Tehran – Iran’s conservative president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Sunday he planned to move forward with his nation’s nuclear-energy program, insisting it was necessary for the development of the country.
But he also agreed to continue discussions with three European nations, which, along with the United States, fear the Islamic republic is intent on building nuclear weapons.
In his first news conference since his surprise election victory Friday, Ahmadinejad outlined the kind of positions that made him the preferred candidate of Iran’s leaders, dismissing the need for any relationship with the United States, telling the Europeans they needed “to come down from their ivory towers,” and calling for the country to move forward with its nuclear program.
With a casual smile, he stayed on message, answering with a candidate’s vagueness, often returning to themes of moderation, progress and development.
On the nuclear issue, he said Iran needed the technology and that “we will pursue it.” But he immediately agreed to continue with negotiations, adding: “If they have a reasonable approach, the Europeans are obligated to fulfill their promises. In that case, we will reach a conclusion soon.”
He did not explain himself.
Ahmadinejad’s apparent willingness to continue the negotiations suggests he is hewing more closely to the stance of the departing president, Mohammad Khatami, than to that of conservative members of Parliament who want to skip the talks altogether and start operations at a reactor that the United States and Europe fear could be used as part of a weapons program. Iran says the reactor, being built with Russian help, will be used for peaceful purposes.
The presidency, with the ministries it controls, effectively manages Iran but has little power to carry out policies if they are not supported by the ruling clerics.