Iran will not accept limited uranium enrichment
Iran-UN, Politics, 5/30/2006

Iran will not accept limited uranium enrichment, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said Tuesday.

Addressing domestic and foreign reporters at a press conference, Asefi said news of Iran's acceptance of limited enrichment was not factual.

Asked about Iran's alleged acceptance of a five percent ceiling on enrichment, he said "This percentage (of purity) relates to fuel supply." "Iran has a transparent and precise stance in this regard. The percentage we demand for enrichment is not an issue," Asefi said. On the issue of nuclear fuel supply for Iran's power plants, he said it was for Tehran to act on this.

"We act based on our rights and will never give them up for as long as we know we are acting within the framework of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."

European Union High Representative for a common foreign and security policy Javier Solana said today it would be a good idea if the US and Iran held talks, and that the European side will be holding a meeting with the permanent members of the UN Security Council to finalize a SC resolution on Iran and the package that the EU is to offer to Tehran and hoped that the package will be interesting for the Iranians.

Referring to the Russian and Chinese opposition to any UNSC resolution that could lead to any sanction, Solana said that he was aware of the difficulties for Russia and China if Chapter 7 is included in the resolution, and underlined that Iran's nuclear issue can only be resolved through UNSC, which is a position that is in complete opposition to Iran's position.

Coincidentally today, the ministerial meeting of the coordinating bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) composed of 114 countries issued a statement today in Putrajaya, Malaysia defending Iran's peaceful nuclear program. And indicated clearly that the issue does not belong in the UN Security Council, and is of a technical nature that should be dealt with by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao here Tuesday urged the international community to pay attention to the demands and concerns of Iran on its nuclear case. He said that Iran, as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), believes it has the right to conduct nuclear activities for as long as these are conducted under IAEA surveillance.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi today called on the representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, who are scheduled to confer on Iran's nuclear issue on Thursday, not to expect anything beyond the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) terms.

Talking to domestic and foreign reporters in his weekly briefing session, he said that if suspension of nuclear research is brought up at Thursday meeting, Iran will not accept it.

Asefi called on Europeans and other participants of the upcoming meeting to take into view the current realities and reason while taking a decision on the issue.

Asefi added today in response to a question whether Iran is prepared to continue operating its 164 centrifuges but slow down the pace, he said that the number of centrifuges operating depends on the plans proposed by various countries.

About the discord on the number of centrifuges to be used in the country's nuclear research, he said that some even consider that 3,000 centrifuges are used for research, adding that therefore this is one of the points that need to be discussed.
Stressing that Iran will not give up its right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, the spokesman said that Iran is willing to reach understanding through talks.

Concerning uranium enrichment at a level higher than five percent, Asefi said that an enrichment level within the range of 3-5 percent is required for production of nuclear fuel, adding that Iran has never accepted any boundaries in this respect.
In reply to another question whether the visit of Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov to Iran had to do with the short-range missiles, he said that it was aimed at talking about Iran's nuclear issue.

Asefi said that Russians believe that the case should be examined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and that use of force should be avoided.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that talks on the issue with Russia will continue. He said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to attend the upcoming Shanghai meeting, unless something unexpected comes up.

Asefi referred to promotion of consensus among Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) member states and using regional treaties to secure these countries interests, in particular those of the smaller states as some of Iran's expectation from the upcoming event.

Responding to a question whether the meeting to be attended by the foreign ministers of Iraq's neighboring states which was due to be held in Iran has been cancelled, he said that according to the draft approved in Istanbul, it will be held in Iran, but that its date has not yet been fixed.

Previous Stories:
  Iran to continue internal uranium enrichment   (5/29/2006)
  Bush administration debates talking to Iran   (5/27/2006)
  Zebari: Iraq would never allow aggression on Iran   (5/27/2006)
  US and Europeans working on incentives for Iran to drop its rights   (5/25/2006)
  Germany urges more concessions on Iranian nuclear row: report   (5/20/2006)

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