations and the United States and the U.K. are drafting economic sanctions to be imposed theoretically in three stages, starting from minor mandatory sanctions such as a travel ban and limiting government contracts with Iranian enterprises to more wide-ranging sanctions later to hurt the Iranian economy.
Fuller and more biting sanctions will not impact the European economies but rather would be counterproductive as they are importers of Iranian oil.

Iran is entrenched in its tactics, and perhaps quite rightly so, relying on the fact that sooner than later the Europeans will break ranks in the Security Council and beyond.

The United States is said to be split between the "doves" of the State Department and the "hawks" of the Pentagon and the White House, led by the vice president. If the United States rushes to the adoption and imposition of sanctions, the fragile alliance built up over the issue between the Security Council permanent members may be split and Iran's tactics aimed at dividing the Americans and the Europeans may work. Theoretically, if and when sanctions are imposed, this "may lead the United States to a slippery slope towards military action" because none of its allies believe that the sanctions will be effective.

Does all this add up to more frustration in the Security Council and prove once more its impotency leading to an armed U.S. intervention of surgical strikes? Supposing it did, will these air strikes provoke a counter attack by Iran, and more specifically against Israel? How will the United States protect the security of the Straits of Hormuz through which all the oil tankers pass? How will Israel be able to defend itself against Iranian missiles? Will it not lead to a holocaust? All these facts should lead to the arguments in favor of a negotiated settlement being preferred to brute force.

There is also hope that Iran is expected to agree to further negotiations leading to a "temporary suspension" of the uranium enrichment process as a diplomatic concession. This is the reason that the EU apparently wants more dialogue with Tehran. The EU has given Solana two weeks to renegotiate with Iran on Iran's 21-page reply of "yes and no." Solana will report back to Brussels on Sept. 15 and see if there is a change of heart in Iran or not. The West in general and the EU in particular have no interest in escalation before the next Security Council debate starts on what to do next.


http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=53670

 

[KashifAsrar]

We are open to new conditions: Iran prez

‘UNSC Can’t Impose Sanctions’



Dakar: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday he was open to what he called new conditions to resolve Tehran’s standoff with the West over its nuclear programme and believed talks could end the dispute.
“We are partisan to dialogue and negotiation and we believe that we can resolve the problems in a context of dialogue and of justice together,” Ahmadinejad told a midnight news conference during a visit to Senegal’s capital Dakar.
“I am announcing that we are available, we are ready for new conditions,” he said, without elaborating, before leaving to fly to a Non-Aligned summit in Cuba. Ahmadinejad was speaking through a translator.
The United States said on Wednesday Iran was “aggressively” pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, a charge which Tehran denies. Washington said Iran should face sanctions now, but EU allies said it was not too late for a negotiated solution.
Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday he doubted the UN Security Council would impose sanctions over his country’s nuclear programme.
“I don’t believe there will be sanctions because there is no reason for sanctions,” Ahmadinejad told journalists at the end of a visit here. AGENCIES



US should get out of Iraq, says Khatami




Tehran: Supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the visiting Iraqi prime minister that the way to end instability in Iraq is for US forces to withdraw.
Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki was on the second day of his first visit to Iran since he taking office in May, looking to a close ally of his Shialed government for help in calming the violence tearing apart Iraq and in developing Iraq’s troubled oil industry.
Khamenei told al-Maliki that Iran “considers it an obligation to support the Iraqi government in practical ways.”
But Khamenei made clear Iran wants to see the withdrawal of US troops, which he blamed in part for the turmoil plaguing Iraq. AP

 

[KashifAsrar]

Don’t refer Iran to UNSC, says Chirac



Paris: French president Jacques Chirac on Monday urged world powers not to refer Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme, at the same time calling on Tehran to give up uranium enrichment.
“First we have to find an agenda for negotiation, then engage the negotiation and during that negotiation I propose that on the one hand the six refrain from referring the issue to the Security Council and that Iran renounce during the negotiation the enrichment of uranium,” he said.
It was the first time a European leader has stated that the suspension of uranium enrichment is not a “precondition” for opening talks. Chirac indicated that the suspension should come during rather than before negotiations.
He also warned against “anything that increases tensions between peoples or religions” when asked about the pope’s remarks on Islam. AFP

 

[KashifAsrar]

Iran's Leader Says U.N. Controlled by U.S., Israel

He tells the General Assembly that the world's weaker nations deserve a greater say.
By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer
September 20, 2006


UNITED NATIONS — Iran's president told the United Nations on Tuesday that the organization had become a tool used by the world's powerful to oppress the weak, and called for a radical overhaul.

