Enjoy Discounted Exercise Equipment From Leading Sales Outlets
SEARCH IT

CHANNELS
Encyclopedia Astronautica
SERVICES
 
Spacer Homebase
Khatami says committed to detente, but also greater military technology
TEHRAN (AFP) Sep 22, 2003
President Mohammad Khatami asserted Monday that the Islamic republic remained intent on improving relations with the outside world, but needed nevertheless to boost its military technology.

"Despite all the pressure from our enemies, we will pursue our policy of detente, but we also insist on becoming stronger -- militarily, politically and economically," the reformist president said in a speech at a military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

"We are opposed to the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the very existence of atomic weapons," said Khatami, whose country has been slapped with a deadline from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to account for its suspect civil nuclear programme.

Khatami echoed widespread anger here over the IAEA's October 31 deadline, contained in a resolution passed on September 12 that calls on Iran to answer all the agency's questions regarding its enrichment activities, provide unrestricted access to UN inspectors and a detailed list of its nuclear-related imports.

Many officials here have presented the resolution as an effort to scupper the development of civil nuclear technology.

"We will not renounce our right to become stronger in the domains of science and technology," Khatami told the crowd gathered for the start of "Sacred Defence Week" -- a week of events marking the bloody conflict with Saddam Hussein.

"The Iranian people, who are pacifists and have a love of justice, have always said their military strategy was defensive and that they do not want weapons of mass destruction. Yet it is they who are subject to international pressure by those who support Israel -- the centre of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction," the president said.

"It is the Zionist regime which possesses a considerable atomic arsenal and uses the worst forms of terrorism in Palestine while we are partisans of peace, stability and a region free of atomic weapons," he added.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

Quick Links
SpaceWar
Search SpaceWar
Subscribe To SpaceWar Express

SpaceWar Search Engine
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPACEWAR NEWSLETTER
SubscribeUnsubscribe
  

WAR.WIRE
  • CORRECTED
  • UK defence minister meets family of murdered Kenyan woman
  • New Zealand unveils major military overhaul
  • Dominican Republic steps up forces on Haiti border
  • Venezuelan army on 'alert' for alleged false-flag attack
  • UK finds underwater suspected Russian nuke spy sensors: report
  • Iran rejects Trump call for direct nuclear talks
  • Yemen Huthi media say one dead in air strikes
  • Iran says wants dialogue 'on equal footing' with US
  • India navy delivers aid to quake-hit Myanmar
    SPACEDAILY NEWS
     Feb 11, 2005
  • NASA Observations Help Determine Titan Wind Speeds
  • Cassini Spacecraft Witnesses Saturn's Blues
  • US Orientation Engine Fails On ISS
  • NASA Names Two Future Space Shuttle Crews
  • Simulations Show How Growing Black Holes Regulate Galaxy Formation
  • In The Stars: Odd Stars, Odder Planets
  • Natural Climate Change May Be Larger Than Commonly Thought
  • Earth Gets A Warm Feeling All Over
  • Satamatics Flying At Over 50,000 Terminals
  • Digital Angel To Expand OuterLink Subsidiary's Flight Tracking System
  • LockMart Delivers First Modernized GPS Satellite To USAF For May Launch
  • World's Fastest Oscillating Nanomachine Holds Promise For Quantum Computing
  • Carnegie Mellon's Red Team Seeks $2 Million Robot Racing Prize
  • Kionix Ships The World's Smallest High-Performance Tri-Axis Accelerometer
  • Northrop Grumman/Raytheon Team To Compete For GOES-R System
  • Blue Planet: The Fading Songs Of Whales
  • New Cameras Turn Night Into Day
  • North Korea Suspends Talks, Says It Will Build More Nuclear Bombs
  • Analysis: How Super Is The Superpower?
  • Walker's World: Why Rice Should Thank Zarqawi
  • NATO Agrees Expansion Of Afghan Force
  • North Korea Probably Bluffing Over Nuclear Threat: Australia
  • US Options Seen Limited Against Nuclear-Armed North Korea
  • Six Iraqi Policemen Killed, US Helicopters Fire Missiles To End Siege
  • Germany And Malaysia Urge Peace In Tsunami-Ravaged Aceh
  • Task Of Collecting Indonesia's Tsunami Dead Will Take Six Months: Red Cross
  • EU Brings Forward Preferential Trade Scheme For Developing Countries
  • Cambodia's Former Forestry Monitor Blasts World Bank Over Logging
  • Thales Posts Lower Sales In 2004, Missing Own Target
  • Rolls-Royce Profits Rise; Orders At Record Levels

  • The contents herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2002 - SpaceDaily. AFP Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement