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To: DoctorZIn
EU Surpasses U.S. in Propaganda Against Iran: Ghafurifard

Tehran: 22:34 , 2004/04/02
TEHRAN, April 2 (Mehr News Agency)

Presidential advisor Hassan Ghafurifard said here Friday that European countries showed that they have overtaken the U.S. in creating a negative political atmosphere against Iran.

The EU big three said in a strongly worded statement on Wednesday that Iran's announcement that it would be starting up a uranium conversion plant near the central city of Isfahan would make it harder for the country to regain international confidence.

“The Europeans’ criticism is baseless, for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved of the starting up of the plant,” he said.

Ghafurifard told the Mehr News Agency that the Islamic Republic of Iran has extensively cooperated with the IAEA and the European countries in order to gain international confidence and remove ambiguities about its nuclear program.

Referring to the remarks of Hassan Rowhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), who had stated Iran would not restart its uranium enrichment activities until international concerns were allayed, the presidential advisor said that voicing concern over Iran’s nuclear research is merely meant to pressure the Islamic Republic and create a negative political atmosphere against Iran.

He went on to say that the international community should not pay attention to the negative propaganda against Iran because it has been transparent in its nuclear cooperation.

“We have to make a serious response to the European countries’ negative remarks and deprive them of the chance to spread baseless rumors against Iran,” he said.

Referring to the Tehran Declaration, Ghafurifard said that Iran’s refusal to cooperate with the U.S. does not mean it should totally trust the Europeans.

“Their unjust attitude toward Iran during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war and over the past 25 years showed that it was not logical to trust the European countries or to expect them to abide by the articles of the Tehran Declaration,” he said.

Tehran promised the Europeans last October it would suspend uranium enrichment and accept tougher inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog in exchange for peaceful nuclear technology.

Piruz Hosseini, the Iranian ambassador to the UN in Vienna, told Reuters in a telephone interview that the uranium conversion plant is a totally separate issue from Iran’s commitment to the suspension of uranium enrichment.

Ghafurifard said that the plant was meant for scientific and research purposes, adding that Iran had informed the IAEA two months earlier that it would be starting up the plant.

“The IAEA inspectors are currently examining all activities at this site,” he said.

“Science is the first right of man and no dictatorial system can thwart scientific progress; however, those who claim to advance human rights are brazenly attempting to limit Iran’s right in this regard,” Ghafurifard said.

http://www.mehrnews.com/wfNewsDetails_en.aspx?NewsID=67780&t=Political
5 posted on 04/02/2004 9:19:05 PM PST by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
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To: DoctorZIn
“We have to make a serious response to the European countries’ negative remarks and deprive them of the chance to spread baseless rumors against Iran,”

Ah....the old "baseless rumors" again. LoL




9 posted on 04/03/2004 6:15:55 AM PST by nuconvert ("America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins." ( President Bush 3-20-04))
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