Iran has called for the suspension of the United States from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and proposed a five-point plan to democratise the global security architecture.
Addressing representatives of over 60 countries and several international organisations, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the start of a two-day conference on nuclear disarmament that the Security Council should also be radically reformed. In addition, the General Assembly (GA) should be the touchstone for steering a global effort for disarmament.
In a reference to the recent announcement by the U.S. on keeping open its option of using atomic weapons against Iran, the Iranian President said “those nuclear weapon states that threaten others with nuclear weapons” should be suspended from the IAEA and its board of governors.
Mr. Ahmadinejad said a new international group, which functioned independently, free from pressure of big powers, should be formed.
This body needed to supervise disarmament and non-proliferation under the aegis of the GA. The Iranian President also called for the revision of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but stressed that only non-nuclear weapon states should be involved in this exercise. He singled out the United States as a country which should be barred from this process as it has been involved in the production, proliferation and unfair use of atomic weapons.
This revised treaty should be “comprehensive, fair and just and strong enough to function efficiently”, he said.
Elaborating on the revamp of the Security Council, the Iranian President rejected the concept of veto power which existing member states presently have the right to exercise. On the contrary, he proposed that either the veto should be entirely eliminated or this power should also be given to new countries from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, which join an expanded Security Council.
Mr. Ahmadinejad called for the formation of a working group by participating countries at the conference to implement the decisions taken during the course of the on-going deliberations.
