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Iran rules out atomic freeze at landmark meeting

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Published Date: 20 July 2008
By Mark John and Parisa Hafezi
in Geneva
IRANIAN officials ruled out any freeze in uranium enrichment yesterday as talks over Tehran's nuclear programme, attended for the first time by a senior US diploma, got under way.
"Any kind of suspension or freeze is out of the question," an Iranian official said, rejecting the main condition set by the US and other major powers for formal negotiations to end the long-running dispute.

The participation of US envoy William B
urns in the one-day meeting in Geneva, together with Iranian comments playing down the likelihood of a US or Israeli attack, had raised hopes of progress and helped ease record oil prices.

But on the nuclear programme, Keyvan Imani, Iran's ambassador to Switzerland, said: "It is not in Iran's agenda to discuss this issue. As our supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] clearly said, our path is very clear: we are not going to abandon our rights."

Last week, Khamenei said Iran was ready to negotiate.

A western diplomat said the atmosphere of yesterday's talks was "fine", despite the Iranians' unwillingness to suspend or freeze enrichment. "They are looking more at substantive issues that would be addressed in full negotiations," he said.

Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki portrayed the talks as "positive and constructive". "Today's meeting might continue with several others, so that the viewpoints of all sides can be put on the table so that we reach... agreement," he said in Tehran.

He said he hoped the talks would pave the way for "a modality and a framework" for further negotiations.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, rejects suspicions that it wants to build an atom bomb, saying the nuclear programme is to generate electricity.

Western diplomats say they want the talks to clarify Iran's response to an offer, delivered last month, of technical and commercial incentives to suspend uranium enrichment.

Asked about the Iranian rejection of suspension, the spokeswoman for chief EU envoy Javier Solana said: "We are ready to look at creative manners to allow negotiations to start in full agreement with the UN Security Council."

The UN has imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran in a stand-off that goes back to 2002. Tension has intensified since Tehran tested missiles earlier this month, alarming Israel and unsettling energy markets.

Yet oil prices slipped on Friday, 13% down from last week's record of more than $147 a barrel of crude. Traders cited as factors the attendance of Burns – who helped restore US ties with Libya in 2006 – and a comment by Mottaki that the chances of an Israeli or US strike were "almost zero".



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  • Last Updated: 19 July 2008 7:36 PM
  • Source: Scotland On Sunday
  • Location: Scotland
  • Related Topics: Iran
 
1

Silence of the Yams,

20/07/2008 01:17:40
Liars, just like their phoney prophet of doom.
2

Lynne,

Palm Beach Gardens 20/07/2008 03:56:11
did anyone expect anything different?
3

Dukov Norfolk,

The Palace 20/07/2008 05:00:55
#2 Lynne

"did anyone expect anything different?"

..Why should Iran bow to US wishes?

Would the US bow to Iran's wishes? I very much doubt it.

Iran has every right to proceed with their peaceful application of nuclear power.

Would the US stop their nuclear enrichment if Iran asked them to? Of course not.

4

Siroos,

UK 20/07/2008 07:31:06
#- 3, Dukov,

There is a fundemental difference in the general attitude of the US and Iran regime.
If you do not know anything about the incentives offered by the EU to Iran, then PLEASE read about it first!!
5

Dukov Norfolk,

The Palace 20/07/2008 07:57:14
#4 Siroos

"There is a fundemental difference in the general attitude of the US and Iran regime".

....The world is well aware of the attitude of the US. It has displayed it in the number of countries it has bombed since WWII, the number of terrorist organisations it has supported, the number of innocent deaths caused by the misguided foreign policy decisions, the number of military bases it has established throughout the world.

Iran's attitude is one of harnessing nuclear power to generate electricity. Prove that wrong!

Iran has a right to decide on its own future without "incentives" offered by the EU.
6

Covert Action,

20/07/2008 11:56:39
ffs let's just nuke them
7

netmaster,

US 20/07/2008 14:52:03
Iran has the right to make or use nuclear power. Also no one can tell Iran what they can or they can not do. People need to face the fact that Iran is and will be Number one in Asia and in the Middle East.
8

Gere,

Scotland 20/07/2008 15:37:52
It appears that Iran has learnt the lesson of Iraq!

The American invasion and occupation of Iraq on the strength of a lie by Bush changed the world forever!

