By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 41 minutes ago
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran is willing to provide other Islamic nations
with nuclear technology, Iran's hard-line president said
Thursday.
what if it happens that malaysia needs some
help?
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the comments after meeting
Turkey's prime minister on the sidelines of a gathering of world
leaders at the United Nations, according to the state-run Islamic
Republic News Agency.
Ahmadinejad repeated promises that Iran will not pursue nuclear
weapons, IRNA reported. Then he added: "Iran is ready to transfer
nuclear know-how to the Islamic countries due to their need."
Iran has said it is determined to pursue its nuclear program to
process uranium and produce energy, despite European attempts to
limit it. The United States accuses Tehran of secretly seeking to
develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
Meanwhile, diplomats and government officials in Europe said a
U.S.-European drive to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council is
encountering fierce opposition and could be postponed despite deep
international concerns about Tehran's nuclear agenda.
Just days before planned action on referral, the diplomats and
officials told The Associated Press that the idea of giving Iran a
deadline of several weeks to comply with international demands on
its nuclear activities is gaining favor.
"It would not be a change in policy but a change in timing," said
one European official about the possibility of delaying but not
withdrawing the U.N. Security Council threat. There has been
strong opposition from more than a dozen nations on the board of
the International Atomic Energy Agency to a demand for referral at
next week's board meeting.
The officials and diplomats some in Vienna, others elsewhere in
Europe demanded spoke on condition of anonymity because of the
delicacy of the negotiations on what tack to take on Iran.
Their comments seemed to mirror indications from Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice that Washington was prepared to delay again its
drive for Security Council referral.
Rice last week appealed openly to China, Russia, India and other
nations to support the United States in threatening Iran with
sanctions for refusing to halt its nuclear program.
Russia quickly registered its opposition to trying to impose
sanctions in the U.N. Security Council, and the White House
acknowledged Wednesday that President Bush was unable to get a
commitment from Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Ahmadinejad urged the U.N. not to bend to U.S. pressure.
"The raison d'etre of the United Nations is to promote global peace
and tranquility," he told the General Assembly. "Therefore, any
license for pre-emptive measures which are essentially based on
gauging intentions rather than objective facts ... is a blatant
contradiction to the very foundation of the United Nations and the
letter and the spirit of its charter."
Washington had been a key force in trying to marshal enough support
at Monday's board meeting of the Vienna-based IAEA for referral.
But in comments Wednesday, Rice indirectly acknowledged that drive
was faltering.
"I am not so concerned about exactly when it happens," Rice told
the Fox News Editorial Board, "because I don't think this matter is
so urgent that it has to come on Sept. 19."
The European Union has taken the lead in trying to persuade Iran to
halt development of nuclear activities that could be used to make
weapons in exchange for economic concessions.
The European official said that as of Thursday any resolution
in Vienna demanding immediate referral to the Security Council
would have "only a slim majority of two or three countries" on the
35-member IAEA board.
Rice on Wednesday suggested the EU remained fully committed to
referral, saying: "The question is how much support can you bring
that is non-European support."
But officials and diplomats said that was not so.
About a half-dozen EU member nations among them Italy, Spain and
Portugal are openly questioning the authority of France, Britain
and Germany to negotiate a resolution at the board meeting on
behalf of the European Union, said the official.
Iran's lobby efforts against referral "have been rather
successful," said the official. "Both African countries and
nonaligned countries are very keen on it not going to the Security
Council."
A senior nonaligned diplomat in Vienna said informal but high-level
contacts were under way between Tehran and key EU countries on what
concessions Iran was prepared to make in exchange for a delay of
the push to have Iran hauled before the Security Council.
Ahmadinejad is expected to reveal new Iranian proposals by the
weekend at the U.N. summit, which it hopes will defuse the nuclear
crisis.
Among those leaning against the idea of immediate referral in favor
of a several-weeks-long deadline is IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei,
said several officials and diplomats. One of them said ElBaradei
"moved over to the camp" of countries opposed to referral in recent
weeks as that group of countries has grown.
While an EU diplomat said ElBaradei had suggested a delay as one of
several options, the European official said the IAEA chief appeared
increasingly to be backing that approach over others in recent
conversations with EU foreign ministers and Rice.
Any implications for Singapore?
http://www.mint.gov.my/
Considering that Malaysia has nuclear research facilities.
No need to fight in NS liao, yay!
Buy F-15T for what?
