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New Iranian President Vows to Continue Nuclear Work
Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Tehran would continue its nuclear development program, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, June 24). He did not, however, say when Iran would resume sensitive nuclear work frozen for the duration of Tehran’s negotiations with the European Union. “We will continue talks with Europeans while preserving our national interests and insistence on the right of the Iranian nation to use nuclear energy,” he said. “If there is to be trust-building, then it should be mutual.” EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that “We are waiting for clear words on human rights and the nuclear issue from the new [Iranian] president. But if the responses are negative, the European Union can’t but freeze the dialogue with Iran.” Ahmadinejad replied to the statement, saying the EU “should come down from its ivory tower and understand that they cannot talk to the Iranian nation in this way. We are ready for trust-building measures in all fields, but ... our nation is a great nation and they cannot talk to the Iranian nation in such an arrogant manner” (Kathy Gannon, Associated Press/ABC News, June 27). The loss of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is seen as a blow to European efforts to negotiate an end to the nuclear situation. Not only has the more moderate candidate failed to reclaim the presidency, but his loss might also undermine his influence with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Agence France-Presse reported. Top nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani, a strong supporter of Rafsanjani, for now remains on the job. Tehran made an effort to dispel worries that a victory by the hard-line candidate would put an end to the talks, according to AFP. “The nuclear issue is a part of a macro policy, and our position will not change with the change of a president,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said yesterday. “With this election, the Islamic republic of Iran is more capable of confronting challenges, and the Europeans have to take this into consideration,” Asefi added. Officials with the nations negotiating with Iran quickly raised the nuclear issue in the wake of Ahmadinejad’s victory. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Iran must take “early steps to address international concerns about its nuclear program.” German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Tehran must demonstrate that its nuclear program was intended exclusively for peaceful purposes. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he hoped “the newly elected Iranian authorities will continue the work that we European diplomats began with the aim of suspending nuclear activities.” Asefi, however, replied by saying the EU should put forth a proposal that allows for Iran’s legitimate pursuit of nuclear energy. “The Europeans and Mr. Straw should give their nuclear proposal as soon as possible, which includes Iran’s right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,” he said. “They should stop making inappropriate comments. They should send respectful congratulatory messages to Iran. People have freely chosen their president. The Europeans should respect our democracy,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 26). Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday in a letter to Ahmadinejad that Moscow was prepared for further nuclear cooperation with Iran, AP reported. “The construction of the Bushehr nuclear plant is nearing an end, and we are ready to continue cooperation with Iran in the nuclear energy sphere with respect to our international obligations in the nonproliferation area and to help find a mutually acceptable political solution to relevant issues,” Putin wrote (Associated Press/Moscow Times, June 27). Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have arrived in Iran on a regular inspection mission, AFP reported today (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, June 27). Elsewhere, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, en route to Washington, announced an “aggressive offer” to Iran on its nuclear program, AP reported. Schroeder said Tehran cannot be prohibited from developing a peaceful nuclear program, “even though some might not like that.” He also said that nations must be sure that sanctions on the major oil supplier “won’t hurt us more than they hurt them” (Thomas Rietig, Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, June 27).
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