Iran's Ahmadinejad visits Syria

DAMASCUS: Syria said yesterday Iran had a right to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful means and demanded Israel be stripped of its suspected nuclear arsenal.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the start of a two-day visit to Damascus, his first since he took office in August. Syria and Iran both risk showdowns with the UN Security Council Damascus over a UN inquiry into the murder of a Lebanese ex-prime minister and Teheran over its nuclear plans.

"We support the right of Iran and any state in the world to acquire peaceful technology," Assad told a joint news conference after the talks. "Countries who oppose this gave no convincing reason, regardless of whether it is legitimate or not."

The United States and the European Union's three biggest powers, Britain, France and Germany, said this month Iran's resumption of nuclear research meant it should be referred to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

Assad renewed Syria's call for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and said "the beginning should be with Israel." The Jewish state is widely believed to have nuclear weapons.

US insists on UN referral

In opposition to Russian moves for a softer line, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated yesterday the United States wants Iran to be quickly referred to the UN Security Council for its nuclear programs.

"On Iran, we have been very clear that the time has come for a referral of Iran to the Security Council," she told reporters before a meeting with South Korea's foreign minister.

Rice did not mention Russia. But her brief remarks came a day after the European Union said it was mulling a Russian proposal that would stop short of a formal referral of the Islamic republic to the council.

A formal referral would mean Iran would face possible sanctions.

Rice, who has been seeking to build a united position on Iran among Europeans, the United States, Russia and China, chose the word "referral" despite Moscow's effort to have Iran only "reported" to the council.

The difference amounts to more than diplomatic nuance.

If Iran avoids US-led efforts for a formal referral, the council could debate its case but there would be a lack of legal weight and there would not be the potential for "consequences," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Wednesday in Washington.

Source: China Daily