Iran rallies support nuclear energy
Iran-UN, Politics, 2/11/2007

Iran's Majlis deputy from Tehran Hassan Ghafurifard said that nuclear issue has turned into a national issue in Iran.

Ghafurifard said that Iranians from different walks of life are supporting access to peaceful nuclear technology.

He said access to peaceful nuclear technology is necessary in view of the shortage of fossil fuel in the future.

Western powers should consider the demands of several million Iranians who showed their willingness to take advantage of nuclear energy, secretary general of the National Confidence Party said.

Hojjatoleslam Mehdi Karroubi also said that several million Iranians chanted slogans to support Iran's nuclear right at the February 11th rally (marking the victory of the Islamic Revolution).

"Officials of the United Nations, the European countries and the US can not easily dismiss the willingness of millions of Iranians, and they have to consider the national demand appropriately," he added.

Referring to the people's loyalty to the Islamic government after passing each year of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he noted that this is obvious because of their presence in various scenes of the history of the government.

"Iranians show their allegiance to the Islamic Revolution by taking part in the huge rallies across the country and expect the world nations and governments to consider their national demands." Underlining the need for maintaining unity between Iranian people and officials, Karroubi added, "At the current circumstances, preserving national solidarity is the most important responsibility of all Iranians, and all of us should prevent a situation which endangers the unity." Efforts to isolate Iran will have tough consequences, said Britain's Liberal Democrat Party leader Menzies Campbell at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy Saturday night.

Addressing the annual meeting, Campbell said that the security in the Middle East region depended much on Iran's cooperation.

Without Iran's effective role no comprehensive peace agreement would last in Iraq, said the official.

Campbell said he believed Iran should not be excluded from debates on the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the greater Middle East plan.

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO), Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh, said here Sunday that high public turn out in Bahman 22 rallies, marking the 28th triumph anniversary of Islamic Revolution in Iran, foiled the enemy plots.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the rallies, Aqazadeh said people's massive turn out in the event laid seal of approval on Iran's nuclear drive.

"I am delighted to acknowledge that Iran's nuclear activities have been recognized and the affairs are running well," he said.

West has no option but dialogue as a means to solve the issue, he underlined.

Westerners are falsely thinking that they can stop our nuclear activities but to no avail, he concluded.

Iran's nuclear program is the outcome of national demand in the past 40 years and Iran has accomplished the fuel-cycle in the context of Safeguards Agreement of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran's First Vice President Parviz Davoudi said today that the determined Iranian nation will never give up its nuclear right and will not accept suspension.

Davoudi was among the tens of thousands of people who joined the Bahman 22 rallies.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here on Sunday said that basically failing governments blame others for their failures. Mottaki made the remarks in response to recent allegations of British Prime Minister Tony Blair that Iran should not be allowed to have a nuclear program.

Basically, governments who are at the end of their rope and under pressure from public opinion in their constituents try to find scapegoats for their failures in others, Mottaki said.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad said today Iran is ready to negotiate its peaceful nuclear activities on equal footings. "Why should we beg for our rights behind the closed doors of your rooms?" asked the president indirectly addressing the western powers.

The Iranian nation would "never accept the disgrace of living under your debt," stressed the president whose comments were affirmed by shouts of Allah-o Akbar (God is the greatest).

President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad today warned the people against compromising with enemies of the Islamic Revolution, stressing that compromisers would be the most hated in the eyes of the Iranian nation.

"Of course, we can expect the enemies of the Islamic Revolution to say or do something against the country in the next couple of months, but everyone knows that the Iranian nation has passed through all kinds of difficulties and will continue to press for its rights this historic Bahman 22 (Feb 11)" and in the years ahead.

He added that more reports on scientific breakthroughs achieved by Iranian scientists will be announced from time to time up to April 9, 2007 in the agricultural, industrial, medical and, more significantly, peaceful nuclear technology fields.

He also said here Sunday said that although Majlis has authorized the government to end its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran intends to press for recognition of its inalienable nuclear right within the framework of international law, rules and regulations.

He said the nuclear issue has three distinct dimensions -- legal, technical and political.

"Concerning the legal dimension of the issue, we have been complying with IAEA regulations. Our nuclear activities are conducted under IAEA supervision and legally we are entitled to access nuclear technology.

"Countries possessing nuclear technology and which have the duty to assist Iran in this regard (as per NPT rules) have failed to do so but the Iranian nation has managed to access the relevant technology relying on itself," he added.

The president said that Iran will continue to assert its nuclear right based on international rules and regulations and will achieve full recognition within the framework of law and for the time being will not give due course to the legislative mandate to come out from the NPT.

"Fortunately, IAEA reports on the nuclear issue uphold Iran's assertion that its nuclear activities are legal and that it has not deviated in any way in its peaceful nuclear activities, except that there have been unfounded reports to the contrary brought out by certain media under US pressure," he added.

Ahmadi-Nejad said that from the technical point of view, the Iranian nuclear program is indigenous, that is, developed by its own scientists and experts relying on indigenous nuclear knowhow which is also used in other sectors such as agriculture and medicine.

He said the West's opposition to Iran's nuclear case is based on political and not technical or legal grounds.

Previous Stories:
  Iran cooperation with IAEA based on nuclear treaty   (2/4/2007)
  Iran advocates verification regime to join nuclear club   (1/27/2007)
  Ahmadi-Nejad: Iran to declare nuclear victory   (1/6/2007)

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