Posted on 10/09/2004 12:18:40 PM PDT by crushelits
TEHRAN - Iran would welcome a proposal by U.S. presidential candidate Senator John Kerry (news - web sites)'s running mate for a "great bargain" to solve the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.
Vice presidential candidate Senator John Edwards (news - web sites) has said that Kerry, a Democrat, would be willing to supply Iran with nuclear fuel for power generation if Tehran abandons its own fuel-making capability - if Iran did not accept this offer, it would confirm Iran wanted to make an atom bomb.
Iran earlier rejected the proposal, saying it would be "irrational" for Iran to jeopardize what it says is its purely civilian nuclear program by relying on supplies from abroad.
But in an apparent policy shift, Hossein Mousavian, head of the foreign policy committee at Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would review the proposal.
"Iran welcomes any constructive proposal from any American candidate," Mousavian told Reuters in an interview. "We are willing to consider constructive proposals from Americans," he added.
But he said Iran, as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), should be allowed to pursue its "peaceful nuclear program."
"Our legitimate right of pursuing peaceful nuclear technology should be considered," he said.
President Bush (news - web sites)'s administration says there is no point in offering incentives to Iran. Bush wants Iran referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Mousavian said Iranian officials earlier rejected the Kerry camp proposal because they were not sure if it was part of the election campaign or a serious proposal.
He said Iran did not want to get embroiled in the U.S. election campaign. "If it is part of Kerry's election campaign ... we do not want to be part of it," he said. "Let the Americans play their game themselves."
Mousavian ruled out direct talks with Washington on Iran's nuclear program due to its "hostile" policy toward Iran.
The United States cut diplomatic ties with Iran after radical Iranian students took dozens of U.S. diplomats hostage following the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"It is because of 20 years of mistrust... Up to now, Americans have not shown any sign of good will," he said.
Mousavian called on Europeans to resist U.S. pressure and treat Tehran's nuclear dossier "fairly."
"Why they do not open a chapter of cooperation?" Mousavian said. "This issue can be solved by political talks, not by resolutions."
Iran agreed to suspend its enrichment-related activities last year after talks with foreign ministers from Britain, Germany and France. But it recently resumed key parts of it.
The IAEA board of governors passed a resolution last month demanding Iran freeze all activities connected with enriching uranium or face "tougher actions."
Mousavian said Iran considers enrichment as its "legitimate right" and would not yield to such pressures.
Iran's conservative-dominated parliament has prepared a bill that would force moderate President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites)'s government to resume uranium enrichment.
"Parliament is concerned over whether the government is capable of guaranteeing the nations right of having peaceful technology," Mousavian said.
Do we need MORE PROOF that kerry is on the WRONG TRACK?
Terrorists adding their support to Kerry's campaign.
Didn't Iran just say last week that they were averse to any deals with Kerry regarding their nuclear program? They musta realized this would garner support for horseface among the libs.
Kerry-Edwards Plan: Axis of Evil meets Coalition of the Bribed, a winning combination!
They're flip-flops, too.
Actually, I believe they realized their mistake last week with their rejection of the Kerry "summit". They know that it's Kerry who's not living in the world of reality and that he will bend over for appeasement's sake, so now they support him so they can do what they want with him if he's ever elected.
Another foreign leader for Kerry.
I thought that President Bush beat Kerry like a rented donkey last night and he's a great leader.
I do wish That the President had, after Kerry bragged about being able to work better with our allies, had said something like:
"I know that the Senator from Massachusetts is proud of the foreign leaders who support him. I have and will work with allies, 30 in the Iraq War coalition and 40 allies in Afghanistan, but my concern is the support of the American people, not some unnamed foreign leaders."
Au contraire. The have merely learned from the NKorea/Slick Willie example.
They will make a deal with a Kerry admin., receive nuclear materials from America and ever so much more -- there will be riders on any such agreement for cash, food, military supplies, etc. and Kerry will eat it up.
And the Iranian nuclear weapons programs will go on at an accelerated pace because the big "rider" in the agreement will specify "No verification" as was the case with Slick and NKorea.
May RR's "Trust but verify" haunt Clinton to his final days. It won't of course as he has even less character than JohnBoy.
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