AUSTRIA: Iran's envoy to IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh says political tension is counter productive

Record ID: 1534756

  • Title: AUSTRIA: Iran's envoy to IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh says political tension is counter productive
  • Date: 19th February 2010
  • Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA ( RECENT- FEBRUARY 12, 2010) ( REUTERS) FLAGS IN FRONT OF IAEA BUILDING, ZOOM OUT ONTO IAEA BUILDING VIENNA, AUSTRIA (FEBRUARY 18, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) ( English) IRAN'S AMBASSADOR TO IAEA ALI ASGHAR SOLTANIEH, SAYING: "My message starts with a simple question, the international community should ask a simple question: What is the aim or intention of a few western countries by keeping this political tension in the is? If they want to stop nuclear activities for peaceful purposes they have failed. If they want to force other peace loving countries and developing countries not to go for peaceful use of nuclear energy they have failed. In fact the attraction of nuclear energy for various applications, medicine, agriculture and producing electricity is every day increasing, therefore they have a total failure. If they want to use Iran as a pretext to strengthen more safeguard modalities and mechanism, they failed." VIENNA, AUSTRIA ( RECENT - FEBRUARY 12, 2010) (REUTERS) IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL YUKIYA AMANO INSIDE IAEA BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING ROOM IRAN'S AMBASSADOR TO IAEA ALI ASGHAR SOLTANIEH WRITING INTO NOTEBOOK DELEGATES INSIDE BOARD ROOM
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2010 23:48
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: International Relations,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA8M6VUANRLRINUMSE464I4O46E
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The U.N. nuclear watchdog fears Iran may be working now to develop a nuclear payload for a missile, the agency said in a confidential report on Thursday (February 18) obtained by Reuters.
    The International Atomic Energy Agency report also confirmed Iran had produced its first, small batch of uranium enriched to a higher purity -- 20 percent -- but said the Islamic Republic had failed to give inspectors the required advance notice.
    Both developments will stoke Western concerns that Iran is secretly bent on developing nuclear weapons capacity from the enrichment process.
    Tehran says the effort is meant only to yield electricity or radio-isotopes for agriculture or medicine.
    Reacting to the IAEA report Iran's envoy to the nuclear watchdog said political tension in the IAEA was counter productive and would fail to stop nuclear activities for peaceful purposes in Iran.
    "My message starts with a simple question, the international community should ask a simple question: What is the aim or intention of a few western countries by keeping this political tension in the IAEA? If they want to stop nuclear activities for peaceful purposes they have failed. If they want to force other peace loving countries and developing countries not to go for peaceful use of nuclear energy they have failed. In fact the attraction of nuclear energy for various applications, medicine, agriculture and producing electricity is every day increasing, therefore they have a total failure. If they want to use Iran as a pretext to strengthen more safeguard modalities and mechanism, they failed", Ali Asghar Soltanieh told Reuters in Vienna on Thursday evening.
    Since 2005, the IAEA has been probing Western intelligence reports indicating Iran has coordinated efforts to process uranium, test explosives at high altitude and revamp a ballistic missile cone to make it suitable for a nuclear warhead.
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