Iran sees signs of US maturity in nuclear standoff
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, April 16, IRNA
Nuclear-Iran-EU
Chief of Iran Nuclear negotiating Team with the EU trio Sirous Nasseri said here Saturday that the base and framework of negotiations is the same as what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is legally committed to.
He also referred to the public opinion pressure on officials to continue with the uranium enrichment program. The Majlis has obligated the government to produce 20,000 megawatts of nuclear energy in a 20-year period with the priority of using domestic resources and facilities.
"The framework stressed in the negotiations is with an eye on realizing the objectives laid out by the Majlis."
Because the production of fuel is a long-term program, the two sides have used opportunities available to build mutual confidence gradually.
Iran's Nuclear Organization program is based on provision of nuclear fuel for a powerplant in the initial phase and for other powerplants in later stages, Nasseri stated.
Iran has been able to achieve the know-how of producing nuclear fuel and will be moving towards mass-production in later phases, he added.
The focus on nuclear issue in the past two years has urged the high-ranking officials in both executive and legal branches of government to concentrate on nuclear issue, he said.
Also, the current plans call for producing nuclear fuel and other detailed and comprehensive plans for building research reactors and powerplants.
The goal envisions Iran to garner capabilities for all aspects of producing nuclear energy in the next decade.
Nasseri also referred to the studies commissioned by the international think-tanks on the need for expansion of nuclear energy as the top of the priorities of other countries.
"Hence a country which has the capability of producing powerplants and nuclear fuel will possess formidable strategic and economic resource."
Nasseri stressed that Iran will be a player in the international nuclear energy scene in the future. With the ability of using production of nuclear fuel Iran will indemnify its powerplants against any potential cut-off supply of fuel as well as exporting its surplus fuel.
Elsewhere in his statements, he also said that criticism leveled against such a sensitive national issue is only "natural." Many of these criticisms are well-intentioned and officials in charge of nuclear issue follow such issues with special care.
He said part of the criticism is politically-motivated, which again is "acceptable." We are approaching the 9th Presidential Elections and it is not uncommon to have such issues as an election topic.
"It is possible that we also have shortcoming in disseminating information which is mainly due to limitations on public discussions of technical aspects of negotiations.
"Any topics broached by Iran will have its interpretation by the other side pertaining to the negotiations underway. We are obliged to extra careful.", Nasseri said.
"We however believe that the trend of the progress will answer all such skepticism."
Iran, today has a united and determined view on the conclusions of the negotiations and hope that a satisfactory outcome will be beneficial to the nation.
"If on the other hand we fail to reach a breakthrough, then at least we hope that it will be evident for the people concerned that Iran has given its best shot in reaching a logical and peaceful solution."
Nasseri further rejected recent speculations on the transfer of processed uranium on the part of Iran.
The UF4 gas in Isfahan facility is produced under the close supervision of IAEA and the results have been banked by the nuclear watchdog agency, Nasseri said.
"There have not been any unauthorized transfer without the coordination with agency regarding the UF4."
The production of nuclear production has very determined opponents in the world. Many of these people are in the US and some of them are present in the US ruling circles, Nasseri underlined.
Hence any solution proposed by us which gives objective guarantees while continuing with peaceful enriched uranium program, "will rise their wrath and make them more determined in opposing the program." "We do not see an easy path in continuing with our nuclear activities and have prepared ourselves for the harder part of the talks."
The closer we get to a solution, the firmer the reaction on the part of some circles are. But until Iran and the EU trio are resolved in trashing out a solution then nothing will get in the way, the Iranian official added.
"We will not accept excuses, politicizing and publicity on the issue."
He further said that the Iranian nation is resolved and transparent in safeguarding the capabilities of the nuclear program.
These principles are not only aspired to by the officials but the public because the national interest and needs are not negotiable, Nasseri added.
Head of Foreign Affairs Committee of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Hossein Mousavian said on Wednesday that reports that Iran has proposed uranium enrichment to be limited only to 500 centrifuges is totally baseless.
Mousavian, who is a member of Iranian negotiating team with the European Union (EU), said that the latest round of negotiations on March 23, had reached a satisfactory level to get out of the deadlock.
He said that on March 23, the committee had reached the point that there was no progress in terms of objective and strong guarantees from Europe to Iran and there was a possibility the negotiations to be driven to deadend.
The Europeans have undertaken to provide Iran with strong guarantees about political, economic, technological, nuclear and security cooperation, but, frankly, they did not come up with any important proposal except for minor ones to meet Iranian expectations from Europe.
Elaborating on the objective guarantees that the EU wants from Iran, he said that the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that Iran provided the international community with four guarantees: Signing up to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signing up to IAEA safeguards agreement, Additional Protocol to NPT and transparent cooperation with IAEA.
"The European partners wanted objective guarantees to ensure that the fuel cycle will not be deviated to produce nuclear arms and we expected them to come up with proposals how to get guarantees from Iran, but, in the past three months of negotiations, they did not bring up any formula to get objective guarantees from Iran," he said.
He said that there was a possibility that negotiations on March 23 to face deadlock, but, Iran took an initiative which can make a breakthrough in terms of objective guarantees about fuel cycle.
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::IRNA No.086 16/04/2005 23:56 --End
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