Iranian president rejects nuclear incentives
Published: Friday, April 04, 2008
IRAN-NUCLEAR-JAPAN
Washington, April 4 (IranVNC)—Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Japan’s Kyodo news agency that he rejects the new incentives being prepared by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany in return for suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
"This is a non-negotiable subject,” Ahmadinejad said in his interview. “Iran is a nuclear country and has no reason to give up the technology,” he added. Ahmadinejad reiterated that the issue of suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment program is no longer relevant and added that "we have passed this stage."
Iran says it wants to produce nuclear fuel only for electricity so it can export more oil. But it has been hit with three sets of United Nations sanctions for hiding the work until 2003, failing to prove to inspectors since then that it is wholly peaceful, and refusing to suspend the disputed program.
Quoting U.S. and European officials, the Washington Times reported last month that the new proposal contained economic, technological and security benefits, including help with developing a civilian nuclear energy program. Ahmadinejad repeated Iran's stance that it would pursue the nuclear issue only through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Diplomats said on Thursday Iran has begun installing advanced centrifuges in its key uranium enrichment complex, accelerating activity that could give it the means to make atom bombs in future if it choses to. However, Iran’s ambassador to IAEA told Reuters he was unaware of new progress at Natanz enrichment complex, which is ringed by anti-aircraft guns against a fear of a U.S. bombing.
After a pause of several months, Iran has now assembled more than 300 centrifuges divided into two cascades (interlinked networks) to expand beyond 3,000, diplomats with access to intelligence told Reuters.
The IAEA is pressing Iran to explain Western intelligence alleging that it conducted secret studies into how to "weaponize" nuclear materials despite its membership in the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran says the information is forged.
Source: Reuters, Agence France-Presse
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