Unilateral approach may not solve Iran nuke issue: RI

Unilateral approach may not solve Iran nuke issue: RI

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As debates on Iran's nuclear program are heating up, Indonesia --
a peace-loving nation and home to the largest Muslim population
in the world -- urged all countries in the Middle East as well as
the international community to settle the issue through dialog.

Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, secretary-general of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs stressed that any unilateral approach on the
Iran's nuclear issue would be harmful to international peace and
security.

"A coercive and unilateral approach, has not proven to be the
right solution to the question. Therefore, it is crucial for the
countries in the region, together with the international
community, to continuously engage in dialog toward creating a WMD
(weapons of mass destruction)-free Middle East zone," he told
participants of a seminar on Indonesia and Iran's Nuclear Issue.
in Jakarta on Thursday.

The one-day seminar, which was sponsored by the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI), also featured Iranian Ambassador to
Indonesia Shaban Shahidi Moaddab and Russian Ambassador Mikhail
M. Bely as its speakers.

Indonesia, a state party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
treaty signatory and member state of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), welcomed Iran's signing of the Additional
Protocol of the IAEA Guarantees Agreements. But at the same time
it supports every country's, including Iran's, right to develop
nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes.

"Indonesia fully supports the right of each state party and
member state, to engage in research, production and the use of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," said Sudjadnan, who will
be the head of the Nuclear Disarmament's Main Committee I during
next month's NPT Review Conference in New York.

The seminar comes at a time when the United States has been
accusing Iran of harboring ambitions to build nuclear weapons,
while Tehran, which has strong backing from Russia, claims that
its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Iran has consistently refused to permanently suspend uranium
enrichment but has suspended it during the talks.

Iran together with other 187 countries, including five nuclear
powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China,
is a state party to the NPT.

Iranian Ambassador Shaban said that as a state party to the
NPT, Iran had complied fully with obligations and not even a
single trace of diversion toward restricted areas had been
reported so far by the IAEA.

"Iranian nuclear programs and relevant research or production
sites have gone through all sorts of safety verifications. Even
though Iran's ability in manifesting its potential is proven, it
has respected its obligations," he said.

"If nuclear technology is good for the United States and
others, then it should be good for Iran as well. What is good for
the goose is certainly good for the gander," he said.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Thursday from Jerusalem that
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran needed to do more to
assure the world it was not trying to build atomic weapons.

Putin said Tehran's agreement to return spent nuclear fuel to
Russia -- which agreed to supply the material to Iran's Bushehr
plant -- "does not seem to be enough".

He said that in addition, the Iranians should "abandon all
technology to create a full nuclear cycle and also not obstruct
their nuclear sites from international control".

Bely said that his country helped Iran in the utilization of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

"Our cooperation fits completely into the framework of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolutions; it is
proceeding under full IAEA control," he said.

He said that Iran's nuclear program was not directed toward
creating nuclear weapons, nuclear cycle technologies and uranium
enrichment.

"Russia proceeds from the assumption that only the IAEA has
the right to give an assessment on the observance by Iran of its
responsibilities under the NPT," he said.