Iranian parliament's foreign affairs commission said yesterday
that a UN Security Council resolution urging Iran to stop uranium
enrichment by August 31 was "unacceptable."
"The Security Council resolution is unacceptable and is shifting
the climate down a path that will help no one," the Fars News
Agency quoted Kazem Jalali, a spokesman for the commission, as
saying.
The UN Security Council Monday adopted the resolution by a vote
of 14 to 1. Qatar, the only Arab nation on the Security Council,
cast the only negative vote.
Jalali also warned that the US would be a loser if it wants to
play a "game" over Iran's nuclear issue.
"The Americans must be sure that Iran will not take part in a
game that it will lose," Jalali said.
"If there were to be a loser, it would be those who have shifted
the Iranian nuclear issue away from dialogue," the spokesman
added.
The resolution, adopted after weeks of negotiation, demands Iran
"suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities,
including research and development."
On the insistence of council members such as Russia and China,
the resolution dropped the threat of immediate sanctions, and
requires the council to hold further discussions before it
considers sanctions.
Explaining Iran's position on the nuclear issue, Iranian
Ambassador to the UN Javad Zarif said that Iran is not seeking
confrontation and has showed its readiness to engage in serious and
result-oriented negotiation based on mutual respect and equal
footing.
"Iran's peaceful nuclear program poses no threat to
international peace and security and therefore dealing with this
issue in the Security Council is unwarranted and void of any legal
basis or practical utility," he said.
Iran has promised to give an official response by August 22 to a
six-nation proposal that demands Iran suspend enrichment in return
for economic incentives.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2006)
