TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini here on Sunday insisted on Iran’s inalienable right to utilize nuclear technology for peaceful purposes amid calls by the EU for a suspension of uranium enrichment in the country.

“The European Union should not pursue its past illogical policy and should stop adopting decisions that the passage of time has proved useless and unconstructive,” he told reporters in his weekly press briefing.
At a summit in Brussels on Friday, leaders of the 27 EU states reiterated their support for possible additional UN Security Council sanctions against Iran if the country did not stop enriching uranium.
Hosseini stated that such approaches will not help resolve the country’s nuclear issue.
“The EU should respect the right of other countries to utilize peaceful nuclear technology and we believe through this approach the status of the Europeans” will improve in the eyes of the world, he stated.
The foreign ministry spokesman called on EU members to support the process of negotiations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Organization.
Tehran, Cairo have better understanding of relations
Hosseini described the latest talks between the visiting Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Drar and Iranian officials as constructive. “Currently the two countries have a better understanding of the state of their relations.”
“We are waiting for Egypt to consider the outcome of the Egyptian official’s visit, so that necessary decisions can be made about the next steps,” he added.
NIE positively influenced Arab viewpoints
The recent U.S. intelligence report on Iran’s nuclear program has positively influenced the views of Arab and Islamic states on the country’s nuclear activities, Hosseini noted.
However, the contradictory statements of U.S. officials is clearly evident in the report, he added.
In a report released on Dec. 3, the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) said Iran has no nuclear weapons program and probably can’t produce enough uranium for a bomb until 2010 at the earliest even if it wished to develop nuclear arsenal.
The report conceded that U.S. allegations about Iran’s nuclear objectives have been exaggerated for at least two years.
The wife of former FBI agent due in Iran
Hosseini said that a visa has been issued for the wife of a former FBI agent who is said to be missing in Iran.
Robert Levinson, a U.S. citizen who retired from the FBI in 1998, was last seen in March on the Iranian resort island of Kish, where he was said to be seeking information on cigarette smuggling for a client of his private security firm.
His wife believes he is still in Iran because his name has not shown up on any flight manifests of planes leaving the country and his passport has not been used anywhere, AP reported.
Aggressive stances will not resolve problems
In response to recent statements by French President Nicolas Sarkozy who had said “The danger of a war exists” with Iran over its nuclear program, Hosseini stated, “We believe adopting such aggressive stances will not help resolve the problems.”
In the interview with Le Nouvel Observateur magazine on Wednesday, Sarkozy said, “The problem for us is not so much the risk that the Americans could launch a military intervention, but that the Israelis consider their security truly threatened.”
“Everybody should try to calm the atmosphere of talks and support Iran-IAEA negotiations,” the foreign ministry spokesman noted.
Foreign elements attempting to harm Iran-Azerbaijan ties
Hosseini dismissed rumors by some Azerbaijani sources that a group of Iranian spies had been seized in the country for plotting a coup in the former Soviet republic.
“It is a baseless allegation against Iran and unfortunately a wide propaganda has been launched supporting the case.”
“We believe that there are foreign hands involved” to harm the good relations between Tehran and Baku,” he added.
Instead of making baseless allegations Azerbaijani government should present the documents (if any) to Iranian side, he said.
The two countries are seeking to boost bilateral ties, and “we should not allow others to harm the relations,” he added.
Iranian delegation in Baghdad
Hosseini said that a Foreign Ministry delegation is now in Baghdad to negotiate with Iraqi officials on the next round of Iran-U.S. talks over the security situation in Iraq.
Their objective is to pave the way for achieving better results in the upcoming talks, he added