Iran urges IAEA to pursue balanced application of NPT

United Nations, New York, Oct 28, IRNA - Iran's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee on Monday said the IAEA could and should play a decisive role by vigorously pursuing a balanced and non-discriminatory application of the provisions of the NPT and the IAEA safeguards.

He made the remarks while addressing the UN General Assembly session.

Khazaee said, "The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
(NPT) has reaffirmed the important objective of the agency and
recognized the inalienable right of all NPT states parties to the
peaceful use of nuclear energy."
Under article IV of the NPT, states parties have undertaken to
facilitate the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and
scientific and technological information for the peaceful uses of
nuclear energy, he added.

In fact, the inalienable right of all NPT states parties to nuclear
technology for peaceful purposes, without discrimination, constitutes
one of the three major pillars upon which the NPT is founded, he said,
adding that notwithstanding such requirements, the cooperation of the
developed countries, as the main suppliers of nuclear high technology,
with the developing nations has remained at an unsatisfactory level.

In fact, nuclear cooperation between suppliers and recipients has been
beset by restrictions, obstacles and disruption, Khazaee said,
stressing, instead of promoting cooperation, the "nuclear haves" club,
laden with discrimination and lack of transparency, was created, inter
alia, to hamper the access of NPT developing members to nuclear power
technology under the pretext of non-proliferation concerns.

To remedy this shortcoming, the IAEA could and should play a decisive
role by vigorously pursuing a balanced and non-discriminatory
application of the provisions of the NPT and the IAEA safeguards, the
Iranian envoy reiterated.

Attempts to politicize the work of the IAEA, including its technical
cooperation program, are in violation of the IAEA Statute and will
only impede the ability of the agency to conduct its responsibilities
in an orderly fashion, he noted.

Referring to the concern raised by Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei on the security
aspects of the issue and the possibility of diversion of peaceful
nuclear activities to weaponization program, he said, "In this regard,
I would like to emphasize that the major concern is the nuclear
activities of those countries that are not parties to the NPt and have
nuclear weapon program. However, we should be cautious about creating
an impression that membership in the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state
becomes an impediment to the peaceful use of nuclear technology."
Application of Safeguards is amongst the main functions of the agency,
he said, adding that while great efforts have been made by the agency
to apply and promote the universality of the Safeguards to all
relevant nuclear activities, it is distressing that some members of
the agency have yet to conclude their Comprehensive Safeguards
Agreements.

He reiterated that Tehran calls on all such members to fulfill their
obligations at the earliest.

Furthermore, there is a dangerous trend at work, moving in the
opposite direction of safeguarding the NPT and ensuring its
universality, he said, adding that under that trend, those who have
chosen not to accede to the NPT not only are not subject to any
pressure to do so, but are also encouraged and rewarded in different
ways including through nuclear cooperation.

As an example, the Zionist regime has been allowed to acquire a
sizeable stockpile of nuclear weapons in the volatile Middle East
region and to defy the will of all regional states and the
international community to turn the Middle East into a zone free from
nuclear weapons, the Iranian envoy reiterated.