India welcomes Obama's engagement efforts with Iran: PM

Betwa Sharma
Washington, Nov 24 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh has welcomed US President Barack Obama's efforts to
engage with Iran without preconditions, hoping this will end
the stand-off between Tehran and western countries over the
issue of nuclear enrichment.
Singh stated that Iran as a signatory to the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty had the right to use nuclear energy
for peaceful purposes but could not develop a weapon.
"As far as Iran's nuclear weapon ambitions are concerned
I have stated unambiguously on several occasions that we do
not support the nuclear weapon ambitions of Iran," he said
during an interaction at the Council on Foreign Relations, a
prominent think tank, on the second day of his four-day visit
here.
He also indicated that India would abide by any UN
Security Council (UNSC) resolution on the issue when asked if
New Delhi would support sanctions against Iran.
"If the Security Council in its wisdom passes any
resolution, we have in the past abided by the decisions of the
Security Council," Singh said.
Pointing out that Obama had "opened a new pathway of
engagement without preconditions" with Iran, he expressed hope
that it will "yield results."
Unlike his predecessor George W Bush's aggressive stand,
President Obama has decided to engage diplomatically with
Tehran but the exchange has not yielded concrete results.
Recently, Western powers revealed the existence of a
secret underground plant but Tehran maintains that its nuclear
enrichment program is for peaceful purposes.
Describing a recent conversation he had with Iranian
Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki, Singh noted that Mottaki
expressed hopes of Obama's path of engagement leading to
positive developments.
"While talking he (Mottaki) mentioned explicitly to me
that Iran is encouraged by the messages that it is receiving
from the new Obama administration and that he was hopeful that
they would lead to constructive productive results," he said,
adding the path had productive results which would be for the
good for humanity at large.
Singh highlighted that Iran was a member of the Nuclear
non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and should abide by its
obligations under the agreement.
"Iran is a signatory to the NPT as such it has all the
right that go with its membership of the NPT is use of nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes," the Prime Minister said.
"At the same time it has obligations that go with its
membership, and this rules out the nuclear weapon part. There
is no ambiguity in our position," he added. PTI BS
ANU