If Iraq had the nuclear deterent America would not have obeyed its Israeli masters and invaded, they would not have set up torture centres on an industrial scale such as Abu Ghraib. 14 year old Iraqi girls would have been safe from rape and murder by American troops such as occurred in Haditha where the raping American troops also murdered 24 members of her family to cover up the American crime against humanity. American Mercenaries such as Blackwater would not have been given immunity when murdering unarmed civilian Iraqis in the city centres openly displaying the American disregard of human life that is not American or Jewish.

After Iraq the acquisition of the nuclear deterent should be a top priority for any country who, if they do not have the technical know-how, should seek alliances with countries that have the nuclear deterent.

The American occupation of some European countries should also begin to be challenged, initially at the political level at this stage.
9

Ivona Vujica,

Ottawa, Canada 21/07/2008 01:00:19
Abolition of Fossil fuels, Nuclear power and Weapons
posted by Ivona Vujica

THE END OF THE DINOSAUR CIVILIZATION (FOSSIL FUELS, NUCLEAR) AND THE EMERGING CONFLATION OF GLOBAL WARMING, GLOBAL CIVIL WAR, WORLD ECONOMIC DEPRESSION AND THE EXTINCTION OF THE HUMAN SPECIES…

According to an old story, a lord of ancient China once asked his physician, a member of a family of healers, which of them was the most skilled in the art. The physician, whose reputation was such that his name became synonymous with medical science in China, replied,“My eldest sister sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so her name does not get out of the house. My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood. As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe medicines, and massage skin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords.

(Dr. Thomas Cleary’s introduction to Sun Tzu’s Art of War translation – note: Sun Tzu was writing at a time when Chinese civilization was embroiled in civil wars.)

War, Global Warming, financial calamity, starvation and suffering has become pornographic fodder world-wide.“The best and brightest” participate and profit by it regardless of their being on the right, left or the middle.

Chaos and Disorder are imbued and dispersed in our Knowledge-, Economic-, Climate-, even Wisdom networks of knowing. Politicians run amuck and Corporations have their blinders on to everything except what legally they are obligated to do – that is to make profit above all else.(see The Corporation documentary - What is a corporation? http://www.youtube.com/watch... )

Too late is it now for long-term planning in the phase-out of King Coal and other Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power and Weapons.

All Tribes, Nations, Communities and Peoples must call and ACT for the Full Abolition of King Coal, Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Power and Weapons immediately.

Abolitio
10

Ivona Vujica,

Ottawa, Canada 21/07/2008 01:03:43
Abolition of King Coal, Fossil Fuels and Nuclear power and Weapons Everywhere!

Call for the Abolition in your community now-
Stop the Global Warming Machines!
Stop the Coming Genocides - Food/Water/Energy Chaos!
Divest from King coal

For rest of document see

http://quebec.indymedia.org/en/node/28427 (previous document)
http://floodiceorfire.wordpress.com (this document)

http://burningdinosaur.wordpress.com/

IRAN AND ISRAEL SHOULD CALL FOR THE ABOLITION OF NUCLEAR POWER AND WEAPONS-FARFETCHED?ON JULY 13 2008 DOZENS OF MIDDLE EASTERN STATES CALLED FOR THIS INCLUDING NO BIO-CHEM WEAPONS IN MID-EAST

CAN ALSO GOOGLE BURNING DINOSAUR ABOLITION FOSSIL FUELS
11

right of center,

Chicago 21/07/2008 02:26:46
Dukov Norfolk,The Palace

"The world is well aware of the attitude of the US. It has displayed it in the number of countries it has bombed since WWII"

You make it sound like there was no reason for the bombing.

Also, are you embarrashed of the city or country you hail from?
12

Dukov Norfolk,

The Palace 21/07/2008 02:51:37
#11

"You make it sound like there was no reason for the bombing".

....Not at all. My contention is that the reasons were invalid in most cases. Unless you believe that off-loading surplus bombs on innocent civilans is a valid reason.

