Inspection of Parchin site not for first time: Asefi
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Nov 6, IRNA
Iran-Asefi-Remark
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said here Sunday it was not the first time the International Atomic Energy Agency inspected Iran's Parchin site as the IAEA had previously conducted such inspections.
The spokesman made the remark while talking to domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press conference.
"We were not against cooperation with the IAEA inspectors from the very beginning and had necessary cooperation with them," he said.
In response to a reporter who assessed current circumstances in Iran as critical and called for establishment of a `crisis headquarters' following recent measures by the US and certain Western countries against Iran, he said, "There is no crisis in the country that requires us to set up a crisis headquarters. Iran is currently in a good situation.
"Sometimes, a propaganda campaign is launched against Iran. It is not a new thing... The system has the capacity to defend its interests.
"Such attacks do not necessarily indicate strength rather several of these stances originate from fear and anxiety."
Asked about Iran's stance on a national reconciliation conference in Iraq, he said, "This issue was discussed during a telephone conversation between the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
"We welcome measures and steps that the Iraqi nation, government and groups confirm. We think the Iraqi nation is wise and should decide by themselves."
Asefi referred to the Iranian government's plan to attract foreign partners in the country's nuclear activities as a serious measure, which can assures the world of peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.
In response to a question on Britain's repeated claims against Iran, he said the British have no document for their remarks.
"Britons made such claims to cover up on their own failure to establish security in Iraq. The Islamic Republic gave an official and strong response to such remarks."
He said Iran has expressed readiness to expand regional cooperation with Iraq, adding, "We will not spare any effort to establish stability and security in Iraq."
On recent unrest and riots in France, he said, "Such events concern the French government and police should adopt an appropriate attitude towards Muslims and religious minorities.
"We do not consider use of violence as an appropriate solution for restoration of tranquility. The French police's explanations were not convincing to the nation, so demonstrations are continuing." Asefi expressed hope "the French government will respect the nation's rights and pay heed to its demands peacefully."
Asked about the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's remark on Iranian jailed journalist Akbar Ganji, he said, "The United States permits itself to interfere in every issue including this one.
"Ganji is an internal case. The Judiciary attaches special importance to this issue. The United States had better see to its own domestic affairs."
Asefi rejected militarization of the Caspian Sea, saying, "Russia proposed establishment of a rapid deployment force to safeguard security of the sea through cooperation of the littoral states. We welcome such a proposal.
"This plan will help promote convergence among littoral countries of the Caspian Sea and security in this region. It will be also effective for other aspects of the sea's legal regime."
Pointing to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remark on Iran's support for Syria, he stated, "Syria is among our friends. We will support Damascus without any doubt.
"We support Syria and believe resolutions issued on Lebanon and Syria should not be non-optional and based on fact-findings.
Asefi went on to say, "Like the Lebanese government and the bereaved family of (former Lebanese premier Rafik) Hariri, we firmly believe that the culprits should be identified and punished; and on the other hand, we believe that the UN resolutions should not be politically abused by certain governments, rather they should be used in an appropriate manner."
He said pressure on Syrians is unacceptable, adding that many such pressures are being exerted for political reasons.
The Iranian official said, "As for Palestine, our stances are completely clear; the Zionist regime itself has problems with its existence and this has nothing to do with our stances and they should tackle the problem themselves."
Commenting on recent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) inspectors of Iran's nuclear facilities as well as their talks with Iranian officials and the extent of Iran's cooperation with them, Asefi said when the IAEA inspectors come to Iran they hold talks with Iranian officials.
"We have not and would not put any thing (information) beyond the the safeguards and nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the disposal of the Agency and the visit to Parchin is also within the framework of the protocol," he made it clear.
On the surprise visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Foreign Ministry on Sunday, Asefi said that it marked a good precedence set by the president and such face-to-face visits and direct talks with officials of different organs by the president would be a source of courage, support and self-confidence.
He said that during the visit, Foreign Ministry deputies briefed the president on their activities.
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