Iran will not quit Non-Proliferation Treaty - spokesman

BBC Monitoring ^ | July 21 2003 | IRNA

[knighthawk]

Tehran, 21 July: Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on Monday [21 July] gave the assurance that Iran is committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Asefi, speaking at his weekly press conference, denied conflicting reports by the foreign media about Iran's nuclear activities, its possible exit from the NPT or signing of the additional protocol to the NPT.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's (reported) quitting from the NPT is not on the agenda and Iran is committed to the treaty," he said.

"It is but natural for people to express different opinions in a free society," he said, adding that "there is an article in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allowing member states to quit" but Iran has no plan to quit the treaty.

"The issue of signing the additional protocol to the NPT should take place only after certain confidence-building moves by both sides and what we are pressing now is mutual confidence-building," Asefi stressed.

"We think all would benefit if the agency and other countries take strides to build mutual confidence and practice transparency through confidence-building," the spokesman said.

"The issue of whether Iran will sign the additional protocol will be a national decision which would be based on a consensus arrived at between the Supreme National Security Council and the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament)," he added.

[knighthawk]

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