http://www.debka.com/article/22963/Putin-again-warns-Netanyahu-hands-off-Syria
This was clearly a hands-off caution to Israel not to repeat its attacks on Damascus. And, furthermore, after “shaking the situation” in Syria by its air attacks, Israel was in no position to demand that Russia avoid selling Syria advanced weapons.
The prime minister, for his part, warned that the entire Middle East was in a dangerous state of volatility.
Before Netanyahu’s arrival for the meeting, Moscow took two preparatory steps:
By this leak, the Israeli prime minister was being informed that his journey to Sochi was a waste of time and that the use of S-300 missiles for shooting down Israeli Air Force planes was no longer controlled by Moscow but by Damascus.
2. The prominent strategic analyst, Viktor Kremenyuk of The USA and Canada Institute in Moscow, reported Tuesday that Netanyahu arrived in Sochi to indirectly let Putin know that “Israel would destroy the S-300s when they are delivered and start being assembled.”
The deputy director of an important Russian think tank which advises the Kremlin on North American policy does not tend to make idle comments.
DEBKAfile’s Moscow sources interpreted Kremenyuk’s remark as a means of informing the Israeli leader that Moscow was not impressed by such threats. Instead of pushing Putin to stop the S-300 missiles, Israel would be more advantageously employed urging the Obama administration to adopt a more realistic stand on Syria and Bashar Assad.
In Moscow's view, Washington must be brought to give up its threat of Western military intervention in Syria, of which the Israeli air strikes appeared to Putin as the harbinger, and come to terms with Assad’s presence in any political solution of the Syrian conflict.
DEBKAfile’s military sources add: It is also unlikely that the Russian and Israeli leaders had a chance to work out reciprocal ground rules for the Russian officers supervising the S-300 missile operations in Syria to avoiding hitting Israeli Air Force jets or for Israeli bombers to refrain from destroying them.
Israel is concerned that Moscow may decided to send the six S-300 batteries carrying 144 missiles due for Syria along with Russian missile and air defense specialists. They will also be available for operating the missiles effectively for downing Israeli Air Force planes striking targets in Syria and Lebanon. Israel will be forced to think twice before attacking the S-300 batteries for fear of hitting the Russian officers. Putin is therefore placing a severe constraint on Israel’s operational freedom by spreading an anti-air missile cover over the Syrian, Hizballah and the Iranian Basij forces fighting for Bashar Assad.
http://www.testosteronepit.com/home/2013/5/12/russias-plan-for-the-brics-to-dismantle-the-dollar-system.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/201351411202924723.html
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/14/303398/iran-must-attend-syria-confab-russia/
Russia and the United States agreed to hold an ‘international peace conference’ on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting, which was held in June 2012.”
“While Moscow calls for [the] participation of more members including Syria neighboring countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia in the second round of talks [in Geneva], Washington is trying to decrease the number of these participating countries and replace them with those countries who are supporting the militant groups in Syria,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Al-Mayadeen TV on Monday.
At a joint press conference in Moscow on May 7, the Russian foreign minister and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to encourage the Syrian government and the foreign-backed militants to find a political solution to the crisis.
Moscow and Washington agreed to hold an “international peace conference” on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting, which was held in June 2012.
Commenting on the agreement between Moscow and Washington over the conference, Lavrov said that nothing would be changed in this regard, but there were some differences among parties over the details of the international peace conference.
The Russian foreign minister also condemned the move by the Arab League to hand Syria’s seat to the foreign-backed opposition, saying the decision was a “big obstacle for achieving peace in Syria.”
Lavrov also dismissed claims that Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah had interfered in Syria.
The unrest in Syria began in March 2011; many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. The Syrian government says that the chaos in the country is being orchestrated from outside.
On June 30, 2012, foreign ministers of several countries including China, France, Russia, and the UK foreign secretary and the US secretary of state met in Geneva and proposed a resolution to the crisis in Syria on mutual consent.”