Lashing out at the United States and Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly that, with U.N. help, some nations were "fast expanding their domination" and wealth.
"Some seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats, while others live in perpetual insecurity and danger," said Ahmadinejad, whose country faces international pressure to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

He said the displacement of Palestinians was "a great tragedy with hardly a precedent in history," and accused Israel of cruelly oppressing its neighbors.

Ahmadinejad said the world's weaker countries should have an international forum to correct injustice. But he said that was not possible because dominant nations controlled the U.N.'s key organs.

He said U.N. organizations could not call the United States or Britain, permanent members of the Security Council, to account for their actions.

"Can a council of which they are a privileged member take them into account?" he asked. "Has this ever happened? In fact, we have repeatedly seen the reverse."

The Iranian president said groups such as the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Nonaligned Movement should be given permanent memberships and veto powers.

He said that because of the domination of the United States and Israel, the U.N. was slow to call for a halt in fighting this summer between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon that killed hundreds of Lebanese civilians.

He repeatedly criticized the United States for its conduct in Iraq.

Ahmadinejad said some powerful nations "occupy the homelands of others thousands of kilometers from their borders, interfere in their affairs and control their oil and other resources," while others are "bombed daily in their own homes, their children murdered in the streets … and their homes are reduced to rubble."

Israel, he said, "has been a constant source of threat and insecurity … waging war and spilling blood and impeding the progress" of neighboring countries.

Ahmadinejad has become the most strident critic of the United States and Israel among leaders of Islamic nations.

His appearance at the U.N. was protested by Jewish groups.

His comments came hours after President Bush criticized the Iranian leadership in an address to the General Assembly.

Bush said Americans hoped for a bright future for Iranians but warned that "the greatest obstacle to this future is that your ruler has chosen to deny your liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons."

Ahmadinejad's comments came as U.S. and French officials scrambled to smooth over differences on the Iranian nuclear issue.

In an interview with a French radio station, French President Jacques Chirac said he thought the allied powers could start negotiating with Iran without it having to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities.

The statement, which appeared to contradict previous European and U.S. positions, surprised and exasperated U.S. officials.

After hearing American complaints, Chirac declared publicly that the U.S. and French positions were consistent.

Chirac said before a meeting with Bush that the two leaders "again see eye to eye on this point. I totally agree with President Bush."

Later, at a news conference, Chirac said he thought a way could be found to satisfy both the U.S. insistence that Iran halt enrichment before negotiations began, and Tehran's requirement that talks start first.

He said representatives of three European powers, Britain, France and Germany, as well as Russia and China, could hold talks to set an agenda for the meetings, then start negotiations with the Iranians. Once the talks were underway, the Iranians could halt enrichment and the U.S. could join the negotiations.

Bush, who seemed uncomfortable appearing with Chirac, said the Iranians needed to understand that the U.S. and France shared the same objective.

"The EU-3 will continue to dialogue with the Iranians to get them to the table so that they will suspend — verifiably suspend — their enrichment activities, in which case the United States will come to the table," Bush said. "And we believe time is of the essence."

