Iran will decide on EU offer in accordance with NPT: FM
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, June 6, IRNA
Iran-Oman-Nuclear
Iran will declare its views on Europe's new proposal in accordance with the principle of equal rights and obligations guaranteed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in Oman on Monday.
Mottaki, who returned here Monday night after a day-long visit to Muscat, made the remarks during a meeting with Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said earlier Monday.
In the meeting, Mottaki conveyed the warm greetings of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Sultan Qaboos.
He said Iran's peaceful nuclear program was devised 50 years ago with officials from both sides signing the first agreement.
"The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran also has plans to build power plants to supply 3,000 megawatts of electricity observing standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency," Mottaki said.
He said the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which is nearing completion, will fully observe international regulations on the use of nuclear energy.
"The IAEA has verified the power plant several times. There are no concerns of it becoming an environmental hazard," Mottaki said, and added that Iran is currently waiting for Europe's offer regarding its nuclear case which is expected to be handed to Iranian officials by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Giving a synopsis of the Iranian government's policies in relations with neighboring states, he said: "The Iranian Foreign Ministry, as the government's organ of diplomacy, formulates policies that consolidate ties with neighboring countries and, in this connection, is determined to boost Oman's share in Iran's 24-billion- dollar trade volume with countries south of the Persian Gulf." Pointing to a visit by Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to Tehran in May 2006, he said the visit and agreements reached by the two countries during that visit on various fields, particularly in air transit, opened a new chapter in bilateral ties.
He said Iran is determined to expand trade and economic ties with Oman's private and government sectors in all fields.
Mottaki moreover said that during his visit the two sides discussed development of newly discovered potentials, enhancement of trade by facilitating issuance of visas to businessmen and industrialists of either side and provide facilities to ease trade exchanges with Central Asian states.
Referring to developments in Iraq, the minister said that a conference of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighboring states will be held in Tehran in the near future.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is working to neutralize efforts at causing discord among Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq. We are strongly against moves that hurt unity, Islamic values and religious teachings."
He pointed to a letter written by President Ahmadinejad to his US counterpart, George W Bush, and said the letter contained new ways of dealing with conflicts but that US officials once again showed their superiority complex by statements belittling Iranians.
Mottaki stressed the importance of bolstering regional cooperation, noting the great natural potentials of countries in the region for bolstering such cooperation.
Article 8 of UN Resolution 598 encourages promotion of regional ties, he pointed out.
Sultan Qaboos, for his part, praised the growing ties between Tehran and Muscat and called for greater efforts to bolster relations on the basis of shared interests.
He cited creation of joint ventures, enhancement of bilateral trade exchanges by sea and promotion of tourism on the basis of commonalities and potentials as among the priorities of the two capitals.
Referring to Iran's peaceful nuclear program, he expressed his confidence the issue would be resolved in a positive way considering the wise strategies adopted by the Iranian government.
He also reiterated the international community's hope the issue would be settled reasonably and through diplomacy.
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