Kremlin confirmed the news in a statement on Monday.
Netanyahu will meet with Putin later on Tuesday at the President’s vacation residence in the southern resort of Sochi.
"During the meeting an exchange of opinion is planned on key aspects of bilateral ties," the Kremlin said in the statement.
On May 7, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Russian President and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
At a joint press conference after holding talks, Lavrov and Kerry agreed to encourage the Syrian government and the foreign-backed militants to find a political solution to the crisis.
Moscow and Washington agreed to hold an “international peace conference” on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting, which was held last year.
On June 30, 2012, foreign ministers of several countries including China, France, Russia, and the UK foreign secretary and the US secretary of state met in Geneva and proposed a resolution to the crisis in Syria on mutual consent.
Meanwhile, Lavrov said in an interview with Al-Mayadeen TV on Monday that Iran should also participate in the second round of talks in Geneva, as it plays a key role in resolving the crisis in the Arab country.
Turmoil has gripped Syria since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the unrest.
The Syrian government maintains that the chaos in the country is being orchestrated from outside and that there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
Iran presented the P5+1 group with the details of its proposals on Tehran’s nuclear energy program during a meeting in the Kazakh city of Almaty on April 5-6.”
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry’s newly-appointed Spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, “Iran’s proposals during the second round of the talks in Almaty were very constructive, balanced, and proportionate; and we expect the other side to react positively and favorably.”
He further said that Iran is now expecting a response from EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton - who represents the P5+1 - and is hoping for a constructive approach toward the proposals of the Islamic Republic.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili is due to hold bilateral talks with Ashton on May 15 in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The meeting will be a follow-up to the last round of negotiations held in Almaty.
During the meeting in the Kazakh city of Almaty on April 5-6, Iran presented the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US plus Germany) with the details of its proposals.
Undersecretary of the SNSC Ali Baqeri said on April 5 that Tehran had offered the group “clear proposals to launch a new round of cooperation” between the two sides.
Araqchi added that any progress in the negotiations requires taking “mutual, balanced, simultaneous and congruent steps.”
US-UK remarks about pressuring Iran
Commenting on the recent remarks by US President Barack Obama and UK Premier David Cameron, Araqchi said, “Such remarks about continuing pressure on Iran are discouraging and indicate the lack of a realistic view and the right understanding of reality by those who advocate these pressures.”
During their joint press conference in Washington on Monday, Obama said the two sides had “discussed Iran, where we agreed to keep up the pressure on Tehran for its continued failure to abide by its nuclear obligations.”
Araqchi said the policy of pressure had never been effective, adding that purposeful negotiations made with goodwill were the only way to achieve a solution to the Western standoff over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
The US, the Israeli regime and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the unfounded claim as a pretext for illegal sanctions on Iran.
Tehran strongly rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Egypt’s proposal on Syria
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman further welcomed Egypt’s proposal on forming a quartet on Syria and voiced the Islamic Republic’s readiness to help resolve the crisis in the Arab country.
During a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca in August 2012, Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi presented an initiative to establish a contact group on Syria comprising Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
A high-level meeting of the quartet group was held on September 17, 2012 about a week after preparatory talks in Cairo by lower-ranking officials from the four countries.
Araqchi expressed satisfaction with the fact that different countries have turned to negotiations as the way to settle the Syrian conflict.
“Currently, the inclination toward resolving [Syria’s] crisis through political means and nationwide dialogue between the oppositionists, the Syrian government and influential countries is on the rise,” he said.
The conflict in Syria began in March 2011; many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. The Syrian government says that the chaos in the country is being orchestrated from outside.
Cooperation with the IAEA on Bushehr NPP
Commenting on the recent request by the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to dispatch a team of experts to Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Araqchi said Iran will cooperate with the IAEA “within the framework of agreements.”
On Saturday, Amano was quoted as telling the Bahrain News Agency in Manama that “it is better to send experts to check on the safety of Iran's Bushehr reactor,” following an earthquake that struck an area near the NPP.