13

Cuthulan,

approx.12,000miles from Earth's core 21/07/2008 11:34:39
#4siroos
Iran has signed the NPT ,which means weapons inspectors are in Iran regularly ,and they are allowed to reseach nuclear energy for civilian use. There is NO evidence to say they are doing anything else.UK is an Oil producing state but Tony Blair wanted to roll out New Nuclear reactors so what's the problem? BTW Israel is NOT a signatory of the NPT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Non-Proliferation_Treaty
You must also believe that deterance does NOT work , as America and Israel have nuclear weapons and Iran does not.If Iran was to make and attempt to launch a nuclear missle ,Iran would be turned into a radioactive sheet of glass within minutes and they know it!!
As I pointed out before this story is b*ll*cks. Iran is doing nothing wrong with its nuclear facilities and has NO WMD's.
This is about the IRANIAN OIL BOURSE that has openned and sells oil in EURO's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_oil_bourse
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=37468§ionid=35
This is NOT the first time this has happened
In 1951 Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh was elected prime minister. As prime minister, Mossadegh became enormously popular in Iran after he nationalized Iran's oil reserves. In response Britain embargoed Iranian oil and invited the United States to join in a plot to depose Mossadegh, and in 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized Operation Ajax. The operation was successful, and Mossadegh was arrested on 19 August 1953.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran#Late_Modern_Era_.281921.E2.80.93.29
This led to the overthrow of a democratically led secular socialist government and the impostion of the Shah's brutal regime. This led to the rise of the Mullahs!! It is what we are seeing repeated in Iraq .
Iraq sold oil in EURO's in the Oil for food programm.
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/background/oilexports.html
So a secular socialist government was overthrown and a puppet regime was put in place ,which looks like it will fall to the Mullahs, suprise,s
14

Cuthulan,

approx. 12,000miles from Eath's core 21/07/2008 11:36:18
Cont./
This led to the overthrow of a democratically led secular socialist government and the impostion of the Shah's brutal regime. This led to the rise of the Mullahs!! It is what we are seeing repeated in Iraq .
Iraq sold oil in EURO's in the Oil for food programm.
http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/background/oilexports.html
So a secular socialist government was overthrown and a puppet regime was put in place ,which looks like it will fall to the Mullahs, suprise,suprise, but as long as the Oil law is passed it will all be worthwhile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_oil_law_(2007)
Attacking Iran will ,drive Oil prices throw the roof ,great for Oil companies ,massivly increase terrorism and will strengthen the Mullahs hold in Iran NOT destroy it . The best way to bring secular western values to Iran , if they want them , is by example and not by the gun barrel!!
UK and USA have probably already committed an act of war by cutting the fibre optic cables that supply Iran in Feb 2008. This was done to disrupt the openning of the Iranian Oil Bourse.Or maybe it was all coincidence?
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/third-undersea-cable-reportedly-cut/story.aspx?guid=%7B1AAB2A79-E983-4E0E-BC39-68A120DC16D9%7D
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7222536.stm
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?no_d2=1&sid=08/02/06/1431206
I bet The openning Iranian Oil Bourse is news to most people and has not been reported via the BBC or scotsman,propaganda services NOT news services. It is a vitally important story to the financial and oil sector.
This is about protecting the PETRODOLLAR,and nothing to do with WMD's!!
"I'm saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: The Iraq war is largely about oil." – Alan Greenspan
15

Cuthulan,

approx. 12,000miles from Earth's Core 21/07/2008 12:43:08
#4 Siroos
"There is a fundemental difference in the general attitude of the US and Iran regime."

How true you are, please read the following

Indicators of a delusion
(Munro, 1999)

1.The patient expresses an idea or belief with unusual persistence or force.
2.That idea appears to exert an undue influence on his or her life, and the way of life is often altered to an inexplicable extent.
3.Despite his/her profound conviction, there is often a quality of secretiveness or suspicion when the patient is questioned about it.
4.The individual tends to be humorless and oversensitive, especially about the belief.
5.There is a quality of centrality: no matter how unlikely it is that these strange things are happening to him, the patient accepts them relatively unquestioningly.
6.An attempt to contradict the belief is likely to arouse an inappropriately strong emotional reaction, often with irritability and hostility.
7.The belief is, at the least, unlikely.
8.The patient is emotionally over-invested in the idea and it overwhelms other elements of his psyche.
9.The delusion, if acted out, often leads to behaviors which are abnormal and/or out of character, although perhaps understandable in the light of the delusional beliefs.
10.Individuals who know the patient will observe that his belief and behavior are uncharacteristic and alien.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_disorder

IRAN has NO WMD's but the USA is going to start a Nuclear War because of the WMD threat !! Now that is delusional!! If you believe thw WMD threat from Iran then you are delusional as well.
16

57Nomad,

california 24/07/2008 01:06:34
#5 DN

DN said:

"..The world is well aware of the attitude of the US. It has displayed it in the number of countries it has bombed since WWII"


How did that deal in the Falklands work out for you?

 

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