“President Ahamadinejad’s foray into Latin America last November was a huge success and he won support for his country’s nuclear programme and expanded Iran’s reach in Latin America in a three country good-will tour of Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela.”

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(December 03, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The saga of Iran’s nuclear programme despite long term negotiations with the world powers of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China has once again ended in a stalemate with the Western powers calling for crippling sanctions.

• In the latest development the UN watchdog’s governing body has passed a resolution condemning Iran for developing a uranium enrichment site in secret. The International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) also demanded that Iran freeze the project immediately.
  
  The resolution, the first against Iran in nearly four years, was passed by a 25-3 margin with 6 abstentions. Iran says it’s nuclear programme is for peaceful purpose, but the US claims that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.
  
  
• In September, it emerged that as well as its uranium enrichment facility in Nantanz Iran has a second such facility near the holy city of Qum. This revelation deepened Western fears about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
  
  
• This latest resolution against Iran by IAEA will certainly be used by the Western powers to impose crippling sanctions on Iran. In addition the US and Israel have made veiled threats of a military attack on Iran. They also claim that unless Iran is pliant to their wishes, Iran will be treated as a pariah state and be isolated in the world community of nations.

All these views of the Western powers are treated with contempt by the Iranian regime. The foreign minister Manoucher Mottaki in response to these threats said sanctions were effective in 1960s and 1970s, presently sanctions will not be effective. He added Iran knows how to get over sanctions. As to military attack a spokesman of the foreign ministry in Iran said that the US and Israel do not have the moral courage to stage and attack on Iran. In the latest move to demonstrate its defiance Iran announced that it was going to construct 10 more nuclear enrichment plants.

On the subject of Iran being a pariah state and in isolation in the world community, this is not true. On the contrary, Iran has expanded relations with the Non-Aligned countries and with other Muslim countries, signing several bi-lateral relations for trade and economic development.

President Ahamadinejad’s foray into Latin America last November was a huge success and he won support for his country’s nuclear programme and expanded Iran’s reach in Latin America in a three country good-will tour of Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela.

Chavez’s enthusiastic embrace of Iran, which shares his hostility towards the US and Israel, has made Venezuela a gateway for the Iranian government to make diplomatic in roads into Latin America.

Iran's President Ahmadinejad embraces Bolivia's President Evo Morales on his arrival at El Alto, Bolivia, Nov. 24. (AP/Juan Karita)

In Bolivia, Ahamadinejad signed an agreement with President Evo Morales committing Iran to help his country do research on exploiting lithium, the light weight metal used in electric cars and other batteries. Bolivia possesses half the world’s known lithium reserves.

 

 

The "Veniran" farm tractor, built in Venezuela is popular among Bolivian farmers.

Ahamadinejad also built on ties with Bolivia by overseeing the results of Iranian aid to the poor Andean country watching the inauguration of a hospital and two milk processing and pasteurizing equipment for the plants [Chapare region and the high plain near Lake Titicaca]. Iran donated funding for a seven story Red Crescent hospital [in the indigenous city of El Alto].

The Iranian 300Samand is being mass produced in the joint auto plant, Venirauto in Maracay, Venezuela, inaugurated in November, 2006.

In Venezuela, Iran has already helped set up factories that assemble cars tractors and bicycles and Iranian businesses have sent crews to build public housing under contract with Chavez’s government. Both Chavez and Morales offer support for Iran’s nuclear programme, saying it is peaceful and not aimed at developing nuclear weapons as the US and European nations fear.

Brazilian President Lula gives President Ahmadinejad a warm greeting to talks on November 30.

In Brazil, during talks on 30th November, President Luiz Inacio, Lula de Silva urged Western nations to drop threats of punishment over the nuclear programme and negotiate a fair solution with Iran. Ahamadinejad’s visit to Latin American nations, especially the first stop in politically moderate Brazil, appeared designed to provide a new measure of international legitimacy for his nation as it engages in large scale war games and refuses to back down from developing its nuclear programme.

In addition, Iran has expanded economic ties with several other countries among them Russia, China, Pakistan, Lebanon, Palestine the Persian Gulf countries and even Sri Lanka. Iran has also [obtained] the unstinted support of the Non-aligned Movement and Islamic Organization Conference. So, the claim of isolation is not true. All these challenges that Iran is facing from the Western Powers only makes Iran stronger and more steadfast. In fact the Iranian progress is unstoppable and it was a wise move of President Rajapakse to strengthen relations with Iran which brought Sri Lanka aid to develop the Sapugaskande Oil Refinery, the Uma –Oya project, the rural electrification scheme and also obtain petroleum at concessionary rates.

(editing and photos added by Axis of Logic)

The Guardian (Sri Lanka)