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Iran president confirms retaliation if sent to UN
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-11-23 08:59
Iran's president on Tuesday confirmed his government would start enriching
uranium and end U.N. snap inspections of nuclear facilities if its case were
referred to the U.N. Security Council.
Iranian lawmakers on Sunday overwhelmingly voted these retaliatory measures
into law, attempting to give the Islamic Republic some leverage before a board
of governors meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on
Thursday.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to
lawmakers in the Iranian parliament in Tehran November 9,
2005.[Reuters/file] | "We follow the parliament and will definitely implement its bills," President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told state television.
Iran risks referral to the Security Council for possible sanctions after
failing to convince the world its atomic scientists are working on power
stations rather than warheads.
However, EU diplomats have said they are not going to push for Iran to be
referred to the world body at this week's IAEA meeting.
They want to give more time to a proposal that Iran conduct its most
sensitive atomic work, uranium enrichment, in Russia.
Iranian officials have consistently insisted Iran has a right to a full fuel
cycle and must be allowed to enrich uranium.
Ahmadinejad said Iran would stand by its rights but made no specific mention
of the Russian plan.
"Should we step back from our independence, freedom and territorial
integrity? We should not," he said.
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