Shahroudi: Iran will not succumb to bullying on nuclear protocol
Tehran, Aug 5, IRNA -- Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi
Shahroudi lashed out Monday at those, he said, had taken up a servile
tone in the face of calls on Tehran to sign an additional nuclear
protocol and said that Iran would not submit to force.
"The weakness shown by those who boast of being intellectual and
politician indicates their lack of faith and servitude to America,"
he said during a meeting of senior judiciary officials.
"The officials, thanks to the backing of the nation, will not go
under the yoke of force and the representatives of the people as well
as aware and brave students will stand up to American bullying," he
added.
The judiciary chief hailed 500 students of Technical Sharif
University, who in a letter to President Mohammad Khatami Sunday,
had demanded Iran pull out from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Shahroudi said, "Any weakness shown by the officials will
strengthen the morale of anti-religious and anti-national media. Thus,
officials are urged to maintain their vigilance and discard
controversial issues ... as well as refrain from creating divisions in
the society."
However, Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh brushed aside
calls for pullout from NPT.
"Our attitude to negotiations (with IAEA inspectors) is still
positive and the issue of quitting NPT has not been discussed in the
government yet," he told reporters here Monday.
The students' letter came ahead of a visit by UN experts to Tehran
to discuss Iran's 'ambiguities' about the Additional Protocol to NPT.
Iranian lawyers here Monday began talks with the legal team from
the international atomic energy watchdog.
The spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Saber
Zaeemian, however said nothing is certain as yet about the results of
the legal team's talks with the three-member delegation from the
International Atomic Energy Agency, who arrived earlier in the day.
The team is in Tehran to discuss technical details of the
Additional Protocol to NPT, including existing 'ambiguities' which
Iran says must be removed before the country decides on signing it.
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said last week Iran would decide
on joining the protocol after hearing explanations given by the IAEA
team about Tehran's concerns.
Zaeemian said another team of IAEA inspectors will travel to Iran
soon to take up talks between the two sides from where they were left
off.
"We will decide according to national interests on whether to join
the additional protocol or not," Ramezanzadeh said.
"This will be examined in the government and the final decision
in this regard will be made by Supreme National Security Council after
Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)'s approval," he added.
The official reiterated Iran's demand on the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) to assure the signing would ease up restrictions,
including ban on the sale of nuclear energy know-how, to the Islamic
Republic.
Tehran, which is a signatory of NPT, complains that it is being
subjected to unjust sanctions which prevent the country from acquiring
the nuclear energy know-how.
BH/214
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