On April 9, a 6.1-magnitude quake hit the town of Kaki near Iran’s southern city of Bushehr, killing over 35 people and leaving more than 850 injured.
Officials at Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation say the power plant has been constructed to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of nine Richters.
The Bushehr NPP, which is located 18 kilometers south of Bushehr and about 160 kilometers away from the quake-stricken region, remained intact.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spent three hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin at his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Tuesday, May, 14. He came for a last-ditch attempt to head off the supply of advanced Russian anti-air S-300 missile systems to Syria. Instead, the Russian leader turned the conversation around to focus implicitly on Israel’s air strikes against Damascus on May 3 and May 5. After their conversation he issued a warning: "In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation."
This was clearly a hands-off caution to Israel not to repeat its attacks on Damascus. And, furthermore, after “shaking the situation” in Syria by its air attacks, Israel was in no position to demand that Russia avoid selling Syria advanced weapons.
The prime minister, for his part, warned that the entire Middle East was in a dangerous state of volatility.
He was accompanied by Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi. Opposite him sat Mikhail Fradkov, SVR Director.
Kochavi laid before the Russian leader the information Israel had gathered on the state of Syria’s chemical weapons with relevance to their transfer to the Lebanese Hizballah.
Before Netanyahu’s arrival for the meeting, Moscow took two preparatory steps:
1. Russian diplomats leaked to the London-based Arab press a report that the S-300 missiles had already arrived in Syria. According to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Moscow had delivered 200 launchers (probably missiles) and the Syrian missile teams already knew how to use them.
By this leak, the Israeli prime minister was being informed that his journey to Sochi was a waste of time and that the use of S-300 missiles for shooting down Israeli Air Force planes was no longer controlled by Moscow but by Damascus.
2. The prominent strategic analyst, Viktor Kremenyuk of The USA and Canada Institute in Moscow, reported Tuesday that Netanyahu arrived in Sochi to indirectly let Putin know that “Israel would destroy the S-300s when they are delivered and start being assembled.”
The deputy director of an important Russian think tank which advises the Kremlin on North American policy does not tend to make idle comments.
DEBKAfile’s Moscow sources interpreted Kremenyuk’s remark as a means of informing the Israeli leader that Moscow was not impressed by such threats. Instead of pushing Putin to stop the S-300 missiles, Israel would be more advantageously employed urging the Obama administration to adopt a more realistic stand on Syria and Bashar Assad.
In Moscow's view, Washington must be brought to give up its threat of Western military intervention in Syria, of which the Israeli air strikes appeared to Putin as the harbinger, and come to terms with Assad’s presence in any political solution of the Syrian conflict.
These positions the Russian President had conveyed previously to US Secretary of State John Kerry and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. He made it clear to Netanyahu that he stood by them as firmly as ever. Therefore, say DEBKAfile’s sources, so long as both powers remain entrenched in their positions, there is not much hope of their coming together on an international conference to resolve the Syrian conflict.
DEBKAfile’s military sources add: It is also unlikely that the Russian and Israeli leaders had a chance to work out reciprocal ground rules for the Russian officers supervising the S-300 missile operations in Syria to avoiding hitting Israeli Air Force jets or for Israeli bombers to refrain from destroying them.
The S-300 is designed to shoot down planes and missiles at 200-km ranges.
Israel is concerned that Moscow may decided to send the six S-300 batteries carrying 144 missiles due for Syria along with Russian missile and air defense specialists. They will also be available for operating the missiles effectively for downing Israeli Air Force planes striking targets in Syria and Lebanon. Israel will be forced to think twice before attacking the S-300 batteries for fear of hitting the Russian officers. Putin is therefore placing a severe constraint on Israel’s operational freedom by spreading an anti-air missile cover over the Syrian, Hizballah and the Iranian Basij forces fighting for Bashar Assad.
http://www.testosteronepit.com/home/2013/5/12/russias-plan-for-the-brics-to-dismantle-the-dollar-system.html
Contributed by Valentin Mândrăşescu, Editor of Reality Check @ The Voice of Russia.Former commodity trader, economist, journalist. Nomadic lifestyle. When not in Moscow, he can be found travelling across Eastern Europe. Areas of interest: world economy, East European politics, and the theory of propaganda.
