New York, September 26: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brushed off Western criticism over a newly disclosed uranium enrichment plant, and said he was hopeful about upcoming talks to defuse the nuclear standoff.
In a one-hour news conference in New York on Friday, Ahmadinejad took a relatively moderate stance after US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tehran admitted to the UN nuclear watchdog that it had built a second enrichment plant. Uranium enrichment explained.
Ahmadinejad, who attended the UN General Assembly this week, said Tehran’s disclosure was “completely legal,” adding: “We actually informed the agency (International Atomic Energy Agency) 18 months ahead of time.”
“Is this the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do?” he asked. “I thought we are supposed to be encouraged for taking this action.”
Ahmadinejad said Tehran had no problem with the IAEA inspecting the new enrichment facility.
He said Tehran decided to show restraint in responding to the latest Western accusations in hopes that talks between Iran and six major powers in Geneva on Thursday “will go somewhere.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Ahmadinejad late Friday and expressed his “grave concern” over news of Iran’s second uranium enrichment plant.
Ban called on Iran to fully implement relevant Security Council resolutions and fully cooperate with the IAEA to resolve “all outstanding concerns related to its nuclear program.”
The UN leader “emphasized that the burden of proof is on Iran,” read a statement from Ban’s spokesperson. Nuclear standoff: chronology.
Ban also expressed “his continuing concern” about the human rights situation in Iran, and “reiterated his strong rejection” of Ahmadinejad’s “repeated denials of the Holocaust.”
The United States and European powers led the outcry Friday claiming that Iran, which had previously declared only one such plant at Natanz, had attempted to dupe the international community.
Following their declaration, Russia expressed its concern and China said it had taken note of the information and had urged Tehran to cooperate with any probe by the IAEA.
The Western leaders made it clear that they did not believe that the site had a civilian role, being what one US official said was “the right size” to produce weapons grade uranium but of no use for nuclear fuel production.
The surprise revelation appeared likely to fuel momentum toward new sanctions against the country, which has already been subjected to three rounds of UN sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.
Ahmadinejad dismissed US pressure. “Mr Obama is not a nuclear expert,” he said. “We have to leave it to the IAEA to carry out its duties.”
“What the three countries did (Friday) would have demanded a really strong reaction but we showed restraint, decided to refrain from reacting sharply because we really hope that fundamental changes will start happening and we will work to ensure that these changes will happen,” he said.
US, Israeli and other critics suspect Iran is covertly trying to build an atomic weapon, but Iran says it needs nuclear fuel only for civilian power. Russia is building the country’s first nuclear power station.
Ahmadinejad was somewhat conciliatory toward Obama, expressing hope “he will succeed in bringing about some changes” and deploring the fact that he was being fed “misinformation” about Iran.
However he oozed contempt toward the French and British leaders.
“Mr Sarkozy and Mr Brown are not very important to us. But based on what Obama said at the UN (about the need for world leaders to work together), we expect his colleagues to take more care not to create unnecessary issues.”
—Agencies