 

[KashifAsrar]

Ahmadinejad: UNSC pawn of US and UK
By AP AND JPOST STAFF
UNITED NATIONS


Iran's nuclear activities are "transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eye" of United Nations inspectors, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the UN General Assembly.
In a speech Tuesday, Ahmadinejad accused some permanent members of the UN Security Council - an apparent reference to the United States - of using the powerful UN body as a tool of "threat and coercion." He reiterated his nation's commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
His speech was sharply critical of the United States and Britain, and focused in large part on what he said was their abuse of the Security Council, on which they are both permanent members with veto power.
"If they have differences with a nation or state, they drag it to the Security Council and as claimants, arrogate to themselves simultaneously the roes of prosecutor, judge and executioner," Ahmadinejad said. "Is this a just order?"
Earlier, US President George W. Bush had said that the United States has no objection to Iran's pursuit of a peaceful nuclear energy program, but the Teheran regime must "abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions" and agree to immediate negotiations or face consequences.
Speaking to Iranians, Bush said their country's future has been clouded because "your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons."
Full text of Bush's speech to the General Assembly
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not present at the General Assembly during Bush's speech, avoiding any possible contact with the US president.
Earlier Tuesday, Bush said that it was time for Iran to immediately begin negotiations on its nuclear program and warned Teheran that delay would bring consequences.
French President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday that he did not want to set a new deadline for Iran to suspend nuclear activities, despite Teheran's defiance of UN Security Council demands.
"We are committed to negotiations and therefore to dialogue. So we're not going to start by setting deadlines that are a few hours long," Chirac told reporters at the United Nations. "This is a process that is under way and I hope it will run its course."
Bush also appealed to Muslims to assure them that the United States is not waging war with Islam as he laid out a vision for peace in the Middle East before skeptical world leaders at the United Nations.
But his speech to the United Nations General Assembly was less confrontational and aimed at building bridges with people in the Middle East angry with the United States.
"My country desires peace," Bush told world leaders in the cavernous main hall at the UN. "Extremists in your midst spread propaganda claiming that the West is engaged in a war against Islam. This propaganda is false and its purpose is to confuse you and justify acts of terror. We respect Islam."
Addressing Iraqis specifically, Bush said, "We will not abandon you in your struggle to build a free nation."
On the crisis in Sudan's violence-wracked region of Darfur, Bush delivered strong warnings to both the United Nations and the Sudanese government, saying that both must act now to avert a further humanitarian crisis. Bush said that if the Sudanese government does not withdraw its rejection of a UN peacekeeping force for Darfur, the world body should act over the government's objections. The UN Security Council last month passed a resolution that would give the UN control over the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, now run mostly ineffectively by the African Union. But Sudan has refused to give its consent.

"The regime in Khartoum is stopping the deployment of this force," Bush said. "If the Sudanese government does not approve this peacekeeping force quickly, the United Nations must act."
With more than 200,000 people already killed in three years of fighting in Darfur and the violence threatening to increase again, Bush said the "credibility of the United Nations is at stake."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1157913662164&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

 

[KashifAsrar]

