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Iran condemns expansion of nuclear arsenal

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 28, IRNA
Iran-Zarif-Conference
Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mohammad Javad Zarif Friday in New York condemned expansion of nuclear weapons.

"Holding and expanding nuclear arsenal should be condemned rather than condoned or tolerated. Any increase in nuclear capability should equal a reduction in political credibility," Zarif said addressing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.

He added the United States seems to have learned no lesson from the nightmare of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

If history is any guide, nuclear arms are in the most dangerous hands, he said stressing the importance of moving with a concerted and firm resolve to stop this fast pace drive.

The abysmal record, achieved unilaterally by the US in the short span of five years, testifies to a mentality which seeks solutions solely through demonstration of power, he said adding that it is no wonder that the US tried to create smokescreens in the NPT conference to deflect attention from its abysmal record.

The NPT remains the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and the ability to develop and pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the senior official said.

"We have two years to put our view and thoughts back together, from them into a collective approach, re-enforce the 1995 and 2000 achievements and ensure they move forward despite all obstructionist moves," he said.

He noted 2005 could and should have been a turning point towards a world free from the scourge of nuclear threat.

He stressed the need to take stock the challenges to hopefully move for a real success in 2010 and urged state parties to quickly get together in formal and informal discussions with the fullest engagement of disarmament NGOs.

Zarif said the NGOs include those who represent the conscience of the international community to re-emphasize and reinvigorate the ways and means to achieve the NPT objectives through the vigorous pursuit of decisions and resolution of the 1995 and 2000 Review Conferences.

He further stated three pillars of the NPT, nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and ability to pursue peaceful use of nuclear energy are intertwined, stressing they need to be followed together without diminishing the significance and effectiveness of any one pillar against the others.

"The NPT must be preserved and strengthened. Its longevity must be guaranteed. Iran is committed to the NPT and the non-proliferation regime and will spare no effort in this regard," the Iranian envoy emphasized.

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::IRNA No.008 28/05/2005 10:36 --End