Athletes form human shield

2006-01-22 17:02

Isfahan - Iran on Sunday gave a fresh show of its determination to press on with its disputed nuclear programme, enrolling about 1 000 athletes to form a human shield in front of a key nuclear facility.

The demonstration, which took place in front of just a handful of journalists, was held under winter sunshine outside the main gate of a uranium conversion facility near the historic central city of Isfahan.

"Since we have reached this technology indigenously and with our own scientists, we will safeguard it at any cost," the director of the facility, Behrouz Samani, said at the event.

Around him were about 1 000 sportsmen and women of all ages and from across Iran, who were wearing free T-shirts brandishing the slogan: "Nuclear Energy is our Legitimate Right."

Work at the Isfahan site, where uranium is converted to gas as a precursor to the sensitive enrichment process, had been suspended as part of a deal with Britain, France and Germany in November 2004.

Reactor fuel

Iran ended the freeze in August 2005, renewing fears it could acquire the technology needed to make nuclear weapons and leading the EU-3 to push for Iran's referral to the UN security council.

Iran insists it only wants to make reactor fuel, and further backed away from the nuclear suspension earlier this month by resuming enrichment research at another facility in Natanz.

"We the athletes will defend our right to research and the activities that lead us to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," said a statement from the athletes read out at the demonstration.

"We consider this to be our legitimate right and will not surrender it before our last breath, and in accordance to the orders of our supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), we will definitely not close down our nuclear activities and this is our red line," said the statement.

Also shouted at the gathering were the habitual chants of "Death to America, Death to Britain".

Britain, France and Germany have called an urgent meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board for February 2, with Western diplomats confident the meeting will result in Iran's case being referred to the security council despite the reluctance of Russia and China.

- AFP