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.