EU Stance Toward Iran Regrettable
TEHRAN – Majlis representative Ala’odin Boroujerid on Sunday expressed regret over the EU stance toward Iran and said that European Union made a mistake taking such a position.
In a speech in Majlis Boroujerdi said Iran has been very cooperative and transparent in its dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the agency’s inspectors have been regularly visiting Iranian nuclear facilities so there is no justification for EU to take this position.
He said it is Iran that has been denied nuclear technology by those possessing nuclear know-how.
Iran is a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accordingly member countries in possession of nuclear technology should help Iran in this regard.
The member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said it’s natural that as long as other nations don’t abide by their commitments toward Iran in transferring technology, Tehran cannot sign the Additional Protocol to the NPT.
He said that if the purpose behind the Additional Protocol is an inspection of Iranian nuclear facilities this is something which is happening regularly but if they intend to inspect Iranian installations once a week as in Japan, the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot accept it since the Iranian Constitution doesn’t allow any foreign domination.
In its last session in Brussels last Monday the EU asked Iran to review its position on human rights, terrorism, the Middle East peace process and cooperating with the IAEA.
On terrorism Boroujerdi said it is really surprising that EU asks Iran to be clear in its dealing with the scourge of terrorism while many European states have sheltered and supported the terrorist Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) during the last two decades.
It is really regrettable that EU asks Iran, the main victim of terrorism itself, to change its behavior toward terrorism, he noted.
On the issue of human rights he said Western countries violated human rights in many cases such as equipping the toppled Iraqi regime with biological weapons to use against Iran.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=7/28/03&Cat=2&Num=022Majlis Foreign Policy Commission Condemns Detainment of Iranian Journalists in Iraq
TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) – A Majlis deputy said on Sunday that the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission condemned the arrest of the IRIB journalists and called for a probe into the matter by the officials.
The commission expressed regret over the arrest of the journalists and said this action runs counter to international laws, Hamidreza Hajbabayee said.
Hajbabayeee said the commission will follow the matter and asks all those responsible to take the matter very seriously.
Two Iranian photojournalists, Said Abutaleb and Soheil Karimi, have been detained by the U.S.-led forces in Iraq and there is no information about their whereabouts.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission also asked a UN official to find about the fate of Iranian journalists.
In a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN chief special envoy to Iraq Sergio Viera de Mello the Islamic Human Rights Commission called for clarification of the journalists’ fate on the basis of the UN 1483 Resolution.
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