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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcoming his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad in an official ceremony in Tehran on Saturday. (Reuters)
Last update - 23:42 02/08/2008
Ahmadinejad: Iran won't retreat one iota from its nuclear rights
By News Agencies
Tags: Iran, syria, nuclear, Assad

Iran will not retreat "one iota" from its nuclear rights, the Islamic republic's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday, the day of an informal deadline set by Western officials in a row over Tehran's atomic ambitions.

Ahmadinejad made the remark in a statement posted on the presidential website after talks in Tehran with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"In whichever negotiation we take part ... it is unequivocally with the view to the realization of Iran's nuclear right, and the Iranian nation would not retreat one iota from its rights," Ahmadinejad's statement said.
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According to the statement, Assad said that based on international agreements, every country, including Iran, has the right to engage in uranium enrichment and possess nuclear power stations.

The West accuses Iran of seeking to build nuclear warheads under cover of a civilian power program. Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, denies the charge.

Western powers gave Iran two weeks from July 19 to respond to their offer to hold off from imposing more United Nations sanctions on Iran if Tehran would agree to freeze any expansion of its nuclear work, to get preliminary talks started between the two sides.

That would suggest a deadline of Saturday but Iran, which has repeatedly ruled out curbing its nuclear program, dismissed the idea of having two weeks to reply.

Earlier Saturday, Assad arrived for talks in Tehran, a few weeks after he told French President Nicolas Sarkozy that he would use his good relations with Iran to help resolve the Islamic republic's nuclear stand-off with the West.

Syria's president met with Ahmadinejad and other senior officials.

While visiting Paris last month, Assad said that a military attack on Iran over its nuclear program would have grave consequences for the United States, Israel and the world.

Washington says it wants a diplomatic solution to the dispute but has not ruled out military action if that fails.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana - who leads nuclear talks with Iran for the six major powers - will not declare Iran has missed the deadline if it does not reply by Saturday, EU diplomats said, but the West wants a reply in the next week.

"One should not focus too much on Saturday," one EU official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "If it's not Saturday but next week, we'll not make a big fuss about it. What matters is to get a clear answer quickly, in the very coming days."

An EU diplomat said "we are continuing our double approach of dialogue and pressure. If dialogue does not work, we could continue with additional pressure ... at the UN or EU level."

The sources were not authorized to speak publicly about the delicate diplomacy.

Germany's foreign minister urged Iran to stop playing for time and deliver a clear answer to the initiatives offered by six world powers, according to an interview released Saturday.

"I appeal again to the Iranian side no longer to play for time, but to give us a usable answer to our offers - stop dallying," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was quoted as saying in an interview with the weekly Der Spiegel.

The United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany in June offered Iran economic and other incentives to coax it into halting uranium enrichment, which can have both civilian and military uses.

The freeze idea is aimed at getting preliminary talks started, although formal negotiations on the incentives package will not start before Iran stops enriching uranium, which Tehran says is solely aimed at providing fuel for power plants.

Iran, whose refusal to halt the work has drawn three rounds of UN sanctions since 2006, has rejected suspension in the past and has given no indication that it is ready for a freeze.

