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Iranian Ambassador: Iran's nuke policy unchanged

By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-02 10:22

Iran's nuclear program will be the subject of high-level talks in Germany beginning Wednesday, but Iran's outgoing ambassador to China said this week that his country's nuclear policy remains unchanged.

"The situation is normal in Iran now and the new government led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the new term is about to actively take power with the general domestic policies and foreign policy remaining unchanged, especially on the nuclear issue," said Iranian Ambassador Javad Mansouri.

Mansouri said Iran's stance in nuclear program remains consistent and Teheran is not ready to give up its nuclear programs as it is within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty framework.

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"Iran has been working closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency and we will not give up our rights to develop nuclear energy," Mansouri said, calling for international understanding and support in resolving the nuclear standoff.

China's Foreign Ministry said yesterday that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei will lead the China delegation at the talks in Frankfurt this week.

China, which played a key role in the now-stalled Six-Party Talks over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear program, has said that it is willing to cooperate with all parties to restart the dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible to find a comprehensive and durable resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Mansouri acknowledged that there have been negative effects from the UN sanctions in the wake of Teheran's nuclear enrichment development. But Mansouri said that Iran's economy has not stagnated but grown as the average income of the Iranian people is now 30 times what it was 30 years ago.

Mansouri thinks very highly of the bilateral relations between Iran and China and is consistently seeking cooperation from China.

At the end of his three-year mission as ambassador to China, Mansouri said he has seen China's consistency in its diplomatic policy towards Iran as well as a 40 percent increase in trade volume in the last three years.

"Iran and China's economic cooperation is key and supplementary as China imports 14 percent of its crude oil from Iran while Iran benefits much from China's investment and cooperation in energy, gas and oil infrastructure," Mansouri said, adding that China's companies have cooperatively built oil refinery factories and power stations in Iran.

"We are looking at some other potential areas for further collaboration, such as education, scientific research and agriculture," he said, noting Iran needs the expertise China has now acquired in science and technology.

According to Mansouri, the bilateral trade volume between Iran and China is expected to reach $30 billion by the end of 2009.

The goal set is $50 billion in five years' time and $80 billion in 20 years' time.

The Chinese company Sinotruk has exported 16,000 China-made heavy-duty trucks to Iran.

Iran also sent a team for the first time to attend the 18th Urumqi Trade and Business Fair yesterday to explore further business cooperation with China.

Iran is looking at industry and infrastructure as "further points for development" of China-Iran cooperation, he said.

He said that cultural exchanges are strengthening the foundation of the two nations' centuries-old bond through the Silk Road, noting that the current cultural initiatives include language learning programs, culture study programs, themed exhibitions, seminars and media cooperation between countries.