US only snag in global N-disarmament

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says global efforts for full nuclear disarmament will hit a snag unless the US agrees to scrap its atomic arsenal.

Upon returning from his three-day trip to New York on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad said Washington is the “one and only obstacle” in the way of global disarmament.

“We believe that if the United States agrees to dismantle its atomic arsenal, other nuclear-armed states will follow suit,” he told reporters at Mehrabad Airport upon arrival in Tehran.

The Iranian President offered an upbeat forecast about the international campaign for nuclear disarmament, saying that he is positive that a nuke-free world has finally emerged on the horizon.

He explained that previous UN meetings had not been successful due to the “intransigent attitude” of nuclear-armed states on the subject of total disarmament, which is advocated in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Ahmadinejad said most participants of the month-long NPT review conference in New York, supported Iran’s “practical and pragmatic” proposal for reviewing the 40-year-old treaty as it was clearly put forward to serve the interests of all nations.

“Our suggestions are logical, reasonable, and carefully set out within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” he said.

In an oblique reference to the US and Israel, Ahmadinejad expressed hope that “those blocking constructive disarmament efforts would eventually join other countries in promoting lasting security across the globe.”