If
Pressure Continues, Iran Can Change Mind On NPT
By Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
Siddharth Varadarajan
& John Cherian
10 August, 2006
The
Hindu
We are meeting at
a time when the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme is being escalated.
Last week, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution threatening
sanctions on Iran even as you are still evaluating your response to
the European package of incentives. What is your government likely to
do now?
As I see it, the issue has
not become more complicated. Rather, it is clear. The U.S. and certain
European countries do not want Iran to have access to peaceful nuclear
technology, to use that technology. And they are using everything at
their disposal to make sure of this. Recent developments in Lebanon
again demonstrate that the UNSC is an instrument under their control.
And they used this instrument at their disposal, so nothing important
has happened. From the very beginning, they were threatening us with
their instrument, which is the UNSC. And we responded by asking whether
the Security Council is controlled by you because you are constantly
talking about it and using it to threaten us. We have known this [reality]
for some time now. But these days everything has become that much clearer.
We have always been interested
in talking, and we are still interested in dialogue, in the context
of the law, our national interest, and based on justness and fairness.
And in a fair atmosphere. This is because we conduct our affairs lawfully
and we have always believed — and continued to believe —
in the concepts of peace and tranquillity and justice. So we have nothing
to fear.
We managed to secure —
to access — this technology indigenously, here in Iran [points
to his head]. This is the end result of our scientific endeavours. Nobody
can take this away from us [again points to his head]. Having said that,
we are still interested in talking if there are parties out there which
might have questions. We are always interested in receiving their questions
and responding to them. They have given us a proposal. And we have responded
by saying that we will respond to you later. And we are very much in
the middle of studying that package. And we also gave them a date.
August 22?
Yes, we said we would reply
on the 22nd of August and they issued a resolution nevertheless! I am
at a loss to explain this. What is the meaning of this? The only conclusion
I can draw is that they are bullying us. They want to impose their will
on us. They really are not looking for a dialogue. In all honesty, they
do not want to talk to us but want to impose their wishes on us. They
want to deny us our rights. They want to place a Damocles sword over
our head so that we give up eventually. But they have miscalculated.
The time for such behaviour is in the past, it's finished. We are not
concerned. And they will regret the miscalculation they have made today.
Last year, at the
U.N. General Assembly, you made an interesting proposal for a multinational
fuel cycle but the other countries did not respond. Is it possible that
on August 22, you will make another proposal, so as to keep the path
for dialogue open?
What we have announced is
that we are going to study the package of incentives, and later we are
going to express our opinion on this. We are interested in continuing
with negotiations. But their most recent behaviour is reason enough
for us to doubt their sincerity. Given everything that has happened,
we no longer have any confidence, any trust. We assume that the whole
idea of presenting us with a package was a political exercise more than
anything else. So it has become very difficult for us to remove from
our mind the conclusion we have arrived at, which is that they are less
than sincere. It is difficult for us to believe they have given up their
colonial practices. Of course, there is a lot of possibility, a lot
of likelihood, that we are going to continue the packages more and we
are going to come back with a response. We are trying our very best
to do just that.
Were you surprised
at Russia and China joining hands with the U.S., France, and Britain
in passing this resolution at the UNSC?
No. We are standing on our
own two feet. Of course, we would like to see our friends stand side
by side with us.
Are there any circumstances — if this approach of the
U.S. and the Europeans continues, the approach, as you see it, of increasing
pressure on you — that Iran may one day decide to leave the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Is that at all a possibility?
We have said time and again
that all of our nuclear activities are peaceful, and are conducted in
the context and under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) and also the articles of the NPT. We remain firmly inside
those boundaries. Nevertheless, if they decide to use the instruments
at their disposal to put pressure on us to limit our activities, and
try to take away or deny what is rightfully ours, and to distort our
rights, obviously we are going to change our mind.
About being in the
NPT, or about the peaceful nature of your nuclear programme?
Well, we are going to respond
commensurate to their response. In other words, we are going to respond
in kind. Having said that, they will not be able to put pressure on
us.
There is a famous
fatwa of Ayatollah Khomeini that it is against Islam to use the nuclear
bomb. But do you also consider it un-Islamic to make or keep the bomb
for deterrence purposes?
We think that the time of
weapons of mass destruction having a say in, or determining the course
of, political or human relations is in the past. It is finished. And
in the very near future, these existing arsenals are going to become
useless. All nations very much abhor war, killing, and bloodshed. There
are only a few big powers that want to speed up the arms race, and of
course, the reason they are interested in this is to line their own
pockets. Today, the age of thinking, of cultural exchanges and endeavours
has dawned. What we desperately need is better human interaction, peace,
justice, pens — people in the media, for example — that
work for the greater good. These are the factors that contribute to
or bring about happiness and well-being. Bombs do not provide prosperity.
The money that is spent on armaments should rightfully be spent on better
welfare, for the development of our various societies, and also healthcare.
Iran has made impressive
advances in the past two decades but in the energy field there are two
critical weaknesses. You have a lack of refining capability, so you
import gasoline. And you also don't have the technology to liquefy gas.
While accepting that Iran has every right to pursue nuclear energy,
wouldn't the goal of energy security, at least in the medium term, be
better served by investing your money on refineries and doing research
on LNG technology rather than nuclear fuel enrichment?
These two do not create any
impositions on each other. The experts who have been involved in the
fields [you mention] must do a better job. And of course we have approached
them, to be much quicker. These are two parallel endeavours, and one
does not translate into any obstacles in the way of the other. Can one
say that a country which desperately requires greater amounts of energy
must ignore healthcare cover? Or ignore such issues as aerodynamics,
lasers or state-of-the-art medical services? There are different branches
of technology and science. It is very natural for a country to progress
more in one branch than another.
Last year, after India voted against Iran at the IAEA, your
government expressed its disappointment. There are some who are saying
the LNG contract for 5 million tonnes has run into trouble as a result.
How do you assess the state of bilateral relations today?
The relationship between
India and Iran is a historical one. Many cultural and civilisational
commonalities have linked the two countries together. Our literature,
arts and also our social practices and customs, our intellectuals, and
also the tastes and sentiments of my people are very similar to that
of the Indian nation. Aside from those, in the region we have many shared
interests and shared points of view and positions. Our relations are
steeped in history.
Having said that, we were
dismayed with the position taken by the Indian government. This came
as a surprise. Again, having said that, this will not play a role in
determining our relations. As far as relations are concerned, we are
working for and hoping for very clear future horizons, promising horizons.
Iranians are very much at ease when they are in the company of their
Indian brethren and we have a lot of affinity with Indians. Ours is
not the kind of relationship that will be affected by one mistake. I
think the relations are important enough that if one of the parties
makes a mistake, they would correct that mistake themselves. Having
said that, we are not worried about that. But having said that, this
came as a surprise.
When India's Petroleum
Minister, Murli Deora, met you in Shanghai in June, you said you would
ask the Majlis [Parliament] to clarify the status of the LNG contract.
Could you tell us what is the position?
I want to stress that the
LNG contract has nothing to do with the [IAEA] issue. In all honesty,
everything boils down to a legal interpretation of the contract. A difference
of opinion exists between our oil company and its Indian counterpart.
We really want to expand our cooperation. And as you might appreciate,
as far as [energy cooperation with India] is concerned, I myself am
personally following matters. I have directed my colleagues to approach
the Majlis and ask them where we stand on the LNG issue. I think that
in about 30-40 days from now, we will have an answer.
Many people in Iran,
India, and Pakistan are looking forward to the natural gas pipeline
currently under discussion. But the pricing of gas is emerging as a
stumbling block. Given the strategic importance of the pipeline for
the three countries, and especially Iran, are you willing to be flexible
as far as price is concerned?
We have a great deal of respect
and love for the people of India and Pakistan. We look upon them as
our own people. We are very interested in this pipeline being constructed.
You have to appreciate that at the moment we have a lot of offers [for
our gas] from Europe with very high prices. Nevertheless, we would like
this pipeline to be constructed and stretch between Iran, Pakistan,
and India. We want this pipeline to be the pipeline of brotherhood and
peace. And of course, we would very much like to be flexible. At the
end of the day, well, we have to go through the National Iran Oil Company
(NIOC), and they obviously are a legal entity. They have to work out
an agreement, and obviously their mentality, how they look at this venture,
is an economic one, and they have to sell this gas, this commodity,
at the best possible price. This natural gas pipeline will be a securable
and bankable pipeline. With that in mind, its prices cannot be very
far away from international prices. I think that we can come to an agreement,
inshallah. [We should give] some time to the experts of the three countries
to reach an agreement.
One of the interesting aspects of your diplomatic style is the
letters you have written — to U.S. President George W. Bush for
example, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. What is the purpose behind
these letters? Were they meant to be an invitation to dialogue? And
are you disappointed you never got a reply?
There are two points you
need to appreciate. The westerners have devised a framework for diplomatic
activity; they have written the rules of the game, so to speak, and
want everyone to play by those rules. I assure you that whoever plays
by those rules, whoever remains in that framework, will be worse off.
We have to come up and use our practices and ways and methods. We very
much can have our frameworks. We have a very rich culture, a very ancient
civilisation to draw on. We have proposals, ideas to help find solutions
to the many international problems which exist. So with these, we fully
believe we can have a better world, we can govern the world much better
than it is governed today.
The letters I sent, their
spirit, were messages more than anything else. Of course, I was hoping
— I was interested in them appreciating and accepting these rightful
words. And I would have liked them to return to what is right, and appreciate
the truth. But they are free to make their own choices. But at the end
of the day, all individuals will reap the seeds they have sown, the
choices they have made. Of course, you can see for yourself, the result
of these two diplomatic initiatives. I believe that the goals set have
been secured. This was a message, a call, an invitation to peace and
appreciation of the truth. If they were to accept the message, so much
the better. And if they refuse, nations around the world will come to
appreciate that they oppose peace, because this is a call to peace,
an invitation to peace.
Your colleagues are signalling that our time is up but we have
to ask one last question, on Lebanon. Does the failure of Israel to
achieve its aims in Lebanon create a new opportunity for the international
community to push for a just peace in the Middle East where all countries
can live peacefully within secure borders and in freedom?
We believe that the incidents
which have unfolded in Lebanon will change the ongoing equations in
the region. The regime of occupation of al-Quds [Israel] is a regime
which is very much dependent on and boasts about its military war machine.
This regime does not have a humanitarian relationship, a long-standing
relationship with the countries of the region. It is only falling back,
so to speak, on its military might. This is a might, mind you, which
they have used time and again for 60 long years. But this military might
and this war machine have now come to an abrupt halt. Obviously, this
vacuum is a prelude to certain changes, and these will come about. Developments
are yet to unfold. We very much hope that these developments will lead
to a just and durable peace.
Having said that, once you
look at this arena, and also the behaviour shown by America, Britain,
and the Zionist regime, this dream, this hope, sometimes seems far-fetched.
Because they are not bothered with peace. Rather, they are interested
in perpetuating their occupation. They are looking for a fight. They
want to have hegemony. This is very much evident from the behaviour
shown by the Americans and the British when the whole issue of establishing
a ceasefire [in Lebanon] was being debated recently. The duty of the
UNSC is to help establish peace and security. The first action that
must be taken is to establish a ceasefire. But they were thinking that
if they oppose a ceasefire and help the war to continue in Lebanon,
that in turn will help them secure their goals and interests. And as
we speak, they are still killing time, dragging their feet, to buy the
Zionists some time so that they can have some military victories. On
the other hand, they are talking about and circulating texts for specific
resolutions to be passed and through these they are hoping to secure
the interests that the Zionist regime failed to secure through a military
attack and campaign. For this reason, as we can all see, the war rages
on.
Allow me to say something
else — a point which I believe the Indian and Iranian people fully
believe in. What has happened most recently in Lebanon tells us all
that certain big powers are not interested in the welfare of other nations.
They are only thinking about their own interests, and lining their pockets
and expanding their control and hegemony. Who are they? These are the
people who say that ethical considerations have no place in political
relationships and social relations. They have no reservations whatsoever
in oppressing others, telling lies, committing atrocities and also being
corrupt. All of these come together to tell me that humanity at large
is aching for rulers who are ethical. And the world needs pious people,
pure people. People who love each other. Those who think only about
bombs, attacking others, aggression, and oppressing others — they
are the root cause of everything that is wrong with the world. The failure
of the UNSC in helping to bring peace and tranquillity to various nations
can be found in the conduct of certain leaders.
Copyright © 2006, The
Hindu.