Iran 'does not need nuke OK'

2005-12-26 22:17

Teheran - Iran does not need international approval or permission to conduct nuclear activities, foreign minister Manuchehr Mottaki said during a visit to Afghanistan on Monday.

The news network Khabar quoted Mottaki as saying in a news conference in Kabul that Iran's wish to make its peaceful nuclear programmes transparent to the West did not mean that Teheran needed permission from western nations.

Meanwhile, government spokesperson Gholam-Hussein Elham said on Monday that Iran wanted the enrichment process to be conducted inside Iran.

"The government has a clear stance in this regard: enrichment inside Iran in line with international regulations and for peaceful purposes while welcoming international investment (in the enrichment process)," Elham told reporters in Teheran.

But in line with other Iranian officials, Elham did not offer a clear reply to Russia's proposal to enrich Iranian uranium on Russian soil, saying only that all proposals should be in line with Iran's demands.

Foreign ministry spokesperson man Hamid-Reza Assefi said on Sunday that no proposal had yet been received from Moscow but the Russian embassy on Monday once again confirmed delivery of the message to the Iranian side on Saturday, and questioned why Assefi had denied delivery.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian parliament's foreign policy commission, said on Sunday that the Russian proposal must first be carefully evaluated by the national security council before a final decision could be taken.

Observers believe that Iran's denial over the Russian proposal is a time-delaying tactic by Tehran. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA