VP reveals Ahmadinejad’s UN message

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his address in New York will foil US efforts to isolate Tehran over it civilian nuclear program, says his vice president.

Ahmadinejad’s message to the UN nuclear disarmament conference is that “Iran will not give up even a portion of its inalienable nuclear rights,” Vice President Lotfollah Forouzandeh was quoted by Fars News as saying on Monday.

He added that the president’s New York visit also “conveys the Iranian nation’s message of peace and friendship to the world and shows that the Islamic Republic is empowered more than ever, while the global arrogance is weakened.”

President Ahmadinejad arrived in New York early on Monday to take part in the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The conference, which will run from May 3 to May 28, aims to monitor global progress in fulfilling disarmament obligations set out in the NPT.

“The participation of Ahmadinejad in the NPT Review Conference shows that Iran seeks lasting peace and security in the world and it is the colonialist countries that threaten others with nuclear bombs,” Forouzandeh said.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a peaceful enrichment program and are trying to rally support for UN Security Council sanctions against the country.

Iran, a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory to the NPT, has repeatedly dismissed the allegations, maintaining that its nuclear program is solely aimed at civilian applications of the technology.