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Iran says western nuke worries are big lie { May 10 2006 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/3853270.htmlhttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/3853270.html
May 10, 2006, 6:18AM
Iran: Worry Over Nuke Program 'A Big Lie'
By CHRIS BRUMMITT Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Iran's president on Wednesday dismissed Western concerns over its nuclear program as "a big lie," a day after key U.N. Security Council members agreed to present Tehran with a choice of incentives or sanctions in deciding whether to suspend uranium enrichment.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Time magazine published on its Web site Wednesday, a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered new possibilities toward solving the impasse with the United States and its allies on the issue.
Hassan Rohani, Iran's former top nuclear negotiator, said Tehran would consider ratifying an International Atomic Energy Agency protocol that provides for intrusive and snap inspections and would also address the question of preventing a pullout from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The current Iranian negotiator, Ali Larijani, said Tuesday that Tehran had no intention of withdrawing from the treaty and promised to cooperate if the U.N. atomic watchdog agency dealt with the issue of its nuclear program, rather than the Security Council.
Iran ended all voluntary cooperation with the IAEA in February, including allowing snap inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters Wednesday in Indonesia's capital that Iran will "absolutely not back out" of defending its right to pursue new technology, accusing the United States and other Western nations of monopolizing the nuclear technology market to secure profits while engaging in non-peaceful proliferation.
"They pretend that they are concerned about the nature of the nuclear program of the Islamic republic of Iran," he said after meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "This is a big lie."
"Today the people of Iran are not just defending their own rights, but also those of other nations," he said. "They (the United States and other Western powers) want to prevent other countries from reaching the pinnacle of science and technology."
At a meeting Tuesday, representatives of the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France as well as Germany agreed to tell Iran the possible consequences of its refusal to halt its enrichment program and the benefits if it abandons it.
The move will delay a U.S.-backed draft U.N. resolution that could lead to sanctions and possible military action if Iran does not suspend uranium enrichment.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stressed, however, that Tuesday's decision is not a substitute for a strong message to Iran from the Security Council "that their behavior to date is unacceptable, and that they need to return to the negotiating table."
The Chinese and Russians have balked at the British, French and U.S. efforts to put the resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter. Such a move would declare Iran a threat to international peace and security and set the stage for further measures if Tehran refuses to comply. Those measures could range from breaking diplomatic relations to economic sanctions and military action.
Representatives from the three European countries that had been spearheading negotiations with Iran _ Britain, France and Germany _ will now spend the next few days preparing a package of incentives and sanctions, a European official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because there has been no official announcement.
The official said the package is likely to include issues related to energy security and civilian nuclear power. The package will be presented to European Union foreign ministers on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels on Monday, and if approved will be presented to the Iranian government, the official said.
The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies, saying it aims only to generate energy.
In Jakarta, Ahmadinejad also shrugged off Washington's dismissal of a letter he sent days ago to President Bush _ the first such letter to an American leader in 27 years. The 18-page letter touched only indirectly Iran's nuclear program. Instead, it focused on a long list of grievances against the United States and sought to build on a shared faith in God to resolve them.
Rice told The Associated Press on Monday the letter "isn't addressing the issues that we're dealing with in a concrete way."
Ahmadinejad said he was not "disquieted" by the reaction and felt it was the correct decision to send the letter. "If they choose not to answer our question, it depends on them," he said.
Yudhoyono, speaking at a joint news conference after he met with Ahmadinejad for about 90 minutes, said he believed Iran was willing to resolve the nuclear standoff peacefully through further negotiations, and offered to help mediate. Yudhoyono's spokesman, Dino Pati Djalal, said Iran was very receptive to the offer.
"We need to breath new life into the negotiations," he said.
Yudhoyono also said he hoped Iran would continue dialogue with the IAEA.
"There is still room for a peaceful and just solution," he said. "President Ahmadinejad was more than willing to have a genuine and fair negotiation."
Ahmadinejad said his country has already cooperated with international agencies, saying Iran has allowed "2,000 man-hours" of inspections by the IAEA.
Ahmadinejad was in Indonesia for a three-day state visit followed by a development conference on the resort island of Bali.
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Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this story from the United Nations.
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