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Iran hails UN nuclear 'victory'
There are none so blind as those who will not see...A top Iranian official has claimed a "great victory" over the US after the UN said it would not punish Iran's nuclear activities with sanctions. Hassan Rohani said Iran would never give up its right to nuclear power. He stressed its freeze in uranium enrichment was only temporary during talks with European countries. Hey! It's like it's 1938/39 all over again! That's an excellent Chamberlain impression you've got going there, Jack. The UN atomic agency IAEA has welcomed Iran's offer to freeze enrichment in a statement on Monday that did not mention any threat of future sanctions. Washington had been pushing for Iran to be censured by the UN Security Council. Mr Rohani said the "whole world had turned down America's calls". "We have proved that, in an international institution, we are capable of isolating the US. And that is a great victory," Mr Rohani said. He added that the US representative at the IAEA meeting in Vienna "was enraged and in tears, and everybody said that the Americans had failed and we had won". "[Sniff] And we couldn't have done it without France. Thanks France! And Germany - we owe you sooo much, Germany! We love you! And Britain! Who'd have thought we could count on you to help us out in our time of need? You three have been rocks!" It was Iran's first direct comment on the nuclear controversy since the IAEA resolution on Monday. According to Mr Rohani, Iran's offer to suspend uranium enrichment would only apply for the duration of talks with the EU. "We are talking months, not years," the cleric and head of Iran's top security body said. Officials from the UK, Germany and France are trying "And in addition to confirming that our new technologies and installations which could be used for military purposes, won't be, absolutely not, no, we can reassure you that we have no territorial ambitions beyond reunification of the Sudetenland with - oops! Wrong notes!" Talks between the Europeans and the Iranians are due to resume on 15 December. Mr Rohani said "the length of negotiations must be rational and not too long". But, he added, the talks were a "historical opportunity for Iran and Europe to prove to the world that unilateralism is condemned". Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes and rejects accusations that it is working towards technology which could eventually be used for the production of nuclear weapons. US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Iran had repeatedly broken promises over its nuclear activities in the past 18 months. Tehran stepped back from a similar offer to freeze uranium enrichment six months ago, sparking the current round of negotiations over its atomic ambitions. Posted by: Bulldog 2004-11-30 |
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