UN chief urges Iran to restore 'trust' after sanctions

United Nations, Mar 26: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Iran to take urgent steps to restore the international community's trust that its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.

The Secretary General's remarks come a day after the Security Council tightened sanctions on the country for its alleged uranium-enrichment activities.

In a statement released yesterday by his spokesperson at the UN headquarters in New York, the secretary-general noted ''with satisfaction'' that the Council had acted unanimously in adopting Resolution 1747, which imposed a ban on arms sales and expanded the assets freeze against Iran.

The resolution will come into effect in 60 days during which hectic diplomatic maneuvering is expected to take place.

The UN chief called upon Iran ''to fully implement the resolution's provisions and to urgently take necessary steps to restore the international community's trust that its nuclear programme is peaceful in nature,'' the statement said. '' The secretary-general believes that a negotiated solution would strengthen the international non-proliferation regime and hopes that dialogue will resume on this issue of paramount importance.'' Iran's nuclear programme has been a matter of international concern ever since the discovery in 2003 that it had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

At the Security Council meeting on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rejected the resolution as a ''politically motivated scheme'' to deprive the country's people of their rights.

Earlier, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran cancelled his visit to present his country's case to the world body.

Iranians blame the Americans for the cancellation, claiming the issuance of visas to the presidential party had been delayed.

The United States, has however, rejected the argument, saying Washington had issued visas to 75 people and the Iranian president was afraid of taking the heat in the council for his defiance of its demands.

UNI

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