ID :
115949
Sat, 04/10/2010 - 20:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/115949
The shortlink copeid
START is a good start
TEHRAN, Apr. 10 (MNA) - President Barack Obama and President Dimitry Medvedev signed a landmark treaty in Prague on Thursday, pledging to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia by a third.
The treaty, known as the new START, will drastically reduce the two nations’ nuclear arsenals in the most comprehensive arms control treaty in two decades.
Under the new treaty, the former foes will be allowed a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads, about 30 percent lower than a limit set in 2002. They are also restricted to 700 air-, ground- and submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles that carry warheads.
However, the two presidents, who come from a younger generation that detests the Cold War era, should be encouraged to do more.
The new nuclear arms reduction treaty, along with a recent declaration in which Obama announced the U.S. will never use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, are encouraging but not enough.
There are high hopes that the new treaty will be the first concrete step toward the “world without nuclear weapons" that Obama envisioned in Prague last year.
However, some media outlets and analysts have interpreted the planned nuclear non-proliferation summit, which is scheduled to be held in Washington from April 12 to 13, and the new START treaty as warnings from Washington meant to put more pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.
Contrary to these analyses, Iran is strongly opposed to the production and stockpiling of nuclear arms, has been strenuously calling for the dismantlement of all the world’s nuclear weapons, and has declared the production and use of weapons of mass destruction to be haram, which means forbidden by the religion of Islam.
Actually, the new START pact that was signed on Thursday in Prague, though modest, was exactly in accordance with the goal that Iran is pursuing.
The remarks of Obama, who said on Thursday that the new treaty “is just one step on a longer journey… (and will) set the stage for further cuts," delighted Iran as well as all countries and all anti-WMD campaigners who are working for global nuclear disarmament.
In fact, the production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons is a kind of madness.
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States had actually produced enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world -- and kill all its inhabitants -- about seven times over.
However, after the signing ceremony, Mr. Obama made some remarks about Iran which were not encouraging. He said, “We are working together at the United Nations Security Council to pass strong sanctions on Iran and we will not tolerate actions that flout the NPT."
Perhaps Mr. Obama is misinformed about Iran’s adherence to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to reports provided by certain people who are ideologically opposed to the Islamic Republic.
There are thousands of pieces of evidence proving Iran’s commitment to the non-proliferation regime.
To show its goodwill, Iran even froze its uranium enrichment activities for several months in the past and provisionally implemented the additional protocol to the NPT, which allows surprise inspections. Iran has even said that if its nuclear dossier is normalized, like those of other NPT signatories, it is ready to ratify the additional protocol.
Even now, with Iran’s nuclear dossier on the agenda of the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council, the IAEA has stated in its reports that it is conducting unannounced visits to Iran’s nuclear installations.
Iran has even announced that it is prepared to conduct a simultaneous exchange of its low enriched uranium (LEU) stockpile, in one shipment, for fuel rods, as long as the transaction takes place on Iranian territory, which is another indication of Tehran’s goodwill. Iranian officials say that the exchange must take place in Iran because they are concerned that the Islamic Republic may not receive the fuel rods if it sends its low enriched uranium abroad beforehand.
So this is a matter of mutual confidence, which is bridgeable by taking first steps.
The treaty, known as the new START, will drastically reduce the two nations’ nuclear arsenals in the most comprehensive arms control treaty in two decades.
Under the new treaty, the former foes will be allowed a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads, about 30 percent lower than a limit set in 2002. They are also restricted to 700 air-, ground- and submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles that carry warheads.
However, the two presidents, who come from a younger generation that detests the Cold War era, should be encouraged to do more.
The new nuclear arms reduction treaty, along with a recent declaration in which Obama announced the U.S. will never use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, are encouraging but not enough.
There are high hopes that the new treaty will be the first concrete step toward the “world without nuclear weapons" that Obama envisioned in Prague last year.
However, some media outlets and analysts have interpreted the planned nuclear non-proliferation summit, which is scheduled to be held in Washington from April 12 to 13, and the new START treaty as warnings from Washington meant to put more pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.
Contrary to these analyses, Iran is strongly opposed to the production and stockpiling of nuclear arms, has been strenuously calling for the dismantlement of all the world’s nuclear weapons, and has declared the production and use of weapons of mass destruction to be haram, which means forbidden by the religion of Islam.
Actually, the new START pact that was signed on Thursday in Prague, though modest, was exactly in accordance with the goal that Iran is pursuing.
The remarks of Obama, who said on Thursday that the new treaty “is just one step on a longer journey… (and will) set the stage for further cuts," delighted Iran as well as all countries and all anti-WMD campaigners who are working for global nuclear disarmament.
In fact, the production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons is a kind of madness.
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States had actually produced enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world -- and kill all its inhabitants -- about seven times over.
However, after the signing ceremony, Mr. Obama made some remarks about Iran which were not encouraging. He said, “We are working together at the United Nations Security Council to pass strong sanctions on Iran and we will not tolerate actions that flout the NPT."
Perhaps Mr. Obama is misinformed about Iran’s adherence to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to reports provided by certain people who are ideologically opposed to the Islamic Republic.
There are thousands of pieces of evidence proving Iran’s commitment to the non-proliferation regime.
To show its goodwill, Iran even froze its uranium enrichment activities for several months in the past and provisionally implemented the additional protocol to the NPT, which allows surprise inspections. Iran has even said that if its nuclear dossier is normalized, like those of other NPT signatories, it is ready to ratify the additional protocol.
Even now, with Iran’s nuclear dossier on the agenda of the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council, the IAEA has stated in its reports that it is conducting unannounced visits to Iran’s nuclear installations.
Iran has even announced that it is prepared to conduct a simultaneous exchange of its low enriched uranium (LEU) stockpile, in one shipment, for fuel rods, as long as the transaction takes place on Iranian territory, which is another indication of Tehran’s goodwill. Iranian officials say that the exchange must take place in Iran because they are concerned that the Islamic Republic may not receive the fuel rods if it sends its low enriched uranium abroad beforehand.
So this is a matter of mutual confidence, which is bridgeable by taking first steps.
