Iran stresses commitment to nuclear NPTThe Iranian Foreign Ministry affirmed Tehran's commitment to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty on Sunday and urged a peaceful solution to the dispute over its nuclear programme. Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi, the ministry spokesman, issued the latest Iranian declaration a day after the Iranian president threatened unspecified changes to the country's nuclear policy after it was reported to the United Nations General Assembly. "We are still committed to the provisions of the NPT. But we can't accept its use as a (political) instrument. We will cooperate in the treaty and the safeguards' framework," Asefi told a weekly news conference. On Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected US and European pressure to freeze the country's nuclear programme and hinted that Iran might withdraw from the non-proliferation pact. Asefi, meanwhile, urged the International Atomic Energy Agency and Europeans to keep open diplomatic channels. "The agency and other parties should not block roads to Islamic Republic of Iran and should solve the case in the framework of the regulations," he said. Asefi rejected comments by British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, who said last week that there was no proof but "very high level of suspicion" that Iran was trying to build a nuclear weapon. "How do you apply a policy of non-trust toward Iran when there is no proof that Iran is trying to divert its nuclear programme toward a weapon?" Asefi asked. Last modified February 14, 2006 |