Ahmadinejad Again Defies 'Bullies'
May 05, 2006
Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Baku (RFE/RL)
Ahmadinejad said Iran would continue its nuclear program until it was able to produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale for its atomic power plants.
He also said Iran's "adversaries" should start "respecting the rights of the people of Iran."
Ahmadinejad's latest words of defiance came at a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping that brings together Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, and the five Central Asian states as well as Iran.
At a press conference afterward, the summit's host, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said Iran's nuclear program had not been discussed at the summit. However, he said the issue should be resolved according to international law, adding that "if international law and regulations of international organizations provides the opportunity for a country to obtain nuclear energy, then there should not be any contradiction [in] this respect."
Cross-border trade, transport infrastructure projects, and regional security were high on the agenda of the summit itself.
(IRNA, day.az, ITAR-TASS, AP, AFP)