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Iranian official calls on Venezuela to join Iranian alliance
An Iranian official has said that his country might consider a proposal to move its nuclear enrichment activities to Russia, while playing down Tehrans resumption of small-scale uranium enrichment as simple lab research.Iranian parliament speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel yesterday also called for Venezuela to join his country in forming an alliance to counter threats from the worlds nuclear powers. He accused the US of attacking Irans nuclear program in order to undermine Irans independence. Asked by reporters if Iran would accept Moscows proposal to enrich uranium on Russian soil, Haddad Adel said: If that means we are deprived from the peaceful use of nuclear energy, we could study the Russian proposal. The plan is designed to allay fears about Iran using enrichment to build nuclear weapons. A top Iranian nuclear negotiator said yesterday in Tehran that Iran would resume negotiations with Moscow next week on the proposal after saying earlier it would indefinitely postpone them. Haddad Adel, part delegation visiting Venezuela, thanked President Hugo Chavezs government for its favourable position toward Iran, especially its support on the International Atomic Energy Agency board earlier this month, when Venezuela voted against referring Iran to the UN Security Council. Later in a speech to Venezuelas National Assembly, Haddad Adel denounced the US and other nuclear powers for possessing thousands of nuclear warheads (used for) threatening other non-nuclear countries. Mutual help is necessary in these circumstances, he said. Iran and the Mideast and Venezuela and Latin America can act as two convergent axes to neutralise the plans of arrogant world (powers). Iran has maintained its nuclear program is designed solely to generate electricity. But the US and others say the program could be a cover for producing a nuclear bomb and have sought to restrict Irans moves to enrich uranium. Haddad Adel yesterday called US opposition to Irans nuclear program only a pretext. Chavezs government, fiercely critical of Washington, has strengthened ties to Iran, now its closest ally in the Middle East a relationship that US officials have called a matter of concern. Haddad Adel said: The people of Iran and Venezuela have common causes: the fight against imperialism and arrogance in the world, and that can be a very strong foundation for developing bilateral relations. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-02-15 |
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