Tehran nuclear conference warns against attacks on facilities

A two-day nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran closed on Sunday with a call for international acknowledgement of the nuclear rights of all countries having signed the Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The final document, read out at the closing ceremony by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, said the legitimate right of all countries having signed the NPT and cooperating with the IAEA to pursue peaceful nuclear programmes should be acknowledged.

The declaration, which is to be forwarded to United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, further considered any military attacks against nuclear facilities of NPT signatories as contrary to all international laws an relevant UN charters.

The Tehran conference, titled "Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for No One", was attended by 10 foreign ministers - including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Armenia - 14 deputy foreign ministers - including Turkey - and nuclear experts from 60 countries.

China was represented at the conference by a low-ranking foreign ministry official and Russia by a deputy minister.

The other three UN Security Council permanent members - Britain, France and the United States - were reportedly represented by "delegations."

The conference was focused on disarmament, but analysts said the main aim would be another effort by Iran to persuade the international community that its nuclear projects are solely for peaceful and civilian purposes.

Iran says that as NPT signatory and member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme while rejecting Western charges of pursuing a secret nuclear programme.

The final document further called on the world countries to push towards global nuclear disarmament and considered this as a "legally binding move without any discrimination."

Referring to Iran's primary antagonist, Israel, the document said the outcome of the conference should also be a "clear message to those countries whose doctrine is still based on nuclear weapons but still try to deceive the world opinion."

"The Zionist regime (Israel) should be obliged to become committed to the NPT and accept supervision of its nuclear plants by the IAEA," the document said.

The final paper also called on the world powers to end pressure against countries pursuing peaceful nuclear technology and instead stop ignoring the Israeli nuclear arsenal and the Jewish state's rejection of following NPT regulations.

A demand by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday to suspend the US membership in the IAEA should due to its use and threat to use nuclear weapons against other countries was not included in the final document.

At the opening ceremony of the conference on Saturday, Ahmadinejad not only called on the exclusion of the US from the UN nuclear watchdog, but also for reforms of the global non-proliferation regime and the UN Security Council and criticized Israel and the Western powers.

"The conference believes that the NPT has not seriously been followed up the issue of nuclear disarmament in the world and especially the Middle East and this shortage should be revised and improved," Mottaki said at the end of closing ceremony.

According to the Iranian foreign minister, the next nuclear disarmament conference will be held in April next year again in Tehran.


/Trend/