Former Iranian president urges EU to acknowledge Iran's nuclear rights

Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Monday urged the West, especially the European Union (EU), to acknowledge Iran's rights on peaceful use of nuclear technology, saying it would be beneficial to Europe itself and the region.

"Acceptance of Iran's legitimate right to produce nuclear energy would be beneficial to Europe and the region," Rafsanjani was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying in the eastern city of Mashhad.

Rafsanjani, chairman of the Expediency Council, a powerful arbitrational body of Iran, said the Europeans had problems in making decision on the Iranian nuclear issue because "Iran has tremendous potentials, national support and experience."

"Iran is a powerful country. We have a high degree of technology and industrial expertise. We are a reliable power in the Third World," he said.

Rafsanjani also stressed the importance of reaching "a serious compromise" over the Iranian nuclear dispute.

Iran is under mounting pressure of the EU to halt its nuclear research work which Tehran had suspended for more than two years but resumed on Jan. 10 despite EU warnings.

The EU trio of Britain, France and Germany has recently called on the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors to hold an emergency meeting on Feb. 2 to vote for referring the Iranian nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on Monday threatened to adopt retaliatory moves if the case was sent to the U.N., citing the brake of all voluntary measures including implementation of the additional protocol to the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and resumption of uranium enrichment of industrial degree.

In August 2005, Tehran restarted uranium conversion activities, a precursor to the enrichment, which led to a 4-month break-off of the negotiations with the EU.

Based on the U.S. accusation that Iran is developing nuclear weapons secretly, the EU holds that Iran's full mastery of uranium enrichment capability will possibly lead to military use.

Iran denies the US charge, saying uranium enrichment is the legal right enshrined by the NPT.

Source: Xinhua