Iran to downgrade economic ties

27 November 2003

TEHERAN – Iran plans to downgrade economic ties with those countries which took an unfavourable stance towards the Islamic state at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors meeting in Vienna, the Teheran press reported Thursday.

“We will not forget the stance of those countries which have not been on Iran’s side at the IAEA and should therefore downgrade economic ties with them,” Hassan Rowhani, the chief negotiator on the nuclear dispute, was quoted by the press as saying.

The nations included are Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea which, according to Iran, have sided with the United States and wanted to bring the nuclear dispute to the United Nations Security Council where Teheran could have faced sanctions.

We should not put those countries that have sought a diplomatic settlement of the dispute on the same level with those which wanted to politicise it,” Rowhani added.

Besides Britain, France and Germany, the main initiators of the nuclear agreement inked last month in Teheran, Iran also praised Brazil, Malaysia, Russia and South Africa for their pro-Iran stance at the IAEA.

The IAEA Council of Governors unanimously passed Wednesday a resolution deploring past Iranian violations but praising its new willingness to cooperate with the agency.

While referring to the IAEA harsh warnings on further violations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by Teheran, Rowhani said Iran did not acknowledge all parts of the resolution but eventually termed it as a victory for Iran and a defeat for US plans to isolate Iran via the IAEA.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi had also said Wednesday that the IAEA resolution proved that Iran was never interested in the production of weapons of mass destruction.

“This resolution is a success for Iran and proving the sincerity of the countrys claims on peaceful use of nuclear energy and not pursuing production of weapons of mass destruction,” Assefi said.

Describing the resolution as a victory for international policies based on dialogue, the spokesman said Iran hoped to continue discussions of the nuclear issue on the basis of last months Teheran agreement with Britain, Germany and France.

According to the Teheran agreement, Iran committed itself to signing the additional IAEA protocol, allowing full cooperation with the IAEA over nuclear inspections and temporarily suspending uranium enrichment until clarification of the issue.

DPA
Subject: German news