Monday, April 03, 2006

U.S. not to join EU in nuclear talks

"The EU-3 is comfortable with where things are in the sense that there is a process that has been put in place, and that process should be able to lead to the desired solution," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a briefing.
Ereli argued that there is no suggestion that the process is soflawed that the United States needs to jump into it.
"The reason we're at a standstill is not because the United States isn't in negotiations, the reason we're at a standstill is because Iran is thumbing its nose at the international community and rejecting the offers of the EU-3, and rejecting the proposals of Russia, and moving with apparently great determination to develop an enrichment capability," Ereli said.
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Iran's Satellite

The spacecraft is small by world standards - a microsatellite of a few hundred pounds. Launched in October by the Russians for a wealthy client, it orbits the earth once every 99 minutes and reportedly has a camera for peering down on large swaths of land.
But what makes this satellite particularly interesting is not its capabilities, which are rudimentary, but its owner: Iran. With last year's launching and another planned for the next few weeks, Tehran has become the newest member of the international space club.
The question now asked in Washington and other capitals is whether Iran's efforts are simply part of its drive to expand its technical prowess or an attempt to add another building block to its nuclear program. In that sense, it is the newest piece of the Iranian atomic puzzle.
To some government analysts and other experts in the West, Iran's space debut is potentially worrisome. While world attention has focused on whether Iran is clandestinely seeking nuclear arms, these analysts say the launchings mark a new stage in its growing efforts to master a range of sophisticated technologies, including rockets and satellites. The concern is that Tehran could one day turn such advances to atomic ends.
"It may appear tempting to dismiss Iranian efforts" as relatively crude, said John Sheldon, an analyst at the Center for Defense and International Security Studies in Britain who recently wrote a report on Tehran's space program. "But Iran has already demonstrated a persistence and patience that would indicate it is prepared to play a long game in order to achieve its ambitions."
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Ahmadinejad Statements

Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that the Islamic Republic was “determined” in its pursuit to obtain nuclear capabilities, according to a statement issued by his office and carried by the official news agency.
“The Iranian nation and government are determined about their rights in the field of nuclear technology”, Ahmadinejad said during a meeting in Tehran with the Foreign Minister of the Guinea Fatoumata Kaba.
“Today, several European countries and America have been bewildered over Iran’s nuclear issue”, he said.
“The path of the Islamic Republic of Iran in obtaining nuclear technology is clear, in accordance with laws, and under the consideration of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, he added.
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