Soltanieh gives stern warning to IAEA

Vienna, Sept 30, IRNA - Iran's Ambassador to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh gave stern warning to the agency against violating its own constitution.

Addressing the 52nd session of IAEA General Assembly here Monday
Soltanieh referred to the advanced goals of the agency during its
foundation period and said, "In the last years, the agency, in facing with Iran's nuclear issue, by turning the voluntary measures into legal obligations and entering into normal military activities, has gone beyond its own constitutional duties and under the pretext of verification upon the request of a number of western countries has threatened national security."

Soltanieh underlined that Iran would not allow continuation of such a trend and added when the agency was founded half a century ago, it had advanced goals, but because of interferences of a number of western countries, especially the USA, in the secretariat duties and activities and by weakening its authority and neutrality, the agency has been misused.

Iran's envoy in IAEA went on to say, "Iran calls all member states
with the same idea that by considering the current deviation trend
from the agency's constitution, show their outmost awareness." Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was supposed to be commissioned 30 years ago to supply energy for the nation, but because of irresponsible policies of the western contractors on their contract and legal obligations, the project was not completed and its damage was not compensated, Soltanieh added.

Iran's permanent representative to the IAEA also said, "I want the
issue to be registered that unexplicable measures such as suspension
of enrichment and verification are beyond Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT) and have damaged greatly Iran's credit on security issue and we intend to follow the compensation process.