Iran Warns Europeans to Respect Its Rights on Nuclear Program

The New York Times:

By NAZILA FATHI

Published: July 24, 2005

TEHRAN, July 23 - Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday that Iran had delivered a message to Europe last week saying it would adopt a new nuclear policy if its basic rights were not observed in Europe's proposal expected to be announced in early August.

Iran has been negotiating with three European countries - Germany, Britain and France - for nearly two years to find a solution to the crisis over its nuclear program. The United States has accused Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb, but Iran contends that its program is peaceful and has reiterated its view in recent days that it should be allowed to develop nuclear energy.

"We clarified to Europe that if the minimum requirements expected by the Islamic Republic are not taken into account, we will not accept their proposal," Hamid Reza Asefi, the spokesman, said during his weekly news conference, the ISNA news agency reported. Mr. Asefi did not elaborate on what the "minimum requirements" were.

Iran's negotiating team met in London on Wednesday with representatives from the three European countries, but details have not been announced.

One of the members of the negotiating team, Hossein Moussavian, said Iran had offered suggestions in its message to find a solution to the current standoff with the European Union, The Iran Daily reported.

Iran agreed to voluntarily suspend uranium enrichment, which can be part of a peaceful nuclear program, although further processed uranium and plutonium can be used to fuel a nuclear weapon. But it has warned several times that the measure is temporary and that it will resume the work if it is not happy with the result of negotiations next month.

But Europe has asked Iran to freeze the program for good. It has warned that it would send Iran's case to the United Nations Security Council, where it can face penalties if it failed to prove that its nuclear program is peaceful.

President Jacques Chirac of France warned on Friday that Iran's case could be sent to the Security Council if an agreement could not be reached next month.

"I hope that they will end favorably and eliminate the danger of proliferation," Mr. Chirac said in comments to the Israeli daily Haaretz.

"If that is not the case then it will naturally fall to the Security Council to consider the question," he added.

He further said the prospect of Iran equipping itself with a nuclear arsenal "is simply unacceptable to France and our partners throughout the world."

The chief of Iran's negotiating team, Hassan Rowhani, said in an interview published Saturday in the conservative daily Kayhan that Iran had used the past two years to improve its nuclear technology while it was negotiating with Europe.

The election of Iran's new conservative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has raised concerns that he might adopt a tougher approach on its nuclear program.

Other conservatives who supported him have called for the resumption of enrichment and even for Iran to quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Mr. Ahmadinejad, who takes office on Aug. 6, has said that his government will adopt a new policy on the issue.

He said during a speech in Mashad on Thursday that Iran insisted on the right to peacefully use nuclear energy.

Mr. Asefi said on Saturday that Iran's nuclear policy would not change under the new president.

"With the change of government," Mr. Asefi said, "Iran's nuclear policy and its strategic objectives will not change and the next government will continue the same policy."