Iran interested in joining IAEA international regimes

It is in Iran's interests to join all IAEA international regimes, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov believes. He said this after the unofficial meeting of NATO and Russian defense ministers held in Colorado Springs, the USA, in response to the question whether he believed that Iran did not strive after acquiring nuclear weapons.

"It is not a matter of belief or supposition, Iran should convince the international community using legal norms of international legislation and IAEA procedures that there is no such weapons on its territory," the Russian minister emphasized. "We have to send Iran an unequivocal message that it is in its own interests to join all IAEA documents," he pointed out.

At the same time Ivanov decisively denounced the preservation of double standards concerning weapons of mass destruction and anti-terrorist fight.

"At the informal meeting we raised the issue of working out common game rules, single standards of approaching the problems of non-proliferation and fight against terrorism," Ivanov said. As an example, he named the situation with cooperation in the Iranian city of Bushehr on construction of a nuclear power plant, where "Russia does not violate any international regime, but is still accused by the West of supporting development of nuclear arms programs." "We cannot accept such accusations when we know about other facilities where some western countries supply similar equipment. If it were ours, the whole world would literally explode with criticism and objections. However, it does not happen here and we consider it a policy of double standards," the minister pointed out.

The situation is similar with the fight against terrorism, he added. "Unfortunately, there are cases when some states do not cooperate with us on extradition of individuals that have been recognized as terrorists by international organizations," the Russian minister emphasized.