Eurasia Press & News
Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) stressed the right of all world countries, including Iran, to access peaceful nuclear technology, viewing the UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions as inefficient in resolving Tehran’s nuclear issue.Speaking to reporters at a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here in Tehran on Wednesday, Ekmeloddin Ihsanoglou said, “The Organization of the Islamic Conference believes that all countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, are entitled to access and use civilian nuclear energy in accordance with the rules of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
He stated that OIC is decisive to take the required measures in order to prevent discriminative approaches in dealing with the nuclear issue, adding, “In the same line, the plan for a nuclear-free region is now on our working agenda so that we can lay pressure on the Zionist regime to make it accept inspections and regulations of the IAEA and safeguards.”
The OIC chief further pointed to the Central Asia as a proper example of a nuclear-free region, and said, “As regards Iran’s nuclear case, we still insist on persuading Iran to cooperate with the IAEA to settle the remaining issues.”
“In the same line we persuade Iran to adopt the required measures for building confidence among regional states and soothe concerns about its peaceful nuclear activities. Iran can interact with the regional countries and remove their concerns while continuing its activities,” he went on.
Ihsanoglou stressed that OIC believes “prerequisite-free talks and peaceful means are the only way to resolve Iran’s nuclear case within the IAEA and NPT rules and regulations.”
“This organization believes that sanctions do not provide a solution to the problem,” he continued.
OIC Secretary General added, “Different cases have proved that sanctions produce opposite results while they are detrimental to the peoples of the countries.
He further reiterated that OIC supports the inalienable and indisputable right of Iran and all other member states to acquire and use nuclear energy, “and we believe that sanctions and resolutions are by no means fruitful and, rather, produce opposite results.”
Elsewhere, the OIC Secretary General described his Tuesday meeting with the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as fruitful, and said that during the meeting, the two sides discussed Muslim unity and solidarity, cooperation among OIC member states and implementation of the 10-year-long working program of the OIC, reminding that Ahmadinejad voiced his support in the aforementioned areas.