The status of the US dollar as the world reserve currency gives the US a number of advantages over other countries. The world’s most important commodities are priced and traded in dollars, even if most of these commodities are not produced in the US. The fact that the world’s financial system is based on the dollar allows the Federal Reserve to export inflation to other countries, while the Federal Government runs a huge deficit with impunity.
So far, only China has been active in challenging the dollar supremacy. The internationalization of the yuan is an official priority of Chinese leaders. Currency swap agreements with major trade partners like Brazil, France, or Australia are small but important steps in the Chinese strategy. Changing the world financial system is not an easy task and certainly a very challenging undertaking for China. Now, it seems that Beijing has found an ally in the Kremlin. And there appears to be a consensus between the BRICS countries: the urgent necessity to dismantle the dollar system.
A week before the recent BRICS summit in Durban, the Kremlin administration has silently produced a document which describes the Russian strategy in the context of BRICS cooperation. The document makes for a fascinating read for anyone brave enough to plow through the dense Russian legalese. The strategy has been designed in the “inner circle” of Vladimir Putin’s team, so it is safe to assume that it represents the official view on the BRICS future.
In Russia, politics are Byzantine; the fact that the Kremlin decided not to hide the document or leak it to a chosen few journalists, but publish it outright is a very strong signal, a very vocal angry signal directed at the US. A signal that the Western media chose to ignore.
In the recitals section of the document, the authors point out that “there is a common desire of the BRICS partners to reform the outdated global financial and economic framework that doesn’t take into account the growing economic weight of the emerging markets.” Moreover, the Russian strategists view the BRICS as a tool to reform the way the world is being governed. Then the document hammers home its message:
Russia assumes that, given enough political will of the leadership of the BRICS countries to advance their cooperation, this alliance can become one of the key elements of a new system for global governance, primarily in the economic and financial domains.
Move aside New World Order! The BRICS are coming to change the world.
The goals are clear. In the section titled “Strategic goals,” the first point on the BRICS’ agenda is the reform of the world financial system in order to make it “fairer, more stable, and more efficient.” In the later chapters, it is spelled clearly that this “reform” is actually a dismantling of the dollar system.
It is worth noting that the place of this issue in the list of the BRICS’ priorities speaks volumes about its importance. Judging by the order of priorities, depriving the dollar of its status as the world reserve currency is more important than “preventing breaches of sovereignty” (a.k.a. the “Syrian problem”) or “expanding economic cooperation.”
The language used in this document indicates that it has been written or strongly influenced by Sergei Glaziev, the president’s economy advisor, who is known for masterminding the economic aspects of the Eurasian Union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Glaziev has repeatedly accused Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke of starting “a currency war” against the emerging markets. He also believes that Bernanke’s policy will ultimately lead to a military confrontation: “the conservation logic of the current financial and political system leads to a further escalation of military and political tensions, including the start of a major war” (read more).
A whole chapter of the strategy document is dedicated to step-by-step instructions on dismantling the existing global financial system. The list of measures includes:
- Reformation of the world currency system in order to create a representative, stable and predictable system of world reserve currencies;
- Reduction of the risks of destabilization of currency and equity markets linked to massive cross-border flows of capital;
- Increasing the use of national currencies in the trade between BRICS countries;
- Increasing the level of cooperation between BRICS countries in order to promote their interest in the domain of world trade;
- Strengthening the BRICS Exchange Alliance;
- Creating independent rating agencies.
