NEW DELHI, 25 December 2006 — India said yesterday that Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy program, and said the crisis over Tehran’s suspect ambitions should be resolved through dialogue.
India’s statement came a day after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing restrictions on Iran’s nuclear industry and ballistic missile program, its first ever sanctions against Tehran.
“We continue to feel that all possible efforts should be made to address Iran’s nuclear issues by peaceful means through dialogue and negotiations and that IAEA should play a central role in resolving the outstanding issues,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.
Emphasizing Iran’s right to pursue its nuclear program for peaceful civilian use, Sarna said: “It has undertaken certain obligations that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.” Sarna added: “We have noted the passage of the UN Security Council resolution and are studying its implications.” While India and Iran have entertained close ties, they suffered after New Delhi sided with the West in voting against Iran at the IAEA. However, both sides have lately displayed keenness to strengthen their bilateral ties. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was here last month signaling that Indo-Iran ties have not been affected by India’s IAEA vote.
Earlier, during his meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Havana in September, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to the IAEA vote and said: “But that is a thing of the past.”
Despite the vote, India and Iran have not halted their negotiations on an Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. In recent weeks, India has asserted that although as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Iran has obligations to fulfill, India is opposed to using “coercion” against Iran. India favors addressing the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue. More time is needed to resolve the Iran nuclear crisis diplomatically, Indian officials have pointed out. Soon after the US Congress cleared an Indo-US civilian nuclear deal and President George W. Bush signed it earlier this month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government faced severe criticism at home over a clause in the agreement that makes it mandatory for New Delhi to participate in US efforts to “dissuade, isolate and if necessary, sanction and contain Iran.”
Under the agreement, India will get nuclear fuel and technology. The government has maintained that the deal does not affect India’s nuclear sovereignty. Against this backdrop, India’s stand on UN sanctions against Iran places a crucial test before its nuclear diplomacy.
