Iran won't accept ultimatum in nuclear dispute, says ex-president

Jul 25, 2008, 10:05 GMT

Tehran - Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani said Friday that Tehran would not accept any ultimatum in the talks on its nuclear programme.

'We have agreed to talk (with the world powers) on the issue for finding a settlement (in the nuclear dispute) and are indeed hopeful to do so,' Rafsanjani said at the Friday prayers ceremony in Tehran.

'But again they (world powers) come up with ultimatums, timetables and even threats which are unacceptable for Iran,' added the moderate cleric who is one of the most vehement critics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The five United Nations Security Council member states - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany have given Iran a two-week deadline to either accept suspension of uranium enrichment - and in return avail itself of Western economic and political incentives - or face further financial sanctions.

Ahmadinejad on Wednesday rejected the demand and called on the veto powers 'to accept realities' and acknowledge Iran's right to pursue nuclear projects, including uranium enrichment.

'We are ready to remove all international concerns and negotiations are the best framework to do so, and to prove that Iran's nuclear projects are peaceful and that Iran would never be after acquiring weapons of mass destruction due to religious obligations,' Rafsanjani said.

Rafsanjani is still quite influential on the Iranian political scene, not only as head of the clergy body, the Experts' Assembly, but also as frontrunner of the moderate-reformist opposition faction to President Ahmadinejad.

The cleric added that during the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, although the regime of Saddam Hussein used toxic gas against Iranian forces, Tehran refrained from reciprocating and utilised just internationally acknowledged methods of warfare.

The Western powers fear that Iran might be using its nuclear programme to work on a secret military project. Tehran denies the suspicions, saying its nuclear programmes are for civilian purposes only in line with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and are supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency.