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Larijani: Peaceful nuclear activities pursued regardless of talks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, March 18, IRNA

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said nuclear talks should be held from the standpoint of power so that national rights would be restored.

"If (nuclear) talks are not pursued from the standpoint of power, sovereignty, and national will they will not lead to materialization of our rights... and we pursue peaceful nuclear activities regardless of negotiations," said Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani here on Friday.

Addressing a group of voluntary mobilization force, Basij, elites and university professors, Larijani added, "The only condition we would yield to regarding our peaceful nuclear activities is the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)." He reiterated, "The West intends to block the path for our access to the nuclear energy, but if they assume they can achieve such a goal resorting to strategies pursued in the past, the past experiences prove that such approaches are ineffective."
Larijani reiterated, "Iran has chosen the path of resistance till achieving full access to nuclear energy, because we consider it a legitimate right. Iran is a signatory to the NPT and we are demanding our rights in the framework of that treaty and the IAEA regulations, similarly with the other members of that agency."
The SNSC Secretary then posed two questions: "Have we paved all logical paths, and respected all related international laws?" and "Can we achieve this right through diplomatic paths?"
He replied, "Regardless of the approaches adopted, we have been engaged with this dossier during the past three and a half years, been trying to ensure the presence of the dossier at the agency, and been providing replies to their questions."
Emphasizing that Iran has acted most transparently throughout that path, he said, "We had negotiations and reached agreements, which led to the issuance of the agency's resolutions."
Larijani reiterated, "The result of those talks in Tehran was the suspension of our enrichment activities, in Brussels the suspension of manufacturing parts, and in Paris the suspension of all remaining nuclear activities.

"In Sa'dabad they said that they had come to Iran not to let the country's case be referred to the UN Security Council. But here we are today with the situation you see."
The SNSC Secretary added, "Let us suppose we would yield to such a process in order to solve the problem through diplomatic initiatives.

But in Paris we asked for having ten centrifuges for research activities, which was rejected by them. They said the only way to block the path for sending your dossier to the UNSC is suspension of all activities."
He noted, "Instead they promised that in a short while they would offer practical guarantees to ensure that Iran would have access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."
Larijani said, "Unfortunately a while after that they announced that the best solution would be Iran's total abandoning of its nuclear activities because such activities have worried the West! Then it was agreed that Iran would prepare a working plan and a four-phase plan was prepared by Iran."
He added, "In June 2005 they told us that they would prepare a plan based on ours and Mr. Rowhani who was in charge announced repeatedly that if the Europeans' plan would lack our right to enrichment we would reject it. In their proposal the Europeans had aggrandized the marginal issues, but its major point was their demand for the annihilation of all our facilities!"
Pointing out that Iran's policy is quite clear today, he reiterated, "Such talks would as far as possible offer us nothing at all. The West openly announces it is worried about Iran's access to nuclear sciences. I have heard that very often in official talks, too. In Vienna, too, they told us they were worried lest we would master nuclear technology, even for peaceful purposes!"
The SNSC secretary added, "We have paved that path and announce today that we would pursue our activities under the supervision of the agency, while welcoming the continuation of negotiations." Referring to Iran's voluntary implementation of the NPT additional protocol he said, "When we announced we were about the resumption activities at our Isfahan UCF plant, but continue suspending our other activities, they issued their September resolution against us." Larijani emphasized, "We have reputedly told them that the talks should precisely be over enrichment and giving guarantees that there would be no deviation of peaceful activities, since research and development (R&D) activities are out of the question."
He said that the West's policy is imposing mounting pressure gainst Iran, adding, "Iran's nuclear activities should not have created tension at international scene all by itself. They are aware of the details of our activities and are well aware that there are no missing points or ambiguities for the agency."
Larijani emphasized, "Iran's nuclear activities are merely a pretext for the West, since even in the absence of it, too, there would be other dossiers. US Secretary of State (Condoleezza) Rice says that Iran is the Central Bank for International terrorism! What does that have to do with our nuclear program? They have pursued parallel projects against us."
The SNSC Secretary reiterated, "The Americans, and the West, have for various reasons come up with the conclusion that pressure needs to be mounted against Iran and relying on historic background they assumed that Iran would back up under severe pressure."
Emphasizing that such pressure would not be shaken under such pressure, he said, "They have decided to increase drastic pressure against us to urge us to retreat, but such a retreating would be strategic and lead to a chain of other retreating."
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