Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
A ministerial delegation of the troika of the Non-Aligned Movement has visited Tehran and issued a communiqué. The communiqué (text attached) states clearly the position of the Non-Aligned Movement on the Iran nuclear issue.
The communiqué provides the framework for settling the issue within the framework of the IAEA.
The government of India should be able to adopt a position in consonance with the stand taken by the NAM.
NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM) TROIKA COMMUNIQUE
11 November 2005; Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
1. At the invitation of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a Ministerial Delegation of the Troika of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) comprising of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Cuba, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of South Africa, visited Teheran on 11-12 November 2005. An exchange of views was held with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue and other disarmament issues. At the conclusion of the talks, there was also a meeting with H.E. the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
2. The visit of the NAM Troika Delegation is within the framework of the close and continuous consultations among NAM Member States.
3. They reiterated their principled position that weapons of mass destruction especially nuclear weapons pose a great danger to humanity. In this context, they reaffirmed that Nuclear Weapon States should comply with their obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and adopt practical steps to accomplish their unequivocal undertaking for the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament.
4. NAM has repeatedly reaffirmed the basic and inalienable right of all States Parties to the NPT to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, without any discrimination and in conformity with their safeguards agreements in connection with the NPT. They furthermore reaffirmed that States Parties’ choices and decisions, including that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear technology and its fuel cycle policies, should be respected.
5. NAM welcomes the work of the Agency in clarifying issues related to Islamic Republic of Iran’s peaceful program and believes that it should be settled within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The NAM Troika noted the recent statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the letter dated 6 November 2005 by Mr. Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the E3/EU Ministers which expressed the Iranian readiness for conducting negotiations with the E3/EU. The NAM Troika Ministers urged the European side to respond positively to this initiative that would provide for the basis of resumption of negotiations.
6. NAM has stated in the IAEA that it welcomed the fact that all the declared nuclear material in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accounted for by the IAEA, and that no such material has been diverted to prohibited activities. They recognized that the Agency’s work on verifying the peaceful nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as per its declarations, is ongoing and in this regard, it is crucial for its verification process to be concluded. In this respect, NAM appreciates the ongoing cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to resolve these issues.
7. NAM welcomes the cooperation extended by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the IAEA to resolve remaining issues. In this context, the Islamic Republic of Iran had voluntarily taken a number Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) including the provisional implementation of the Additional Protocol. In this regard, the NAM Troika notes with appreciation the recent initiative presented by the Iranian President in the 2005 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 60) with respect to the engagement of the private and public sectors of other countries in the implementation of uranium enrichment in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
8. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the NAM Troika had a valuable exchange of views and the NAM Troika will consult with NAM Member States and other Parties with the objective of ensuring that negotiations are resumed towards resolving the matter within the IAEA.
9. The NAM Troika sincerely expressed its appreciation to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its warm hospitality and for hosting this timely and constructive exchange of views.