Ahmadinejad :Tehran's nuclear rights irrevocable

Tehran's nuclear rights irrevocable
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:01:29
The Iranian president underlines that Tehran will not back down "one iota" over its legitimate right to access civilian nuclear energy.

"We will take part in any negotiations and talk about any issue which consolidates our nuclear rights but Iran will not give an inch on its nuclear rights, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad noted. He made the remarks in a meting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Tehran on Saturday.

Assad, for his part, said that Damascus considers Tehran lawfully entitled to peaceful nuclear energy.

“Given the Iranian nuclear standoff, Syria attaches great importance to international treaties directly related to the issue. As to international accords, Iran has the right to enrich uranium and to operate a nuclear plant like any other state,” Bashar al-Assad said.

During the meeting, both sides also emphasized the importance of Iranian-Syrian cooperation as a means to maintain and consolidate regional stability and security.

“Despite efforts made by certain states to disrupt Tehran-Damascus ties, these relations will remain unshakable and permanent,” Ahmadinejad emphasized.

On Sunday, the Syrian leader is to meet with the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, before returning to Damascus.

Assad's visit to Tehran follows his trip to Paris a month ago. During the Paris visit, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Syria to persuade Iran to prove that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.