Nov. 19, 09 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Iranian Foreign Minister Manucher Mottaki responding to recent harsh reactions from Western powers over Iran’s nuclear program rules out the effectiveness of any types of sanctions.
‘Sanctions were the literature of the 60s and 70s,’ Mottaki said at a news conference in Manila on Thursday.
‘I think they [the world powers] are wise enough not to repeat failed experiences. Of course it's totally up to them,’ he added.
World powers and particularly Western countries involved in Iran’s nuclear dossier want Iran to agree to a fuel exchange program initiated at the Geneva meeting on 1st. October. The idea is for Iran to send a substantial portion of its low enriched uranium (LEU) to a third country and after a relatively long period receive higher enriched uranium for use in Tehran reactor.
Tehran reactor produces almost all the country’s nuclear isotopes for medical purposes. So to rely on such transaction would be quite risky for Iran since it has had bad experiences with receiving any nuclear related fuels in the past. France, for instance, has repeatedly broken its nuclear contracts when it was obliged to send nuclear fuels from Eurodif enrichment centre.
Yesterday, Mottaki said Iran would not send its 3.5-percent-enriched uranium out of the country for further reprocessing but it would still be willing to consider the nuclear fuel deal if the conditions of the procedural transfer were changed in the form of a ‘swap’ inside the country.
Despite Tehran’s openness and goodwill with respect to nuclear cooperation, Western powers spoke of further sanctions. Yesterday, Barrack Obama warned Iran of ‘consequences’ if Tehran didn’t accept the terms. French Foreign Minister Robert Kouchner also attacked Iran over it refusal to accept the terms, calling it a ‘negative’ move.
Iran has been calling for constructive international nuclear cooperation amongst the countries of the world. It has also the technical capabilities for producing quantities of higher enriched uranium for use at Tehran nuclear reactor.
Source: Agencies
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