ID :
194713
Wed, 07/13/2011 - 08:08
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https://oananews.org//node/194713
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Iran, IAEA agree to clarify misunderstandings
TEHRAN, July 13 (MNA) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said that Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed to increase cooperation in regard to Iran’s nuclear program in order to clear up misunderstandings.
Salehi made the remarks in an interview with reporters after a meeting with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on Tuesday.
Salehi described his talks with Amano as “very positive,” adding, “It was agreed that experts on both sides would sit down and work out a mechanism to increase cooperation in regard to Iran’s nuclear issue in order to clear up existing misunderstandings in a proper way.”
Asked if he renewed Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Fereydoun Abbasi Davani’s invitation to Amano to visit Iran’s nuclear facilities, Salehi said, “Mr. Abbasi had already invited him, but we did not discuss that issue at the meeting.”
Iran will not back down on nuclear rights
Salehi also met with Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger on Tuesday and attended a joint press conference with him.
During the press conference, Salehi stated that Iran is committed to its obligations as stipulated in the IAEA Statute and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but insisted that Tehran will never relinquish its legitimate nuclear rights.
He went on to say that Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa declaring that the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons are all haram (prohibited in Islam).
“We are a committed member of the NPT. And if we were seeking a nuclear weapon, we would be going beyond the law, but we believe in the NPT and regard the existence of nuclear weapons as harmful to the global community,” Salehi added.
“There are ways through which we can pave the way for a continuation of negotiations and a resolution of the issue. The trip that we made to Vienna today could provide a starting point for an acceptable change in our relations with the European Union,” he stated.
Asked about his meeting with Amano, the Iranian foreign minister said, “In our view, the IAEA is the only authority which can make judgments about countries’ nuclear activities.”
He added, “About three years ago, an Action Plan was drawn up, according to which it was agreed that the agency would ask its questions about Iran’s nuclear activities and Iran would answer those questions in a way that would gain the satisfaction of the agency. Such an agreement exists and is documented.”
Iran did so, and the agency announced that Tehran had answered the agency’s six questions and no other questions remained about Iran’s nuclear activities, Salehi said.
“(However), the issue of alleged (weapons) studies was raised, and (today) we discussed that with Amano within the framework of the Action Plan,” he added.
Iran is working to improve human rights situation
Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi commented on the issue of human rights, saying that no country in the world can claim that it enjoys an ideal human rights situation.
“We do not claim that as well, but we claim that we are making efforts to improve the human rights situation in our country,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.
Iran-5+1 talks should continue
The Austrian foreign minister also commented on the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, saying that negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) should continue.
In addition, Salehi and Tibor Toth, the executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), held a closed-door meeting at the United Nations Office in Vienna on Tuesday.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, and MP Hossein Sobhaninia also attended the meeting.
Salehi made the remarks in an interview with reporters after a meeting with IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on Tuesday.
Salehi described his talks with Amano as “very positive,” adding, “It was agreed that experts on both sides would sit down and work out a mechanism to increase cooperation in regard to Iran’s nuclear issue in order to clear up existing misunderstandings in a proper way.”
Asked if he renewed Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Fereydoun Abbasi Davani’s invitation to Amano to visit Iran’s nuclear facilities, Salehi said, “Mr. Abbasi had already invited him, but we did not discuss that issue at the meeting.”
Iran will not back down on nuclear rights
Salehi also met with Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger on Tuesday and attended a joint press conference with him.
During the press conference, Salehi stated that Iran is committed to its obligations as stipulated in the IAEA Statute and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but insisted that Tehran will never relinquish its legitimate nuclear rights.
He went on to say that Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa declaring that the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons are all haram (prohibited in Islam).
“We are a committed member of the NPT. And if we were seeking a nuclear weapon, we would be going beyond the law, but we believe in the NPT and regard the existence of nuclear weapons as harmful to the global community,” Salehi added.
“There are ways through which we can pave the way for a continuation of negotiations and a resolution of the issue. The trip that we made to Vienna today could provide a starting point for an acceptable change in our relations with the European Union,” he stated.
Asked about his meeting with Amano, the Iranian foreign minister said, “In our view, the IAEA is the only authority which can make judgments about countries’ nuclear activities.”
He added, “About three years ago, an Action Plan was drawn up, according to which it was agreed that the agency would ask its questions about Iran’s nuclear activities and Iran would answer those questions in a way that would gain the satisfaction of the agency. Such an agreement exists and is documented.”
Iran did so, and the agency announced that Tehran had answered the agency’s six questions and no other questions remained about Iran’s nuclear activities, Salehi said.
“(However), the issue of alleged (weapons) studies was raised, and (today) we discussed that with Amano within the framework of the Action Plan,” he added.
Iran is working to improve human rights situation
Elsewhere in his remarks, Salehi commented on the issue of human rights, saying that no country in the world can claim that it enjoys an ideal human rights situation.
“We do not claim that as well, but we claim that we are making efforts to improve the human rights situation in our country,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.
Iran-5+1 talks should continue
The Austrian foreign minister also commented on the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, saying that negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) should continue.
In addition, Salehi and Tibor Toth, the executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), held a closed-door meeting at the United Nations Office in Vienna on Tuesday.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, and MP Hossein Sobhaninia also attended the meeting.
