Nuclear energy an 'essential right': Iranian foreign minister
"The member states of the NPT should enjoy... their right, which is peaceful nuclear technology. We are insisting on that," Mottaki said, in a reference to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Mottaki called on the international community not to violate "the essential rights of countries" and said Iran was opposed to action by the UN Security Council on his country's nuclear program.
"The nuclear issue of Iran is a technical issue in the framework for consideration in the IAEA and taking the case to the Security Council or anywhere else is a political decision which is not acceptable," Mottaki said, in a reference to the UN's nuclear monitoring body, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"Returning the case to the IAEA will prepare the ground for a return to full cooperation," he said.
Mottaki was attending a regional economic conference of the 10-country Economic Cooperation Organization taking place in Iran's neighbor Azerbaijan.
Mottaki said Iran was ready to cooperate with the international community provided that its nuclear program was treated as a "technical issue".
"In such a case, definitely Iran is in a position to continue its full cooperation," he said.
"The issue must not be politicized."
There were no grounds for Western suspicions that Iran's nuclear energy program is a cover for developing nuclear weapons, he added.
"Our position on nuclear weapons is clear: we are against, and support removing all nuclear weapons in the world," Mottaki said.
While Azerbaijan was bound by all UN resolutions, "we said that any state a member of the UN and the IAEA has a full right developing its nuclear energy under IAEA control" Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.
Mottaki also conferred in Baku Thursday with the Tajik deputy foreign minister on expansion of ties between the two countries, IRNA reported.
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are the member states of ECO.
At the meeting, Mottaki referred to friendly ties between Iran and Tajikistan and said that the prospect of bilateral relations is very promising.
The implementation of the Anzab project was a manifestation of the two sides’ determination, he underlined.
The Tajik deputy foreign minister, for his part, highlighted the significant role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the restoration of peace and stability to the region and said the country plays a very important role to this end.
"We appreciate cooperation of Iranian companies in implementing development projects in Tajikistan and attach importance to them," he said.
Implementation of the Anzab tunnel project marks Iran's great role in the reconstruction and development of Tajikistan, he said.
Mottaki also conferred in Baku Thursday with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid M. Kasuri on mutual relations as well as regional and international developments.
During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister reviewed ways of expanding mutual cooperation as emphasized by the presidents of the two countries.
Recent telephone conversations between the two countries' presidents have been quite constructive and effective in the expansion of economic cooperation, restoration of peace and security to the region and advancing talks on implementation of a gas pipeline project between Iran, Pakistan and India, Mottaki said.
"We believe that the current (nuclear) impasse would be resolved through a fair policy and by observing the legitimate rights of the Iranian nation to access peaceful nuclear technology," he said.
The Pakistani foreign minister, for his part, described the two sides’ relations as very 'excellent' and said there are untapped grounds for further expansion of ties between the two countries.