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Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Monday accused the UN nuclear watchdog of double standards and told it to pay closer attention to countries that had not signed up to global anti-proliferation safeguards. In a meeting with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Khatami reaffirmed that nuclear weapons had "no place" in the Islamic repubcic's defence doctrine and that he was campaigning for a Middle East free of such arms. According to the IRNA news agency, Khatami "expressed regret over the double standards approach towards those countries possessing nuclear weapons", a reference to Iran's view that it is being unfairly targetted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) while Israel has escaped major pressure. "If atomic weapons are dangerous, then the world should be concerned about atomic programs of those countries that are not members of the International Atomic Energy Agency," Khatami was quoted as saying. Iran has been subject to more than a year of tough IAEA inspections related to suspicions it is seeking to develop the atomic bomb under cover of its efforts to generate nuclear power, as well as the target of a string of IAEA resolutions criticising its level of cooperation. The Islamic republic's arch-foe Israel, widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal, is not a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and hence not subject to IAEA supervision. During a visit to Israel last week, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei made little progress on his hopes for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, with Israel holding fast to its longstanding "strategic ambiguity" policy of secrecy about whether it has nuclear weapons and its refusal to sign the NPT. Singapore's prime minister arrived in Tehran for a five-day visit Monday for a string of talks mostly focussed on trade issues. But the nuclear issue was raised as Singapore will soon be taking a seat on the IAEA's executive, the board of governors. According to IRNA, Goh will also pay his respects to Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini by visiting mausoleum in southern Tehran. He will also travel to the historic city of Isfahan in central Iran. The visit is the last leg of a tour that has already taken him to Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. 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
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