Iranian Leader Offers U.S. Access To the Country's Nuclear Scientists

[maddezmom]

Source: WaPo

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 -- Iran is willing to have its nuclear experts meet with scientists from the United States and other world powers as a confidence-building measure aimed at resolving concerns about Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday.


At international talks next week on its nuclear ambitions, Iran also will seek to buy from the United States enriched uranium needed for medical purposes, Ahmadinejad told reporters and editors from The Washington Post and Newsweek. Agreement by the Americans, he suggested, would demonstrate that the Obama administration is serious about engagement, while rejection might give Iran an excuse to further enrich its stock of uranium.

"These nuclear materials we are seeking to purchase are for medicinal purposes. . . . It is a humanitarian issue," Ahmadinejad said in the interview. "I think this is a very solid proposal which gives a good opportunity for a start" to build trust between the two countries and "engage in cooperation."

Nuclear research reactors are used to create radioactive isotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The Iranian president said that about 20 medical products are created at a reactor in Tehran but that more fuel is needed.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304168.html?hpid=topnews

[shadowknows69]

1. No if this were the Bush administration we'd find a way to refuse to keep the feud going.

Hopefully we're being steered by wiser hands this time?

[AverageJoe5]

2. Ahmadinejad's interesting rhetorical question

Ahmadinejad asks an interesting rhetorical question when says, as quoted in the news article:

"Don't you think it is hilarious to say that it is potentially dangerous for Iran to possess one nuclear warhead for the whole world, but that the fact that the United States possesses 10,000 of them poses no threat whatsoever?" he jibed.

I wonder how Pres. Obama would respond to that.

[CalvinandHobbes]

3. By saying that we are not religous psychos....nt

[The Stranger]

10. That wouldn't be true -- we have plenty of religious psychos -- probably more than Iran does.

[AverageJoe5]

16. Sure, we're not religious psychos, but ...

Sure, we're not religious psychos, but .... which, of the two countries (the U.S. and Iran) is the ONLY country that has, in the past, actually used nuclear weapons causing thousands of people to die?

[shadowknows69]

4. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. And how much money would you pay to buy a broken clock?

Obama is doing his best to rid the world of these weapons...ALL of them...even ours.

I wonder what Mr A-jad would say to that?

[shadowknows69]

6. So let everyone have just one. Because they aren't going away.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. And if 3 decided to gang-up on 1?

Such a scheme would only accelerate a race to polarization when we need unity.

These things aren't worth keeping around in any quantity. All they do is breed fear and suspicion.

You might as well argue we can't cure famine so let's just let certain places starve. We can't cure all disease so let's allow some people go untreated.

We are PROGRESSIVES we progress, we move forward...with a purpose. If there is no destination the journey is in vain.

[shadowknows69]

9. I'm all with you on the idealism

It's the reality that keeps getting in the way of my optimism.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

12. We are reality.

Wars don't just happen. PEOPLE make them. They can be unmade.

[shadowknows69]

14. You're right of course and thank you for reminding me.

I need people to keep giving me hope because I'm about at the end of mine. I have lost faith in most "People"

[Nuclear Unicorn]

17. You're sweet

and I hope I didn't seem too caustic. There's lots to be happy and hopeful about.

[Posteritatis]

20. We got Obama's response at the UN summit today

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UN_NUCLEAR_SUMMIT?SITE=VASTR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Wizard777]

8. This is HUGE. It's progress on a grand scale.

I think Iran's steps toward transparency are very encouraging and commendable. This shows responsibility for their actions and that they take their role in the international community seriously. Willingness to address the concerns of the international community. That helps to solidify their Sovereignty and defuse the appearance of them being a rogue state. If only Israel cooperated with the international community to this extent on their, ahem, "Textile Program." Oh look at all the Druj leaping out of that.

[CalvinandHobbes]

11. Boy are you naive......

Do you really take them at their word or was that sarcasm?

[The Stranger]

13. If you don't take them at their word, then you dismiss their threats and bluster, too.

Which is it going to be?

[Wizard777]

18. Oooookay, then how would you develop trust?

The whole Us v Them thing needs to become a WE thing. Nuclear Nations need to be able to trust one another. The nuclear nations also need to be able to trust developing nuclear nations. The space the worlds nuclear weapons occupy needs to become occupied by trust and cooperation. With world wide trust and cooperation on nuclear issues. Nuclear weapons can be made obsolete. Trusted Friends have no need of nuclear weapons to destroy each other with. It's really that simple.

[shadowknows69]

15. I'm hoping it means people are finally starting to get it

That if we ever go down the road of another nuclear weapon being used in this world we probably won't be able to turn back.

[Wizard777]

19. With the world wide use of computers. There's even more at stake than ever before.

The governments are trying to blame spikes in cancer rates on everything but nuclear testing and the bombs we used. We live in a bubble. Nuclear war or even civilian use accidents can have international and global implications. Nuclear radiation is a fire that can burn for a damned long time. I do mean damned. I think people on all sides are starting to get a lot of thing about nukes and the logistics of damnation.