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Foreign Minister Says Iran Nuclear Case Will Not Go to UN Security Council

Posted on: Sunday, 24 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi has said that the Iranian nuclear case will not be referred to the UN Security Council. Speaking to correspondents at his good-bye party at the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic club on 23 July, Kharrazi said: "There must be legal and rational reasons for referring the matter to the Security Council. We have not done anything which is contrary to our commitments. What we want is legal and perfectly legitimate. Most of the ambiguities dividing us and the agency have been resolved. Therefore, there is no reason why Iran should be dragged to the Security Council. The cases which have been dragged to the Security Council were those which concerned blatant violations of commitments, including the NPT [nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]. However, we want peaceful nuclear technology on the basis of our rights in the NPT." The following is an excerpt from report by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) web site

Our foreign minister's good-bye party was held last night (Saturday) [23 July] and reporters were present at the party which was held at the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic club, which is located in Tehran heights, namely Darabad.

[Passage omitted: On Kharrazi thanking people and thanking those who criticized him as well]

The foreign minister of our country then responded to the questions put to him by some correspondents during the ceremony. Asked by a correspondent about Iran's reaction to a bill introduced by a number of American Congressmen regarding the abrogation of the 1975 Algiers agreement, he said: The Algiers agreement cannot be abrogated unilaterally and the American Congress cannot do that unless it wants to use bullying tactics such as the imposition of sanctions and making unilateral decisions. We have seen that kind of thing before. They may also want to use our assets to pay off claimants who say that they have been damaged by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Of course, that is also a baseless claim.

[Passage omitted: On Kharrazi criticizing British Foreign Office report on the human rights situation in Iran and commenting on Iran's relations with Turkey, already covered from IRNA]

In response to another question put to him about whether Iran had got the results it wanted from the talks with the three European countries [the UK, France, Germany], despite the prolongation of the nuclear negotiations. He said: We have had many achievements and you should not forget the challenges we faced from the very beginning at the Board of Governors. During the course of the negotiations, we managed to bypass those challenges and we answered many questions and resolved many ambiguities, whether they concerned our relations with the agency or our negotiations with the three European countries.

Kharrazi also pointed out: At the same time, we have studied and taken measures in the field of nuclear technology. It was not the case that we had stopped our activities. Of course, this has always been the case. From the very beginning, we said that the current process would be a temporary one. Today, this is still a temporary process and we are waiting for the Europeans to present their proposals to us.

Our country's foreign minister pointed out that the Europeans are supposed to present their proposals by the end of July or the beginning of August, stressing: We have always said that the plan will, naturally, be unacceptable if it does not include Iran's legitimate right to engage in enrichment. We will not have any reason to accept such a plan. Then we will make our decision regarding the start of Esfahan installation's activities. Of course, that does not mean that we do not want to negotiate. We have always wanted to negotiate and we will continue our negotiations. That is because our rights are legitimate and we will definitely remain steadfast in defence of our legitimate rights.

He continued: At the same time, we want to obtain our rights in a friendly and rational setting in which legal negotiations can take place within the framework of international law. Naturally, we will obtain our rights through negotiations. Therefore, our position is absolutely clear. We are waiting for them to present their plan. Then we will be able to achieve our objectives.

[Passage omitted: On Kharrazi saying that he would like to return to work as a university lecturer and that he would be prepared to serve his country and correspondents praising Foreign Minister Kharrazi and Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi]

Asked what Iran would do if its nuclear dossier were referred to the UN Security Council, our country's foreign minister said: In any case, we have certain rights and we shall insist upon their importance. If the Europeans cannot respond to our rightful demands, then we shall pursue our own path.

He stressed: There must be legal and rational reasons for referring the matter to the Security Council. We have not done anything which is contrary to our commitments. What we want is legal and perfectly legitimate. Most of the ambiguities dividing us and the agency have been resolved. Therefore, there is no reason why Iran should be dragged to the Security Council. The cases which have been dragged to the Security Council were those which concerned blatant violations of commitments, including the NPT [nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty]. However, we want peaceful nuclear technology on the basis of our rights in the NPT.

Commenting on the release of [Lebanese Maronite commander] Samir Ja'ja and the fate of four diplomats of our country [who were reportedly kidnapped in Lebanon by Maronites], Kharrazi stated: This case has several aspects. Mr Ja'ja has been spoken to several times and he claimed that he handed over our diplomats to [Eli] Hubayqa, who was killed. However, the totality of information we have gathered through various channels indicates that they were transferred to Israel. Therefore, we have always called for the clarification of their fate by Israel.

He added: There is some evidence that these people have been seen in Israeli jails. Therefore, the international community must pressure Israel to release the Iranians there.

[Passage omitted: On Kharrazi saying that serving an eight-year term as foreign minister is long enough and that he had always said that he would not serve as foreign minister when his tenure came to an end]

Kharrazi was asked whether the extension of his tenure at the Foreign Ministry would be interpreted as being indicative of the stability of our country's foreign policy and whether this would establish trust with the international community in view of foreign media's attempt to create a hostile environment. He said: We are talking about a democratic government and, ultimately, there must be changes. There are always changes in the presidency and the same goes for this case as well. If the same person is always president his policies will always be the same. However, democratic values transcend such matters.

[Passage omitted: On Kharrazi emphasizing the importance of the stability of the state and his best memory, which was when he served as Iran's envoy to the UN when Iraq was named "the aggressor" in the Iran-Iraq war]

Commenting on the next government's policy towards the Persian Gulf littoral states, Kharrazi said: There is no cause for concern and possible changes in policy will not undermine our relations. They will be aimed at addressing the issue of putting our country's approach and policies into practice. Ultimately, it is only natural that the Islamic Republic should be intent upon expanding relations. That is because, as I said, the national security of our country will depend upon improving our relations with our neighbours. That way, collective cooperation will resolve the problems of this region. That is not the sort of policy that can be undermined. Our nation will continue this course of action and it will continue to pursue the path of development. One should not have any doubts about that.

Commenting on Syrian President Bashar al-Asad's visit to Iran, our country's foreign minister said: Mr Bashar will always be welcome in our country. We know that he is intent upon visiting Iran, but the date of the visit has not been announced yet. We hope that the aforementioned visit will be successful. Naturally, all Iranian officials will be happy to see Mr Bashar al-Asad visit Iran.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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