Iran calls access to peaceful nuclear technology inalienable right
IRNA
New York, Nov 4, IRNA -- Iran`s Ambassador to UN Mohammad-Javad Zarif said here on Monday that Tehran considers the development of peaceful nuclear technology as its inalienable right, while also stressing that any nuclear verification system must be practiced on all nuclear states. Zarif, speaking at a meeting of the General Assembly to discuss the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), refreshed vows that the Islamic Republic has never been pursuing nuclear weapons. "Like all other members of the NPT, Iran considers the pursuit and development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes to be its inalienable right and has, thus, invested extensive material and human resources in the field," Zarif said. "Nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran`s defense doctrine". He said the inalienable right of all IAEA members to have access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes without discrimination is the very foundation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Zarif said that right emanated from two broader propositions. "The first is that scientific and technological achievements are the common heritage of humanity. They must be used for the benefit of humanity and not abused as instruments of terror and domination," he said. "The second general proposition is the requisite balance between rights and obligations, which is the basis of any sound legal instrument". That balance, Iran`s UN envoy stressed, guarantees the longevity of the legal regime by providing incentives for membership and compliance. Zarif further warned that any sanction to deprive this right from nations could prove counterproductive and could encourage nations to pursue their nuclear aspirations through indirect approaches. "The illegitimate sanctions have targeted not only Iran`s legitimate nuclear program, but, in fact, the entire industry and all possible sources of supply of material and equipment," he said. Zarif voiced regret that a `politically charged atmosphere` has been generated around the limited peaceful capacity, stressing that this atmosphere "had little to do with the objectives of non-proliferation". He also said that it is necessary for the world to guard against furthering the impression that the NPT and the IAEA safeguards regime are in fact impediments for the peaceful use of nuclear technology, while non-membership is rewarded by acquiescence, as in the case of development of one of the largest nuclear-weapons stockpiles in the Middle East, in Israel. "The failure to accept the NPT and safeguard obligations should have made the only outsider to the NPT in the Middle East (Israel) the subject of the most severe restrictions and not provide it with impunity," he said. "The international community as a whole has the right to be assured that the nightmare that (had been) visited upon the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never happen again." Zarif said that could be done through ridding the world of nuclear weapons as stipulated by the NPT and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He also highlighted the need to ensure the universality of the non-proliferation regime and IAEA safeguard mechanisms, and to vigorously pursue a balanced and non-discriminatory application of their provisions. Zarif said those who pursue and had even used the destructive terror of the nuclear technology must not be allowed to undermine the very foundations of the non-proliferation regime by reversing the very logic on which the principle of the regime has been founded. He said the attempts to deprive members of NPT and IAEA safeguards from the peaceful use of nuclear technology, while actively supporting the nuclear weapons program of a non-member, would only impede the ability of the IAEA to conduct its responsibilities in an orderly fashion. AA/210 End
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