Since the Durban Summit, at least one of those measures has been implemented: RT reported that “China’s Dagong Global Credit Rating agency is to set up the joint venture with US-based Egan-Jones Ratings Co (EJR) and Russia's RusRating JSC to challenge the three major US ratings agencies.” As BRICS countries try to achieve the rest of their stated goals, it remains to be seen if the dollar system survives the joint onslaught of the biggest emerging economies. By Valentin Mândrăşescu, author of the pungent article on the inner machinations of Russia.... Cyprus: A Triumph For Russian Isolationists
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/201351411202924723.html
Russia detains US diplomat over 'spy' charge |
Security service says state department employee caught red handed trying to recruit intelligence officer to CIA.
Last Modified: 14 May 2013 11:32
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| The Russian security services say they have detained a US diplomat they claim is a CIA agent. The agent, Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the US Embassy in Moscow, has been accused by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) of trying to recruit a member of the Russian special services to the CIA. The FSB said they caight him red-handed. Fogle said he had been handed back to the embassy after his detention. The FSB said it questioned Fogle before releasing him to the US embassy. The FSB said in statement carried by Russian news agencies that Fogle was carrying "special technical equipment, written instructions for recruiting a Russian citizen, a large sum of money and means for changing a person's appearance". The incident comes amid a new chill in Russian-US relations sparked by the Syria crisis and concern in Washington over what it sees as President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on human rights. The last major spy row between the two former Cold War rivals involved the glamourous Anna Chapman and 10 other Russian spies in 2010. All were arrested in the US and deported to their home countries. |
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/14/303398/iran-must-attend-syria-confab-russia/
Russia says Iran must attend international Geneva confab on Syria
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Tue May 14, 2013 6:25AM GMT
13
Russia says Iran plays a key role in resolving the crisis in Syria, underlining the need for the participation of the Islamic Republic in an upcoming international conference on Syria in Geneva.
“While Moscow calls for [the] participation of more members including Syria neighboring countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia in the second round of talks [in Geneva], Washington is trying to decrease the number of these participating countries and replace them with those countries who are supporting the militant groups in Syria,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Al-Mayadeen TV on Monday.
At a joint press conference in Moscow on May 7, the Russian foreign minister and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to encourage the Syrian government and the foreign-backed militants to find a political solution to the crisis.
Moscow and Washington agreed to hold an “international peace conference” on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting, which was held in June 2012.
Commenting on the agreement between Moscow and Washington over the conference, Lavrov said that nothing would be changed in this regard, but there were some differences among parties over the details of the international peace conference.
The Russian foreign minister also condemned the move by the Arab League to hand Syria’s seat to the foreign-backed opposition, saying the decision was a “big obstacle for achieving peace in Syria.”
Lavrov also dismissed claims that Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah had interfered in Syria.
The unrest in Syria began in March 2011; many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. The Syrian government says that the chaos in the country is being orchestrated from outside.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/14/303423/israel-pm-to-hold-talks-with-russia-pres/
Bibi to travel to Russia to talk Syria crisis
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) will hold talks in Russian city of Sochi on May 14, 2013.
Tue May 14, 2013 8:51AM GMT
6
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Russia to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Syria crisis.
Kremlin confirmed the news in a statement on Monday.
Netanyahu will meet with Putin later on Tuesday at the President’s vacation residence in the southern resort of Sochi.
"During the meeting an exchange of opinion is planned on key aspects of bilateral ties," the Kremlin said in the statement.
"It is expected that major attention will be paid to the current situation in the Middle East, first and foremost in Syria," it added.
On May 7, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Russian President and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
At a joint press conference after holding talks, Lavrov and Kerry agreed to encourage the Syrian government and the foreign-backed militants to find a political solution to the crisis.
Moscow and Washington agreed to hold an “international peace conference” on Syria, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting, which was held last year.
On June 30, 2012, foreign ministers of several countries including China, France, Russia, and the UK foreign secretary and the US secretary of state met in Geneva and proposed a resolution to the crisis in Syria on mutual consent.
