- 17 Oct 2006 19:17
#1004198
http://nuclearno.com/text.asp?11159
HAVANA (IRNA) - Member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) issued a separate statement supporting Iran`s nuclear program at the end of their 14th summit on Saturday night in Havana.
They stressed that the resumption of unconditional talks was the only solution to Tehran`s nuclear standoff with the West. Following is the full text of the statement of the 118-nation body:
"1- The heads of State or Government reiterated their principled position on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation reflected in the Final document of XIV Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Havana, Cuba from 11-16 September 2006. They considered the developments regarding the implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"2- The Heads of State and Government reaffirmed the basic inalienable right of all states, to develop research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes without any discrimination and in conformity with their respective legal obligations. Therefore, nothing should be interpreted in a way as inhibiting or restricting this right of States to develop atomic energy for peaceful purposes. They furthermore, reaffirmed that States choices and decisions in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear technology and its fuel cycle policies must be respected.
"3- The Heads of State and Government recognised the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the sole complete authority for verification of the respective safeguards obligations of Member States and stressed that there should be no undue pressure or interference in the Agency`s activities, especially its verification process which would jeopardize the efficiency and credibility of the Agency.
"4- The Heads of States or Government welcomed the cooperation extended by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the IAEA including those voluntary confidence building measures undertaken, with a view to resolve the remaining issues. They noted the assessment of the IAEA Director-General that all nuclear material declared by Iran had been accounted for. They noted at the same time, that the process for drawing a conclusion with regard to the absence of undeclared material and activities in Iran is an ongoing and time consuming process. In this regard, the Heads of State and Government encouraged Iran to urgently continue to cooperate actively and fully with the IAEA within the Agency`s mandate to resolve outstanding issues in order to promote confidence and a peaceful resolution of the issue.
"5- The Heads of State or Government emphasised the fundamental distinction between the legal obligations of States to their respective safeguards agreements and any confidence building measures voluntarily undertaken to resolve difficulties and believed that such voluntary undertakings are not legal safeguards obligations.
"6- The Heads of State or Government considered the establishment of nuclear weapons-free zones (UNWFZs) as a positive step towards attaining the objective of global nuclear disarmament and reiterated the support for the establishment in the Middle East of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in accordance with relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. Pending the establishment of such a zone, they demanded Israel to accede to the NPT without delay and place promptly all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards.
"7- The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed the inviolability of peaceful nuclear activities and that any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities - operational or under construction- poses a great danger to human beings and the environment, and constitutes a grave violation of international law, principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and regulations of the IAEA. They recognized the need for a comprehensive multilaterally negotiated instrument prohibiting attacks or threat of attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
"8- The Heads of State or Government strongly believed that all issues on safeguards and verification, including those of Iran should be resolved within the IAEA framework and be based on technical and legal grounds. They further emphasised that the Agency should continue its work to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue within its mandate under the Statute of the IAEA.
"9- The Heads of State or Government also strongly believed that diplomacy and dialogue through peaceful means must continue to find a long term solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. They expressed their conviction that the only way to resolve the issue is to resume negotiations without any preconditions and to enhance cooperation with the involvement of all necessary parties to promote international confidence with the view to facilitating agency work on resolving the outstanding issues."
Ahmadinejad thanks Algeria for its position on Iran`s nuclear activities
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad held separate talks with a number of world leaders on Saturday on the sidelines of the NAM summit. In the meetings, the Iranian president discussed Iran`s nuclear program, bilateral ties, cooperation on the international level, and the empowerment of the Non-Aligned Movement, which has 118 members, that is, nearly two-thirds of all countries in the world.
In his meeting with Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Ahmadinejad praised Algeria`s stance toward Iran`s peaceful nuclear activities.
Pointing to the two countries` common stance on international issues, the Iranian president stressed the importance of expanding mutual and international cooperation.
The Iranian president hailed efforts adopted by Bouteflika to establish peace and stability in Algeria and preserve the country`s independence.
"We hope the upcoming visit by Bouteflika to Tehran will prepare the ground for further promotion of relations between the two big and influential states in the region and the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad stated.
The Algerian president stressed Iran`s right to nuclear technology within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
President calls for stronger ties with India
President Ahmadinejad and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan discussed the importance of bolstering relations in all fields.
"Iran sets no limitation for further expansion of ties with India," the Iranian president explained.
"Officials of the two countries should strive to make use of all bilateral potentials to promote Tehran-New Delhi ties because cooperation between the two sides will be beneficial for their nations," the president underlined.
He expressed Iran`s readiness to cooperate with India particularly in the fields of joint economic ventures in Central Asia, Africa and Latin America.
"Tehran is ready to cement cooperation with New Delhi in various economic fields particularly in energy, transportation, trade and industrial fields," Ahmadinejad said. He added that implementation of a project to transfer Iran`s gas to India through Pakistan would promote peace and security in the region, saying, "We hope the agreement will be finalized at the earliest because we think regional states should promote peace."
Singh said Indian people are deeply interested in Iranian culture and that India is determined to consolidate cultural, economic and political ties with Iran.
He assured Ahmadinejad that New Delhi will do its utmost to promote friendly ties with Tehran, adding that all political parties in India are eager to boost ties with Tehran.
He expressed regret over the misunderstanding caused about India`s stance on Iran`s peaceful nuclear program, stressing that his country would never joint any efforts against Iran.
India has repeatedly stressed that Iran should enjoy all nuclear rights based on international commitments including the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he stated.
