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Iran says committed to nuclear pact. Yeah right.
EFL.Iran moved Monday to cool fears it might follow North Korea and quit an international treaty intended to halt the spread of nuclear arms. Nuclear legs, on the other hand⊠Tehran, accused by Washington of secretly developing the capacity to produce nuclear weapons, also said it would go ahead with talks with the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) on a protocol permitting snap, short notice inspections. Iranâs ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Akbar Salehi, stormed out of an IAEA board session Friday after a tough, U.S.-backed resolution giving Tehran until October 31 to give full details of its nuclear plans. Over the weekend, Germanyâs Der Spiegel magazine published an interview with Salehi in which he said Tehran could leave the IAEA and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But the head of Iranâs Atomic Energy Organization told delegates from the IAEAâs 136 member countries that Tehran had no intentions of withdrawing from the 1968 pact. "Iran is fully committed to its NPT responsibilities, not only because of its contractual obligations, but also because of its religious and ethical considerations," said Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who is also a vice president. Then his lips fell off and his nose grew. Washington, which labeled Iran a member of an axis of evil with North Korea and pre-war Iraq), lobbied hard to get the tough IAEA resolution passed. Posted by: Katz 2003-09-15 |
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