Rafsanjani: nuclear agency is political, helping Iran's enemies
Iran-UN, Politics, 4/25/2006

Iran's Chairman of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani today said that theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have failed to focus on technical aspects of Iranian nuclear program and such an approach, if continued, would harm the other member states of the agency.

He stressed that Iran would not accept bullying of the big powers and that they should change their language and try to pave the way for negotiation. "Instead of using threats and intimidation, they should create a proper atmosphere for talks," Rafsanjani stated.

"The agency failed to keep the matter on the right track." Rafsanjani dismissed US allegation that Iran has covert nuclear program and said that Iranian nuclear program is transparent and in conformity with Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has adopted transparency on nuclear program and met all requirements of NPT.

"We decided not to hide anything and proved our goodwill to UN nuclear agency," Rafsanjani said.

He said that Russia could not fulfill its promise and now Bushehr power plant is going to be completed with a five year delay and at the same time, Russia says that it would not supply fuel for the time being.

"The Iranian people will not tolerate bullying in its nuclear case. Negotiation will be the wise strategy in this regard," Rafsanjani said.

He pointed to the fact that Iran's nuclear activities are conducted under the surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and stressed that "Iran does not have covert (nuclear) activities."

"I was surprised that certain states spoke of Iran conducting covert (nuclear) activities. Certain activities may not have been publicly disclosed in due time but this was because the West was trying to prevent Iran from accessing certain technologies." Iran, in order to make centrifuges, conducts academic research and avails of domestic know how as well as advanced engineering expertise, he said, and lauded Iran's engineering research as a "success."
"Complete centrifuges have been made in Iran," he said.

Rafsanjani reiterated that Iran's nuclear program was for peaceful purposes.
He said those who are against Iran's nuclear activities and are using the stick-and-carrot approach should take responsibility for measures taken in the past.

"IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has repeatedly said Iran has not made any diversion in its nuclear activities. If Western states succeed in their cruel intentions on Iran many countries will be deprived of this (nuclear) right."
Rafsanjani also criticized the IAEA for its performance, saying "the agency has not fulfilled its duties."

He said the IAEA "did not support countries in efforts to access peaceful nuclear energy and gave bullying powers a pretext to deny such access."

The UN nuclear watchdog and its chief Mohamed ElBaradei should be accountable to history in the future for their approach towards Iran's nuclear case, he said and complained that IAEA sometimes provided enemies of Iran with pretext to orchestrate scenarios against Iranian nuclear program.

Rafsanjani said that the UN nuclear agency dealt with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) which admitted trying to produce bomb, with leniency, but, issues anti-Iran resolution while Iranian nuclear program is only civilian.

He criticized the halt to nuclear activities for the past two years for confidence building and said that Iran should have continued with research studies in the past two years too.

Previous Stories:
  Asefi: IAEA official to visit Iran on nuclear issues   (4/24/2006)
  Iran warns Security Council not to make mistake on nuclear issue   (4/17/2006)
  UN Security Council non-binding statement on Iran nuclear issue   (3/30/2006)

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