Bush`s U.N. sundry list

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- President George W. Bush`s address to the United Nations General Assembly annual meeting in New York, Tuesday touched on a sundry list of problems and solutions, as well as heroes and villains in the broader Middle East.
Overall, Bush`s speech was one of optimism as the president looked ahead to a better future for the people of the world, despite some major setbacks in U.S. foreign policy.
'As liberty flourishes... we`re seeing that bright future begin to take root in the broader Middle East,' said Bush.
Bush spoke of a tougher reality in a troubled part of the world. 'The reality we thought of the Middle East was a mirage,' said Bush, who called some of the changes in the area 'dramatic.'
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Bush said, 'The enemies of humanity have continued their campaign of murder.' But as the world enters into the 21st century, the president said, 'it is clear that the world is engaged in a great ideological struggle between extremists who use terror as a weapon to create fear and moderate people who work for peace.'
The American president alluded that some of the changes in the Middle East are happening gradually, 'But they are real,' said Bush. He singled out Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen and Egypt, where elections have taken place, in some form or another.
'This is still the great challenge of our time,' said Bush. 'It is the calling of our generation.'
The American president envisaged a world without terror. Addressing the people of the world directly, Bush asked people living in oppressed countries not to digest everything they are told by their governments. 'You have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country`s shortcomings,' said Bush.
The president said that 'when people have a voice in their future they are less likely to blow themselves up in suicide attacks.' However, hope must be given to some men and women 'who want the same thing for their children that we do for ours.'
Reaching out to the Muslim world, Bush said: 'We respect Islam and we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction.'
Bush then addressed a number of Middle Eastern countries individually.
To the people of Iraq: 'Your courage fills us with admiration. We will not abandon you and your struggle to build a free nation. Working together we will help your democracy succeed so that it can become a beacon of hope for millions of people in the Muslim world.'
The people of Afghanistan: 'We have watched you build a democratic government. We will continue to stand with you to defend your democratic gains.'
To the people of Lebanon: Last year you inspired the world when you came out into the street to demand your independence from Syrian dominance. For many years Lebanon was a model of democracy and pluralism and openness in the region, and it will be again.'
To the people of Iran: 'The United States respects you. We respect your country; we admire your rich history, your vibrant culture and your many contributions to civilization. You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future.
However, on the issue of Iran and its nuclear ambitions Bush was unmovable. 'Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions,' said the president. 'We have no objections to Iran`s pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program,' said Bush.
But then injecting a ray of hope Bush said 'We are working towards a diplomatic solution to this crisis.'
To the people of Syria: 'Today your rulers have allowed your country to become a crossroad for terrorism.'
To the people of Darfur: 'My nation has called the atrocities what they are: genocide. If the Sudanese government does not approve this peacekeeping force quickly, the United Nations must act. 'Your lives and the credibility of the United Nations are at stake.'
Lastly, Bush touched upon the crucial issue of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, saying: 'I am committed to two democratic states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side by side in peace and security. I`m committed to a Palestinian state that has territorial integrity and that can live peacefully with the Jewish state of Israel.
'I believe peace can be achieved. From Beirut to Baghdad people are making the choice for freedom.'
For his part, Iran`s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressing the Assembly later in the day asked: 'Would it not be easier for global powers to ensure their longevity and win hearts and minds through the championing of real promotion of justice, compassion and peace, than through continuing the proliferation of nuclear and chemical weapons and the threat of their use?'
The Iranian president went on to say that 'The abuse of the Security Council, as an instrument of threat and coercion, is indeed a source of grave concern.'
Ahmadinejad said: 'Threats with nuclear weapons and other instruments of war by some powers have taken the place of respect for the rights of nations and the maintenance and promotion of peace and tranquility.
Ahmadinejad didn`t mention the United States by name except in attacking the ineffectiveness of the U.N. Security Council, dominated by permanent members, whom he called 'the winners of World War II.' Ahmadinejad said the Security Council should be reformed. 'The Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African continent should each have a representative' as a veto-holding permanent member of the council.

 

[KashifAsrar]

Fresh nuke deadline for Tehran

But Bush Concerned Over Iran Trying To Buy Time




World powers handed Iran a new early October deadline to halt uranium enrichment, a senior European diplomat said, as president George Bush warned “time is of the essence” in settling the nuclear showdown.
Hopes of a snap breakthrough in the crisis however were already dimmed, with an announcement that European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana would not meet, as expected, this week in New York with Iranian negotiators.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and Italy agreed late Tuesday to give European negotiators more time to convince Iran to give up enrichment before seeking sanctions under a UN resolution. A senior European diplomat told reporters the new deadline would stretch to early October, in the hope that new talks between Solana and Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani would bear fruit.
The UN Security Council had set an August 31 deadline for Iran to comply with the demand for a suspension of enrichment operations. But Tehran, which denies US claims it is seeking a nuclear weapons, has so far refused to comply. Bush meanwhile warned time was running out for Iran, and again wondered out loud whether the latest delay was a symptom of Tehran running out the clock.
“I’m not going to discuss with you our intelligence on the subject, but time is of the essence,” Bush said, when asked whether he backed the Israeli line that only a few months remained before Iranian scientists learned how to enrich uranium.
“I’m concerned that Iran is trying to stall, and to try to buy time, and therefore it seems like a smart policy is to push this issue along as hard as we can and we are,” Bush said. AFP

Iran is our greatest threat: Israel


United Nations: The Israeli foreign minister on Wednesday warned that Iranian leaders pose the biggest threat to international values as they “speak proudly” of their wish to destroy Israel and pursue weapons to achieve that objective.
Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni told the annual UN General Assembly session that the international community must stand up against Iran, which she claimed is pursuing the weapons to destroy Israel. AP

