UNITED NATIONS, 22 September 2006 — Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday his country does not need and is not seeking to build a nuclear bomb. Repeatedly questioned about Iran’s controversial nuclear program during a press conference at the UN headquarters, Ahmadinejad said: “The bottom line is, we do not need a bomb, not like what others think.”

Later, he added: “We are not seeking a nuclear bomb, let me make that clear.” The Iranian spoke on the final day of a three-day visit to New York to speak at the UN General Assembly where he also defended his country’s uranium enrichment and attacked US policy.

Iran ignored a UN Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment, a key stage in weapon production, by Aug. 31. According to diplomats, the United States and its European allies have now given Iran until early October for progress in nuclear talks before they start seeking UN sanctions against Tehran.

Ahmadinejad also said his country does not meddle in Lebanon’s internal affairs, as he dodged a question on whether he was prepared to urge the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah militia to disarm. “We don’t interfere in its (Lebanon’s) affairs. We don’t want to because we believe that people in Lebanon — various groups in Lebanon — are strong enough to discuss problems among themselves and resolve among themselves,” told a press conference at the United Nations.

Asked whether he was prepared to urge Hezbollah to disarm, as demanded by a UN Security Council resolution following the recent month-long war between Israel and the militant Shiite group, the hard-line leader said Iran gave “spiritual support to all those who want to uphold their rights.” “All countries have the right to defend their rights,” said Ahmadinejad, whose country is the main backer of Hezbollah.

Iran is prepared to negotiate a suspension of its most sensitive nuclear work if it receives fair guarantees in talks with major powers, he said. “We believe those negotiations are moving on the right path. Hopefully others will not disrupt the work - in small ways perhaps. We think it is a constructive path to take,” he said.

Responding to a UN Security Council demand that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for power stations or bombs, he said Tehran was prepared to discuss such a move but gave no time-frame for doing so. “We have said that under fair conditions and just conditions we will negotiate about it,” the president said.

While there have been hints at progress in recent talks between Iran and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, this was the most explicit statement by an Iranian leader that Tehran is seriously considering complying with the key condition for talks on broad cooperation with the West.

Ahmadinejad insisted that Iran’s nuclear program was peaceful and fully open to inspection and asked why the United States supported other states in his region which were known to make nuclear weapons, an apparent reference to Israel, Pakistan and India. Following up the main thrust of his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad questioned the legitimacy of the Security Council to sit in judgment on others when its own members were involved in “oppression.”

“The US and the European Union should alter the way they treat Iran,” the Iranian leader said. “If they recognize that we, too, have the right, then many things are possible. Some of them have (nuclear) bombs, they know what bombs are.”

Meanwhile, for the first time since 1991 a resolution on the “nuclear capabilities and threat” of Israel was presented at the IAEA’s annual General Conference in Vienna. The resolution, presently sponsored by 15 countries - among them Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran, calls on Israel to accede to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and establishment of a nuclear- weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

The formal introduction of the resolution is a sign of increased tension between member states, diplomats at the conference said. In the past years resolutions on that topic were drafted, but never tabled. A withdrawal is still possible, but would require consent of all co-sponsoring nations. Amendments or motions for no action are other options open for the delegates. The resolution can be adopted by a simple majority of all cast votes, and abstentions do not count toward the vote.

In his statement to the conference on Wednesday, Israeli Atomic Energy Commission Director General Gideon Frank said that “frivolous efforts” such as the resolution on Israel were attempts by some states to divert attention from alarming missile and nuclear proliferation attempts in the Middle East. “I call upon all member states to reject outright this unwarranted initiative, recognizing that it is solely motivated by extraneous considerations,” he said.