Iran, Bolivia seek expansion of ties
The presidents of Iran and Bolivia urged expansion of relations in all fields including oil and energy.
"The two countries enjoy great potentials for bolstering bilateral relations. Iran and Bolivia should make use of their political commonalties to promote bilateral and international cooperation," Ahmadinejad told his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales on the sidelines the summit.
The Bolivian president praised Iran`s "principled and brave" stance on international issues and called for boosting mutual ties and exchange of views on major international issues.
He said his country attaches importance to making use of Iran`s experience in different fields.
Cooperation among independent states
Ahmadinejad said close cooperation among independent states will strengthen their position in influencing the world affairs.
The president made the remark in a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez Frias.
"Tehran and Caracas, as two important members of the Non-Aligned Movement can play an effective role in strengthening the movement and turning it into a more effective tool," Ahmadinejad said.
President Ahmadinejad also hailed Venezuela`s support for Iran`s nuclear program.
Referring to the common and independent positions of the two countries on international issues, Chavez stressed the need to improve Tehran-Caracas ties.
He stressed that Venezuela favors strengthened ties with Iran in various fields, particularly in auto and tractor manufacturing, mass production of housing units, transportation and energy sectors.
Sign of weakness
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said the current condition serves the interests of the Islamic world and called insult to Islam and Muslims as a sign of the enemies` weakness.
"If Muslim states stand side by side and unite on the basis of their commonalties, no one can pose any threat to them," he told Sudan`s President Umar Hassan. Ahmadinejad expressed satisfaction with the upward trend of Tehran-Khartoum ties in various fields and said, "Officials of the two countries should endeavor to bolster the brotherly ties and nothing should obstruct promotion of ties between our two Muslim states."
Ahmadinejad stressed Iran`s full support for the independence and territorial integrity of Sudan.
The Sudanese president briefed his Iranian counterpart on the latest developments in his country, Darfur in particular, and outlined U.S. efforts to foment discord and crisis in his country.
The Sudanese government and nation will proceed along the path towards independence and success by resisting against these pressures, al-Bashir vowed.
He said Sudan was willing to use Iran`s experiences in various fields including agriculture, industry and livestock breeding.
He also stressed Khartoum`s support for Iran`s inalienable right to acquire peaceful nuclear technology.
Ahmadinejad, Raul Castro discuss bilateral ties, intl. issues
Ahmadinejad and Cuban acting president Raul Castro discussed avenues for bolstering relations and discussed leading international issues.
"Iran and Cuba enjoy common and close stances on international issues," Ahmadinejad said.
"Expansion of cooperation between Iran and Cuba, as two independent and important NAM member states which enjoy a special and strategic position in the Middle East and in Central America and the Caribbean, will strengthen the movement," Ahmadinejad told the acting Cuban leader.
He said Cuba, as a main founder of the NAM, plays a pivotal role in promoting goals of the international movement. The Iranian official hoped the ground would be prepared for NAM, as the second biggest international organization after the United Nations, to play a more effective role during Cuba`s new presidency. Cuba took over the NAM leadership from Malaysia on Friday.
Pointing to the new agreements and documents for cooperation signed between the two states, the Iranian president expressed hope that Tehran-Havana relations would be boosted in all fields particularly in economic areas.
Castro, for his part, expressed Cuba`s determination to expand all-out cooperation with Iran and stressed the importance of making decisions to further activate the NAM.
He voiced Havana`s full support for Tehran`s international stance and stressed Tehran`s inalienable right to use nuclear energy for civilian uses.
"Cuba is happy with Iran`s independent and rightful stance and has always praised it," the Cuban acting president maintained.
Referring to the U.S. all-out pressure to undermine the 14th NAM summit, he said Washington is on threshold of collapse.
Although the U.S. is strong in military fields, it is very weak in terms of morality, he opined.
President meets ailing Fidel Castro
President Ahmadinejad attended the residence of his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro on Saturday evening and met the ailing leader for more than half an hour.
Hailing Castro`s lifetime campaign for independence, Ahmadinejad wished him quick recovery.
The 80-year-old Castro said Ahmadinejad`s courageous and independent stances on international issues indicated that the Islamic Revolution was strongly continuing its path.
Iran expresses interest in hosting 16th NAM summit
Iran voiced readiness on Saturday to host the 16th summit in 2012.
Tehran is eager to host the event in 2012 because no NAM summit has ever been held in Iran, Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said in his address to the closing session of the 14th summit.
Stressing that Iran has always been an active member of the 118-nation body, the largest international organization after the United Nations, Mottaki said Tehran has always fought for the rights of the developing countries.
As a non-aligned state, Iran has always struggled against apartheid and hegemonic policies of the big powers in order to defend the developing countries and help bolster unity among them, said the minister.
He added that NAM should play a more active and influential role to advance peace, justice and progress at the international level using its enormous potentials as a body which embraces most of the world states after UN.
Qatar was another NAM member state voicing readiness to host the body`s 16th summit. A final decision will be made during the 15th summit, due to be held in Egypt in 2009.
Iran, Cuba sign five MOUs
Iran and Cuba on Saturday signed five memoranda of understanding on bolstering bilateral cooperation.
The MOUs were inked in presence of visiting Iranian president and Cuba`s acting president Raul Castro.
Cooperation between Iran`s Oil Ministry and Cuba`s Ministry of Basic Industries, construction of a cement factory in Cuba`s Santiago city, export of equipment and electricity services are among the main topics of the MOUs.
http://nuclearno.com/text.asp?11159
- By wat0n