THE WORLD RECOGNIZES OUR URANIUM PROGRAM: IRAN
Tehran, 21 Muharram 1435/25 November 2013 (MINA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the greatest gain for Iran was recognition of Iran’s uranium enrichment program and that the world countries understood the fact that Iran was not after nuclear weapons.
The statement Zarif expressed to Iranian television in Tehran after returning from Geneva talks on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
A group of Iranian delegates led by Foreign Minister during the Geneva talks was welcomed by many Iranians holding Zarif’s and President Hassan Rouhani’s pictures at Mehrabad Airport. The crowds held placards, one of which read “Welcome the messenger of peace!”.
They carried flowers and Iranian flags and chanted: “No to war, sanctions, surrender and insult.”
A deal on Iran’s contreversial nuclear program was reached between Iran and 5 UNSC members and Germany in Geneva. The deal will be a pre-text for a broader agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear activities.
Zarif said that he hoped the sides could start restoring the lost confidence.
“The Iranian people demand respect for their rights and dignity, it is important to restore their confidence and I hope this process can do that,” he said.
Following the deal, the US President Barack Obama said that it was an “important first step” towards addressing the world’s concerns over the Iran’s disputed nuclear programme, Al Jazeera reported.
He added that the deal included “substantial limitations” on Iran and cut off the Iran’s most likely path to a nuclear bomb.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, said, she was confident of a long term deal.
“This is the first step as you will see its very much within the framework of reaching a comprehensive agreement,” she said.
The Western powers’ goal had been to cap Iran’s nuclear energy programme, which has a history of evading UN inspections and investigations, and to remove any risk of Tehran covertly enriching uranium to a level suitable for bombs.
Diplomacy was stepped up after the landslide election of the relative moderate Hassan Rouhani as Iranian president in June, replacing the bellicose nationalist, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Rouhani aims to mend fences with big powers and get sanctions lifted. He obtained crucial public backing from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, keeping powerful hardline critics at bay. (T/P09/P03)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