Meanwhile, Lavrov said in an interview with Al-Mayadeen TV on Monday that Iran should also participate in the second round of talks in Geneva, as it plays a key role in resolving the crisis in the Arab country.
Turmoil has gripped Syria since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the unrest.
The Syrian government maintains that the chaos in the country is being orchestrated from outside and that there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/14/303442/iran-expects-positive-p51-response/
Iran hopes P5+1 will give positive response to proposals: Araqchi
Iranian Foreign Ministry’s newly-appointed Spokesman Abbas Araqchi during a press conference in Tehran, May 14, 2013
Tue May 14, 2013 10:18AM GMT
0
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Islamic Republic hopes that the P5+1 group of powers will give a constructive response to Tehran’s proposals about its nuclear energy program.
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry’s newly-appointed Spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, “Iran’s proposals during the second round of the talks in Almaty were very constructive, balanced, and proportionate; and we expect the other side to react positively and favorably.”
He further said that Iran is now expecting a response from EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton - who represents the P5+1 - and is hoping for a constructive approach toward the proposals of the Islamic Republic.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili is due to hold bilateral talks with Ashton on May 15 in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The meeting will be a follow-up to the last round of negotiations held in Almaty.
During the meeting in the Kazakh city of Almaty on April 5-6, Iran presented the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US plus Germany) with the details of its proposals.
Undersecretary of the SNSC Ali Baqeri said on April 5 that Tehran had offered the group “clear proposals to launch a new round of cooperation” between the two sides.
Araqchi added that any progress in the negotiations requires taking “mutual, balanced, simultaneous and congruent steps.”
US-UK remarks about pressuring Iran
Commenting on the recent remarks by US President Barack Obama and UK Premier David Cameron, Araqchi said, “Such remarks about continuing pressure on Iran are discouraging and indicate the lack of a realistic view and the right understanding of reality by those who advocate these pressures.”
During their joint press conference in Washington on Monday, Obama said the two sides had “discussed Iran, where we agreed to keep up the pressure on Tehran for its continued failure to abide by its nuclear obligations.”
Araqchi said the policy of pressure had never been effective, adding that purposeful negotiations made with goodwill were the only way to achieve a solution to the Western standoff over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
The US, the Israeli regime and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the unfounded claim as a pretext for illegal sanctions on Iran.
Tehran strongly rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Egypt’s proposal on Syria
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman further welcomed Egypt’s proposal on forming a quartet on Syria and voiced the Islamic Republic’s readiness to help resolve the crisis in the Arab country.
During a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca in August 2012, Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi presented an initiative to establish a contact group on Syria comprising Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
A high-level meeting of the quartet group was held on September 17, 2012 about a week after preparatory talks in Cairo by lower-ranking officials from the four countries.
Araqchi expressed satisfaction with the fact that different countries have turned to negotiations as the way to settle the Syrian conflict.
“Currently, the inclination toward resolving [Syria’s] crisis through political means and nationwide dialogue between the oppositionists, the Syrian government and influential countries is on the rise,” he said.
The conflict in Syria began in March 2011; many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence. The Syrian government says that the chaos in the country is being orchestrated from outside.
Cooperation with the IAEA on Bushehr NPP
Commenting on the recent request by the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to dispatch a team of experts to Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Araqchi said Iran will cooperate with the IAEA “within the framework of agreements.”
On Saturday, Amano was quoted as telling the Bahrain News Agency in Manama that “it is better to send experts to check on the safety of Iran's Bushehr reactor,” following an earthquake that struck an area near the NPP.
On April 9, a 6.1-magnitude quake hit the town of Kaki near Iran’s southern city of Bushehr, killing over 35 people and leaving more than 850 injured.
Officials at Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation say the power plant has been constructed to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of nine Richters.
The Bushehr NPP, which is located 18 kilometers south of Bushehr and about 160 kilometers away from the quake-stricken region, remained intact.
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