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Iran Nuclear Official Criticizes EU, Says No Reason for Going to UN

Posted on: Sunday, 31 July 2005, 15:00 CDT

Text of report by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) web site

Tehran, 31 July: The deputy for international affairs at the Atomic Energy Organization of our country has stated that the Esfahan installations will definitely resume their activities. He stressed: In view of Europe's current attitude, the uranium processing facility in Esfahan will be set up as a first step.

Speaking in an interview with the nuclear affairs correspondent of the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), the deputy for international affairs at our country's Atomic Energy Organization stressed that taking such actions would not lead to the referral of Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council. He stated: Iran has not violated any regulations so there is no reason why our country's nuclear case should be referred to the Security Council.

Referring to the published statements by diplomatic sources that the European proposal did not include the production of fuel in Iran, he stressed: It is not rational at all for us to suspend our nuclear activities for two years and then lose our nuclear know-how and technology. Iran signed and voluntarily implemented the Additional Protocol to ensure that we would be able to preserve this know-how.

Sa'idi advised the European side: Before threatening to refer Iran to the Security Council, Europe had better fulfil the commitments it entered into in the declaration of Paris.

He stressed: From our point of view, the plan Iran presented to Europe earlier this year was comprehensive and it reflected Iranian and European views. It could have completely alleviated the European countries' concerns and it would have also enabled Iran to benefit from nuclear fuel technology and the knowledge to produce nuclear fuel.

Sa'idi pointed out: Iran had pinned its hopes on reaching agreement with Europe, while keeping the suspension in force. However, it seems that the other party is not prepared to accept Iran's conditions. It has been acting contrary to the October declaration, the Paris agreement and the negotiations held in Brussels last December. This is also contrary to the promises made during the recent negotiations in Geneva and London.

He continued: At those junctures, the European party had promised to present a plan to Iran which would officially recognize the rights of our country to gain access to nuclear know-how and the knowledge to produce nuclear fuel.

Commenting on the setting up of uranium processing facilities in Esfahan, the deputy for international affairs at the Atomic Energy Organization said: All the experts of the Atomic Energy Organization are fully prepared to restart the operations of those installations. The complex can operate at full capacity and is rather like an industrial nuclear facility and to maintain its daily production level.

Referring to America's recent nuclear agreement with India, which was made despite the fact that New Delhi is not a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, he criticized this measure and described it as being indicative of the sort of double standards one observes when international issues are addressed.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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