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      1.   When it is ignored, this "deadline" will be quietly forgotten 17:03  |  Clickfool 02/08/08
      2.   Asad as nuclear weapon mediator for the West 17:21  |  Sima 02/08/08
      3.   Sad 18:01  |  Mike 02/08/08
      4.   Assad negotiating nukes 18:11  |  Elianah 02/08/08
      5.   Syrian President arrives in Iran 18:35  |  I.Kemp 02/08/08
      6.   What nuclear deadline? 18:42  |  Wendy 02/08/08
      7.   #3 Sad 18:49  |  Lou Medel 02/08/08
      8.   @3 Sad Mike 19:11  |  Mark B. 02/08/08
      9.   It`s Curious George And The Tall Man In The Hat 19:20  |  Yosemite 02/08/08
      10.   What really was said. 19:56  |  ManintheMiddle 02/08/08
      11.   Iran don`t allow yourself to be bullied and intimidated by the 20:19  |  lakshmi 02/08/08
      12.   Syrian choice between Iran and peace. 20:40  |  Jean Van Daem 02/08/08
      13.   Jean van Daem`s Syrian "choice" # 12 21:27  |  Clickfool 02/08/08
      14.   Jean van Daem`s "choice" # 12 21:30  |  Clickfool 02/08/08
      15.   Delicate diplomacy??? 22:33  |  Jim 02/08/08
      16.   Germoney 23:02  |  Markus 02/08/08
      17.   sensible 23:22  |  potobac 02/08/08
      18.   Israelis Think Sanctions Will Work ? More Delusions 23:45  |  Tod Zuckerman 02/08/08
      19.   Markus, peace-loving self-interest is bad? 00:05  |  Mark B. 03/08/08
      20.   Iran is counting on Syria and hizballa as the main front in the W 00:10  |  Simon 03/08/08
      21.   Germany speaks with forked tongue 00:20  |  Sam C 03/08/08
      22.   CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY IRAN CAN`T GO NUCLEAR? 00:27  |  Samy 03/08/08
      23.   re #6, Wendy 00:33  |  JTA 03/08/08
      24.   re #17, Potobac 00:40  |  JTA 03/08/08
      25.   Hypcocracy at it highest forms 00:40  |  gus 03/08/08
      26.   #19. What do you want, a war? 01:07  |  ManintheMiddle 03/08/08
      27.   Markus (16), it is not that peace loving German self-interest 01:30  |  Jew- and Bookburner 03/08/08
      28.   The Fanatics are hellbent on nukes 02:43  |  Brod 03/08/08
      29.   #12 JEAN VAN DAEM CONTINUES TO BOOTLEG 03:00  |  BigBadJohn 03/08/08
      30.   Dear Dear Samy 03:08  |  Torontonian 03/08/08
      31.   #22 Samy 03:21  |  Tarzan 03/08/08
      32.   DEAR SAMY#22, A NUCLEAR IRAN, THAT’S THE WHOLE ME NUCLEAR… 03:28  |  MOSHEH 03/08/08
      33.   Iran 03:46  |  JJJ 03/08/08
      34.   To MitM (#26) 04:03  |  Morris Valentine 03/08/08
      35.   IOTA = 1/100CM? 04:10  |  indrajaya 03/08/08
      36.   #19 Mark B. 04:35  |  Jim 03/08/08
      37.   Olmert Loves "Envelopes" 04:36  |  Joseph.E 03/08/08
      38.   A/MAD/JAD AND HIS "BROTHERS IN ARMS"WILL NEVER DEPART FROM THEIR 04:50  |  glenna 03/08/08
      39.   Samy #22, here`s why Iran can`t have nuke weapons at this time. 05:06  |  Voice of Reason 03/08/08
      40.   #20 Samy 05:08  |  Jim 03/08/08
      41.   No worries - carter and obama will continue talking to them 05:50  |  Arie 03/08/08
      42.   #12, jean van daem, israel has a choice too 06:03  |  VIPER 03/08/08
      43.   #22, SAMMY, thats what we`ve been saying all along 06:06  |  VIPER 03/08/08
      44.   #39, VOICE OF REASON, has no voice at all 06:09  |  VIPER 03/08/08
      45.   David and Goliath 06:11  |  Shimon Cleopas 03/08/08
      46.   The point is moot 06:55  |  Natallie Durson 03/08/08
      47.   jta 24 07:12  |  potobac 03/08/08
      48.   Iran`s Refusal To Cooperate 07:34  |  James 03/08/08
      49.   See you in September? 07:39  |  Shimon Cleopas 03/08/08
      50.   BASIC TRUTH 08:02  |  Tasawoof 03/08/08
      51.   Iran demonstrates respect for itself and others-deserves the same 08:26  |  Ivar 03/08/08
      52.   Bam`s Survivors Would Like Some Of That Reinforced Concrete ... 08:34  |  Lavi 03/08/08
      53.   James, 47, Iran refuses to cooperate with Israel`s armed robbery 09:25  |  Ivar 03/08/08
      54.   Saudi Plan is only comprehensive solution to ALL Middle East woes 09:46  |  Ivar 03/08/08
      55.   #53 I9VAR CONTUNUES TO SEE PINK ELEPHANTS 10:15  |  victor hardman 03/08/08
      56.   Iran Won`t Retreat One Iota From Its ForeignPolicy Frights Either 10:22  |  Lavi 03/08/08
      57.   Iran has no right to nuclear weapons 10:29  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/08/08
      58.   Never forget that Iran is ENTITLED to pursue uranium enrichment 10:42  |  Clickfool 03/08/08
      59.   #51, Ivar, speaking for Iran 10:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/08/08
      60.   Jim, Ass ad for sure not on regretably hopeless 10:53  |  Jew- and Bookburner 03/08/08
      61.   #35 Indrajaya a Freudian slip 11:06  |  H 03/08/08
      62.   PINHEAD SAMY # 22 11:06  |  Lex Luthor