 

[KashifAsrar]

Iran could halt N-enrichment



United Nations: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday his country was prepared to negotiate a suspension of its most sensitive nuclear work if it received fair guarantees in talks with major powers, but the US and many experts reacted sceptically.
Ahmadinejad told a news conference at UN headquarters that talks with the European Union on Iran’s nuclear programme were on the right track and he hoped no one would try to sabotage them, an apparent reference to Washington.
Asked if Iran would meet a UN Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment, which can be used to make fuel for power stations or bombs, he said Tehran was prepared to discuss such a move but gave no time frame for doing so.
“We have said that under fair conditions and just conditions we will negotiate about it,” the president said.
But US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said there was no room for haggling on the key condition set by the six major powers — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — for negotiations on a package of economic and technological incentives.
“If they suspend, then the negotiations can begin. It’s as simple as that, I don’t think we need any further conditionality,” Rice said.
In a relaxed hour-long joust with reporters, Ahmadinejad avoided saying whether Iran would respect a UN arms embargo on Lebanon’s Hizbollah militia and insisted he was not anti-Jewish while denouncing what he called a power-hungry Zionist lobby.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has been holding talks with Iran on behalf of the six powers on a sequence of steps for beginning negotiations. “We believe those negotiations are moving on the right path. Hopefully others will not disrupt the work – in small ways perhaps. We think it is a constructive path to take,” Ahmadinejad said. REUTERS

 

[EagleEyes]

Kashif it would be nice if you post your opinion on these articles. It will get the dicussion going.

Cheers.

 

[KashifAsrar]

My purpose of posting these articles was exactly the same as you mentioned. But it seem that people are more interested in 'Reading' than dig in with some brain storming on this critical issue. Any way i would start to post my comments more frequently, INSHA-A-ALLAH.
Kashif

 

[KashifAsrar]

Door open to talks, Iranian hints
Says nuclear issue could be resolved with incentives
By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | September 26, 2006

UNITED NATIONS -- Iran's foreign minister expressed optimism yesterday that negotiations would resolve the dangerous impasse over his country's nuclear program, raising hopes that Iran might voluntarily curb uranium enrichment in exchange for economic and technological incentives.
``We do believe that the issue is once again on track now based on negotiations," Manouchehr Mottaki said in an interview with The Boston Globe. ``All the parties should help and support."
The positive words about the current US-backed negotiations led by Britain, France, and Germany stand in contrast to Mottaki's comments 18 months ago, when he said he was ``not optimistic" that the parties would be able to come to any agreement. He said yesterday that European Union representative Javier Solana and Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Larijani, had been in phone contact and would meet again soon.
If Iran accepts the incentives, offered this summer, it could usher in a new era of improved relations between Iran and the West, and could result in the first high-level talks between the United States and Iran since 1979, when the two countries cut ties. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last week that she would meet Mottaki ``anywhere, anytime" if Iran suspends its enrichment of uranium.
Mottaki yesterday also said that Iran had undertaken a new effort to deepen ties with governments in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Allies there could bolster Iran if negotiations over its nuclear program fail, and the United States and its European allies try to sanction and isolate the Islamic regime.
``In the last one year, the new government -- compared with the years after the revolution -- has had very active participation in different international gatherings, as well as bilateral exchange of views," Mottaki said .
He said Iran was pursuing a ``new trend" in foreign policy based on ``justice," a word that Iranian officials have used to call for a halt to what they consider unreasonable interference by the United States.
In recent months, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has toured the developing world, searching for new alliances and giving speeches against US interference. In June, he spoke at the Beijing-based Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, alongside Russia and China, and attended the African Unity summit in Gambia. In July, he visited Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In September, he traveled to Senegal, Venezuela, and finally Cuba, where he met with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of other leaders of the developing world at the summit of ``nonaligned" countries.
Yesterday, as Mottaki outlined Iran's foreign policy priorities, he did not mention better ties with the United States or Europe.
``We would like to continue our good relations with all the countries in the world who would like to have good relations with Iran," he said, but then stated that some countries ``consider themselves the owner of the world," a clear reference to the United States.
Still, he said, Iran had been willing to talk directly with the United States in Iraq, where both countries have significant influence and express a common interest in seeing the elected Shi'ite-dominated government succeed.
Iraqi government officials encouraged direct US-Iranian talks on Iraq, and President Bush authorized them this spring, but they never took place. Now the US government accuses Iran of supporting Shi'ite militias that fuel sectarian violence.
Mottaki said the opportunity for talks in Iraq was lost. He said Iran had agreed to engage in such talks to help the Iraqi government, but said the US government tried to use the talks ``for their own propaganda and that's why we stopped the process."
He said Iran considers sectarian violence in Iraq ``unusual" and ``unnatural," and believes it has been planned by former members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party and their ``foreign supporters."
Mottaki said Iran was working with Iraq's neighbors on an initiative to help stop sectarian violence. He said US troops in Iraq were a ``cause of tension" in the country, but said that Iran would not ``impose" its views on the Iraqi government.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/09/26/door_open_to_talks_iranian_hints/

