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Iran will not abandon peaceful use of nuclear technology - Rafsanjani

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 7, IRNA -- Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar 
Hashemi Rafsanjani said here Sunday evening that Tehran would, 
definitely, not abandon its peaceful use of nuclear technology. 
Addressing the closing session of the International Conference on 
Nuclear Technology and Sustainable Development, Rafsanjani said that 
Iran has, voluntarily, accepted to suspend its nuclear activities for 
some time in order to build confidence. 
"Confidence-building is an accepted principle for us," Rafsanjani 
stressed, adding "however, closing for several months the centers 
which were working on nuclear activities, has put their workers` 
living conditions in trouble." 
Noting that Iran`s public opinion was not happy with the halt of 
nuclear activities in the country, the head of the Expediency Council 
(EC) said: "We justified our public opinion on the issue but Europeans
are not showing enough appreciation in this regard." 
Rafsanjani also complained that after nearly three months of talks
with the three big European countries (Britain, Germany and France), 
"No progress is being made." 
"If we feel that there will be no progress, then things would be 
different and there would be no reason for losing more time," the head
of the Expediency Council stressed. 
He said that when a country obtained a technology, no one could 
deprive that country from it, arguing that, "their (Europeans`) fear 
while Iran is under pressure should be more. Things would be better 
under relaxed conditions," Rafsanjani stressed. 
Stating that Iran`s nuclear technology was an "indigenous" one 
based on the country`s domestic and peaceful objectives, Rafsanjani 
said that operations to construct the first domestic nuclear power 
plant would possibly start from early next Iranian year (started on 
March 21, 2005.) 
He also said that Tehran have further plans to build more power 
plants in the future. 
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