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Iran Determined to Use Peaceful Nuclear Energy - Official

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 November 2005, 09:00 CST

Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website

New York, 2 November, IRNA: Iran on Tuesday [1 November] once again said it is determined to use its inevitable right to have access to peaceful nuclear energy.

The head of the International Security and Disarmament Department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hamid Ba'idinezhad, made the disclosure while addressing the UN General Assembly session in New York.

"Iran is determined to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as an inevitable right based on the nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and within the framework of the country's comprehensive economic plan," Ba'idinezhad said.

Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Muhammad al-Baradi'i presented his report to the UN General Assembly on the IAEA's performance this year on Monday.

The Iranian official said Tehran is committed to carrying out its programme based on IAEA and the NPT regulations and in line with efforts to build confidence.

"Iran is ready to continue its full cooperation with the agency and insists that all sides should be committed to the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, particularly Article 4, as well as the IAEA Article of Association," he said.

He noted that the NPT provided specifically for the IAEA role of expanding activities to develop the potentials of member states to use nuclear energy and said that Article 4 of the treaty urged member states to facilitate exchange of materials, equipment and information technology for peaceful purposes.

Ba'idinezhad urged NPT member states to bolster cooperation to enforce their right to nuclear energy with no discrimination and limitation.

He said the level of cooperation among developed states as main suppliers of advanced nuclear technology and developing countries was disappointing in the past.

"We witness that membership at the NPT and the IAEA safeguard agreements not only facilitates nuclear cooperation among member states but is also an obstacle in the way of developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."

He pointed to the dual policies of Western countries in nuclear energy issues, and noted that those "countries which are not members of the NPT enjoy better nuclear cooperation."

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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