Official says resolutions against Iran on nuclear issue will “resolve nothing”
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Text of report by political desk headlined “Deputy foreign minister - We shall do anything to return dossier to agency” published by Iranian newspaper Aftab-e Yazd website on 28 October
Less than 10 days ago, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad told Iranian residents in Yerevan that Iran’s atomic dossier had returned to the [International Atomic Energy] Agency. After his remarks, a nuclear negotiating team consisting of the former and current Supreme National Security Council secretaries went to Rome to speak to the representative of the 5+1 [countries] group. This showed that the UN Security Council remained the main negotiating party in nuclear dossier talks. In the meanwhile, a deputy foreign minister has said: “We shall do anything we can to return our country’s nuclear dossier to the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA].” The deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs [Mohammad Reza Baqeri] predicted, “the West will adopt a more rational outlook in its dealings and they will reach the conclusion that issuing a resolution will resolve nothing.” [Mohammad Reza] Baqeri said: “If they wish to increase the pressures and become forceful, between accepting another resolution and standing by our right, we prefer to defend our right.”
In an interview with ISNA [Iranian Students News Agency], Baqeri commented on the atmosphere in which the dossier was being discussed and the position of the 5+1 states, and said: “We are happy that we have not yet retreated from our right and have convinced some of our interlocutors. We are currently in a position where we are considered a nuclear country and parties must enter any talks with us from this angle.” He also spoke of meetings in Tehran with statesmen, thinkers and international experts in line with Ahmadinezhad’s proposal at the UN General Assembly to form a peace solidarity front. He said this was a “good plan and the Foreign Ministry has worked on this and has been tasked with pursuing the matter, in addition to which the plan has managed to win supporters around the world.” The deputy-minister commented on Iran’s presence at a conference of Iraq’s neighbours in Istanbul and said: “Manuchehr Mottaki, our country’s foreign minister will take part in the conference which will be attended by the foreign ministers of Iraq’s neighbours, the five permanent members of the [UN] Security Council and G8 states.” Commenting on the possibility of a meeting between the Iranian foreign minister and the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, he said that it was too early to make predictions on that as the conference agenda is yet to be set. Baqeri did not rule out more talks between Iran and America on Iraq but said: “There is no conclusion yet about the negotiations we have had and this needs to be further examined. The continuation of talks is conditional on being asked.” Baqeri then referred to the problem of the “mistreatment of pilgrims” that has dogged the relation between Iran and Saudi Arabia recently. He said: “This is nothing new and we have had this [problem] in the past but it sometimes flares up. Some people become radical, behave badly and pick on Iranians over the procedures to be followed during the pilgrimage. Of course, the clashing ideas and customs provoke such problems. These issues are constantly raised between us and the Saudi officials. The officials of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization [Sazman-e hajj va ziarat] are in contact with Saudi officials. I myself recently met with the Saudi Foreign Minister Sa’ud al-Faysal and raised the issue with them and they promised to pursue the matter and prevent its recurrence.”
We must make efforts to ensure suspension of Solana report
A university lecturer has said that the November report by Muhammad Al-Baradi’i could provide officials with a path to continued negotiations with Solana and [is] a means of manoeuvring on “the objections of China and Russia to the [UN] Security Council imposing unilateral sanctions against Iran.” Ali Khorram told ISNA [Iranian Students News Agency] that the November report by Muhammad Al-Baradi’i is likely to be “relatively positive,” and he expected Iran’s talks with the [IAEA] Agency on P1 and P2 centrifuges to reach a conclusion. He said: “One cannot really expect a positive report from Solana. Solana is trying to force Iran to implement resolutions 1737 and 177, which stress the need for Iran to suspend peaceful nuclear activities.” He said the opposition of Russia and China to more sanctions on Iran had provoked an “impasse” to the “juridical process” in the Security Council, “unless Iran undertakes actions that show opposition to the process of world decisions or Russia and China move to the West’s side in imposing sanctions. We have to do something to ensure Solana’s report is suspended and Russia and China continue their opposition.”
Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Energy and Nuclear Safety, Arms Control, Proliferation and WMD