 

[KashifAsrar]

It looks now that a possible solution to the problem is near, Insha-a-allah. Also note that hype creation by western media has slowed down in recent days. Particulalry since last talks. Signs look good.
Kashif

 

[KashifAsrar]

Iran close to nuclear suspension

By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
September 26, 2006


Iran is close to an agreement that would include a suspension of uranium enrichment but wants the deal to include a provision that the temporary halt be kept secret, according to Bush administration officials.
Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, has been working with Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on the enrichment-suspension deal that could be completed this week.
Disclosure of talks on the secret element of the arrangement comes as Mr. Solana and Mr. Larijani are set to meet today or tomorrow in Europe when the deal could be completed, said officials opposed to the deal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
According to the officials, the suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran would be for 90 days, so additional talks could be held with several European nations.
Many U.S. officials are opposing the agreement as a further concession to Iran, which continues to defy a United Nations' call for a complete halt to uranium enrichment. A Security Council resolution had given Iran until Aug. 31 to stop its enrichment program or face the imposition of international sanctions. Tehran ignored the deadline, but diplomacy has continued.
Some in the State Department are supporting the deal, which they view as a step toward achieving a complete halt to uranium enrichment.
However, other officials said that keeping any suspension secret would be difficult and that it would drag the United States into further negotiations with Iran.
Iran is seeking to continue talks on its nuclear program while attempting to avoid the imposition of sanctions, something the Bush administration favors but that several other key states, including Russia, oppose.
The United States would then be faced with the difficult position of negotiating against the 90-day deadline, a position that favors Iran.
"The Iranians are very good negotiators," said one official close to the issue.
The officials opposed to the deal want any agreement on uranium suspension to be announced publicly.
Also, any suspension of enrichment would require International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections to verify that work has stopped at Iranian facilities. The inspections would likely be disclosed, exposing any secret arrangement with Iran on suspension.

Failing to publicly announce the suspension also would be a face-saving measure for the Iranian government.
Officials said President Bush is not happy with the secrecy demand, although he continues to support the use of diplomacy to solve the problem.
Asked about the pending deal, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in an e-mail, "The terms laid out by the Security Council are clear: Iran needs to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, and it needs to do so in a verifiable way. If it does, we can start negotiations. If it doesn't, we move to sanctions. It is a clear and unambiguous standard."
In New York yesterday, Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that talks between European and Iranian officials were on track and that a negotiated settlement is possible.
"I think very soon they will have the next round of discussions," Mr. Mottaki told the Associated Press, noting that "there was good connection between the two sides" after Iran's Aug. 22 response to a package of incentives offered by six nations -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- for a halt in enrichment efforts.
A recent report by the IAEA said that as late as Aug. 24, Iran had continued to feed uranium hexafluoride into its 164-centrifuge cascade, which is used to enrich uranium. The report also said that Iran is building additional facilities, including a second 164-centrifuge cascade and that work on a plutonium-based heavy-water reactor is continuing.
The Bush administration is convinced that Iran's nuclear program is intended to develop weapons, contrary to repeated statements from Iranian leaders that the program is aimed at producing electrical power for civilian use.
The Bush administration wants to impose internationally approved economic sanctions on Iran in the next several weeks, based on the IAEA report and Iran's missing the deadline to halt enrichment.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060926-123137-3349r.htm

 

[KashifAsrar]

Iran: Bushehr to be finished in 6 months
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
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"Iran will complete the establishment of its nuclear power station at Bushehr in half a year," chief of Iran's Atomic Organization, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, declared on Monday.
Gholamreza was on a visit to Moscow where he due to hold meetings about the completion of the Russian-built nuclear power plant.



