Tehran declaration offers opportunity

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Tehran declaration on a possible nuclear fuel swap is “an opportunity” for world powers to eventually bring nuclear negotiations to a close.

“The Tehran declaration offered a comprehensive, clear and logical framework for cooperation,” Ahmadinejad told Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim in New York.

“Although it was met with a hostile reception by demanding administrations, the document still plays an important role in [international] relations,” the Iranian president, who is currently in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly, further explained.

Foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed the declaration in the Iranian capital of Tehran on May 17. According to the statement, the Islamic Republic would ship 1200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey to be exchanged for 120 kilograms of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel rods.

The 20-percent enriched fuel will be used to power the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for treatment of cancer patients.

The trio’s agreement was issued as part of efforts for ending the standoff between Iran and the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The US and its European allies, however, snubbed the declaration and used their influence on the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear work.