Brussels, 20/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Iran wants the West to proceed in a “civilised” manner in its dialogue with the country to dispel any uncertainty over the nuclear programme, said Iranian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh on Monday 19 December. “The nuclear issue should have been resolved through negotiation and dialogue … we must proceed in a civilised manner so that we can remove any uncertainty”, he told MEPs, criticising the West's “carrot and stick” approach. He stated that Iran finds it easier to accept a request than an order. “If someone says to a European or an Iranian: 'Do this', we refuse, but if the person says: 'Please do this', then we try. That is the key”, he said adding that Tehran was not about to stop cooperating with the IAEA, though it did not want to be “put under pressure”.
According to Soltanieh, without nuclear weapons, Iran stands on an equal footing with those countries which do have them: “We have the potential to resolve the conflicts in the region by means of dialogue and negotiation. Nuclear weapons would make Iran vulnerable. They would be a strategic error.” However, “we will never give up the right to choose whether or not to use nuclear power for industrial and peaceful purposes”, he added.
He said, too, that Western countries had signed nuclear contracts with Iran, then suspended projects and sales, and that Iran has, therefore, to enrich its own uranium. “We already have the enrichment technology … there is nothing to stop us from enriching uranium. We want the world to know that, but Iran wants peace and all of its activities are monitored by the IAEA”, he said. (CG/transl.rt)