Iran complained that Russia was dragging its heels over the supply of nuclear fuel before the high-level delegation left for Moscow with the aim of securing a firm delivery date. "Russia in the past gave written commitments about the timetable for delivering the fuel. However, it has not realized this yet," Iran's deputy nuclear chief Mohammad Saeedi was quoted as saying by state television.
"We hope Russia makes clear promises to Iran about the supply of fuel to Bushehr," said Saeedi, who was accompanying Aghazadeh, on his visit to Moscow.
Aghazadeh was to hold talks with Russian Federal Nuclear Agency head Sergei Kiriyenko later Monday. The visit comes just days after Kiriyenko was quoted as saying that the controversial nuclear plant at Bushehr would start operations in September 2007.
Russia has a US$800 million contract to build a nuclear reactor in the southern port city of Bushehr, a project that the United States fears could help Tehran develop nuclear weapons.
Iran says its nuclear activities are purely aimed at generating electricity.
While Moscow has rejected US demands to halt work on Bushehr, it has delayed supplying the fuel apparently to pressure Tehran to halt uranium enrichment. Enrichment is key step in the Iranian nuclear program which could produce fuel for a nuclear warhead or for power generation.
Bushehr had been due become operational this year.
"During this visit, barriers in the way of quick completion of the plant will be reviewed," Saeedi said, adding that Iran hoped to complete the timing of the delivery of the fuel. The United States has long objected to Russia's deal to build Bushehr, saying it could be used by Iran to produce fissionable material for weapons.
Russia last year eventually worked out a deal with Iran for all the plant's spent fuel to be sent to Russia, eliminating the possibility that Iran could reprocess it for weapons. However, Iran has resisted Russia's proposal to conduct all of Iran's uranium enrichment on Russian soil.

 

[KashifAsrar]

Iran suggests France enrich its uranium


Paris: Iran has proposed that France create a consortium to enrich Tehran’s uranium, saying that could satisfy international demands for outside oversight of the nuclear programme.
Mohammad Saeedi, deputy chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency, made the proposal in an interview with French radio in Tehran, suggesting two French nuclear manufacturers as possible partners in the consortium.
“To be able to arrive at a solution, we have just had an idea. We propose that France create a consortium for the production in Iran of enriched uranium,” Saeedi told France-Info in the interview broadcast on Tuesday.
“That way France, through the companies Eurodif and Areva, could control in a tangible way our enrichment activities,” he added.
Areva is a state-controlled company with activities in several countries. Eurodif has a uranium enrichment plant in France and has worked with Iran before. Neither company could be reached for comment early Tuesday.
Tehran says it has 50 tonnes of UF-6 gas, the feedstock for enrichment, in Eurodif ’s uranium enrichment plant in France but has not been allowed to use it. Saeedi gave no other details of his proposal, and it was not clear when he made his comments to France-Info. But his comments appeared to be a new Iranian initiative for resolving the nuclear crisis.
World powers are in a standoff with Iran over its enrichment program, which Tehran insists is aimed at producing electricity but which many nations fear is aimed at making nuclear weapons. Iran ignored a UN Security Council deadline in August to suspend uranium enrichment or face possible sanctions.
France, a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, is among countries leading the push to stop Iran’s nuclear activities.
France is also one of the world’s most nuclear-dependent countries, relying on atomic reactors for about 75% of its electricity.
Russia sought to defuse the dispute with Iran by offering to conduct all of Iran’s enrichment on Russian soil, but Tehran has refused. Moscow says it has worked out a deal with Iran for all the plant’s spent fuel to be sent to Russia, eliminating the possibility that Iran could reprocess it for weapons. AP