Despite threats, Iran insists on using nuclear energy [Archives:2005/897/Reportage]
Mohammed bin Sallam
In a presentation about Iran's nuclear dossier delivered Tuesday at the Strategic Studies Center in Sana'a the Iranian ambassador to Yemen Hussein Kamalian confirmed that Iran was committed to the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He said attempts by the U.S. and some European countries to doubt credibility of Iran was merely foolishness, aiming to force Iran to abandon many regional and international issues. A number of Arab and foreign ambassadors and diplomats attended the presentation.
He said: “The issue of the Iranian nuclear dossier has become the most important one in the international arena, as each day witnesses the publication of new viewpoints and different reports on Iran's nuclear dossier by several media sources worldwide.”
“The western media exaggerate in publishing such news and you already know that the Iranian Nuclear Research Project, or what is called Iranian Nuclear Call Organization, established in 1974, was employed for manipulating the nuclear fuel cycle, producing 23 megawatts of electricity,” Kamalian pointed out.
“Later on, the name of the project was changed into “The Iranian Nuclear Research Center”, which reached the first agreement with the U.S. on the nuclear fuel enrichment in 1974 and some U.S. companies used to process the nuclear fuel cycle for ten years. Iran also reached other agreements with Germany in 1976 and France in 1977 for the same purpose.”
“At that time, there was a strong competition between European and U.S. companies for introducing new technology into Iran in the field of uranium enrichment and processing the nuclear fuel cycle,” he added. “There was no discussion of the issue of the use of oil and gas for producing electricity in lieu of the nuclear energy in Iran. The U.S. and other western countries encouraged Iran to bring nuclear stations to be utilized in the production of electricity.”
The Iranian Ambassador said: “Due to an increase in the consumption of fuel, its skyrocketing prices and nuclear use for different purposes, we believe that the attempt of the U.S. and some western countries is a kind of double standard policies bearing political aims. They tried to stop Iran from using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.”
The Iranian Government, in response to the Iranian Islamic Shura Council's Resolution, authorized certain bodies to establish nuclear stations for producing electric power with a capacity of 20 thousand megawatts per year until 2020.
“Over the last 20 years, the consumption of electricity grew by forty-folds compared to earlier years. We believe such consumption to grow due to the rapid development in the country,” Kamalian mentioned. “This means that Iran should profit from other energy sources. So we affirm that we, since we started our peaceful nuclear activities, were and are still an effective member in all international agreements on the peaceful nuclear activities,” the ambassador added.
Since 2003, Iran has voluntarily implemented the additional protocol in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for passing these decisions. Over the last two years, the Iranian Government offered great opportunities to the IAEA to conduct field inspections and view all the matters related to the Iranian nuclear activities. It allowed the IAEA to install the monitoring cameras to observe the Iranian workers and record their movements, according to Mr. Kamalian.
“22 years passed after the establishment of the IAEA and we have never seen or heard any procedure like this and Iran is the only country all over the world that faced such a procedure,” Kamalian mentioned. “I want to emphasize that it is Iran which granted the right to the Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in the eighties to visit the nuclear establishments and we cared to work transparently and reveal any work related to the nuclear activities in compliance with the international rules.”
In its reports, the IAEA recurrently commended the constructive cooperation of the Iranian officials and confirmed that Iran's nuclear activities proceed on the right path, the Iranian diplomat signalled out.
“There is no evidence or indicators that such activities took another direction, and Dr. al-Baradie, who published three days ago the use of the same of what I said, praised the earnest and constructive cooperation shown by Iran.”
He added, “Despite Iran's cooperation with the IAEA, the world media speaks of absence of cooperation with IAEA officials.”
“I think there are no indicators in international laws preventing countries from using the nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and I think the big powers want to create a kind of monopoly in the nuclear fuel cycle intended for peaceful use. These countries ignore the right of Iran to possess this technology, employing all the political means and media attacks against Iran.” Kamalian commented.
“Transferring the Iranian nuclear dossier to the International Security Council is not the best solution; it will not tackle the issue, it will make it more complicated. The U.S. and European threats will never affect Iran's determination in defending its right and its position in this regard will not change,” he added.
The Yemen Times forwarded a question to the Iranian Ambassador about the suspicions of the powerful countries on the Iranian nuclear dossier if it shifted to the manufacture of weapons, as they believe that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons will lead Saudi Arabia and Egypt to get such weapons in order to bring about a strategic balance in the region, as is the case in Pakistan and India. Consequently, the big powers believe that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons will threaten peace in the Middle East.
The ambassador responded: “In my speech I never mentioned military activities since there is no status for the nuclear weapons in the Iranian military strategic perspective. I think the production and storing of nuclear weapons contradict our religious ideologies, and we want to profit from the nuclear activities in the peaceful fields. We are not obliged to remove suspicions of the western countries and the U.S.”
He further confirmed that Iran has no tendency to the manufacture of nuclear weapons in its military strategic perspective, however, the western countries talk on this issue only through media and there is no indicator of any intention of Iran to possess nuclear weapons.
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