Iran: Have Right to Bar UN Inspectors  09/07 07:32

   TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's nuclear chief said Tehran has the right to bar 
some U.N. inspectors from monitoring its disputed nuclear program, the 
semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.

   Ali Akbar Salehi's late Monday comments were apparently in response to a 
report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, expressing alarm 
about Iran's decision to bar some of its inspectors.

   The report followed Iran's recent decision to strip two inspectors of the 
right to monitor its nuclear activities after they reported what they said were 
undeclared nuclear experiments.

   ISNA also quoted Salehi as saying Iran asked the agency to replace the two 
and that it has accepted the replacements.

   "This is our right as well as the right of other members of the agency to 
choose the inspectors," Salehi said. "Basically, all member nations select from 
a list provided by the agency."

   The West, led by the United States, suspects that Iran's nuclear program is 
geared toward making weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying the program is for 
peaceful purposes only.

   Salehi, also the Islamic Republic's vice president, urged the Vienna-based 
atomic agency to steer a fair and neutral course, arguing that the IAEA's 
credibility depended on that.

   Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast echoed Salehi's comments on 
Tuesday.

   "We have the right to replace inspectors regarding their background and 
activities," he said.

   In a related development, six Arab nations across the Persian Gulf from Iran 
issued a statement Tuesday calling on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA, saying 
they wanted Tehran to adhere to the principles of international law and help 
efforts to make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction.

   The statement was issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council, a loose political 
and economic alliance that groups Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, 
Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

   The statement's reference to a Middle East free of weapons of mass 
destruction appeared to reflect fears by the six nations over Iran's possible 
development of nuclear weapons.


(KA)