World
  |
|
Iran, Brazil share common nuclear stance: FM
SAO PAULO
Petroleumworld.com, Oct 28, 2009Iran and Brazil share the same stance on developing peaceful nuclear activities, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, ahead of a state visit to Brazil next month by Iran's president."The two countries have a common position in relation to peaceful nuclear activities and insist (on defending their) rights," he told a conference in Tehran, according to the Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo.
The nuclear issue has become the major sticking point in relations between Iran and the West.
The United States and Europe suspect Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. A UN-sponsored deal on having some of Iran's uranium enriched outside of the country is currently being negotiated.
Amid that wrangling, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing to visit Brazil on November 23. His Brazilian counterpart and host, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has defended Iran's right to a civilian nuclear program.
Mottaki elaborated on that, saying the joint position of Iran and Brazil was "peaceful nuclear energy for everyone, and nuclear weapons for no one."
Ahmadinejad and Lula last met in September, on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly gathering in New York.
UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, have been working to convince a reluctant Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment efforts in exchange for trade and political benefits.
Iran has said it will accept the principle of a deal calling for it to send hundreds of kilograms of low-enriched uranium to Russia for further refining.
But one of its state-owned television stations said it was holding out for important, unspecified changes to the arrangement.
Story from AFP
AFP 10/27/2009 15:38
Send this story to a friend
Copyright© 2008 respective author or news agency. All rights reserved.
We welcome the use of Petroleumworld™ stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors.Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated
Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments,
share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us!We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.Write to editor@petroleumworld.com
By using this link, you agree to allow PW
to publish your comments on our letters page.
Any question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.comBest Viewed with IE 5.01+
Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98,ME,XP, Vista +/ 800x600 pixels