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Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Not be Deprived of Nuclear Technology
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=13AA537:A6F02AD83191E160717B28CED386FEF69574F7DCC14957C0 Iranian leader
spoke at inauguration of new nuclear facility



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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, inaugurates a heavy-water nuclear facility,
Aug. 26, 2006

Iran has inaugurated a new phase of a nuclear facility, just days
ahead of a United Nations deadline that requires Tehran to halt
uranium enrichment.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke Saturday at the
inauguration of a heavy water plant southwest of Tehran. He said the
country will not be deprived of its right to nuclear technology.

He said Iran's nuclear activities are not a threat to anyone, not even
Israel .

The heavy water produced by the plant will cool an eventual nuclear
power station at the site. But plutonium will be a byproduct of the
power plant and can be used for atomic bombs.

Iran says the nuclear facility is for generating electricity, but
Western nations believe Tehran is working to build atomic weapons.

In Israel, a former defense minister, Ephraim Sneh, said the heavy
water plant marks "another Iranian leap" toward a nuclear bomb.

On Friday, Iranian officials said Tehran is ready for international
talks on its nuclear program, but it has refused to halt its nuclear
enrichment activities.

A U.S State Department spokesman, Gonzago Gallegos, said Washington
will push for sanctions if Iran does not halt the sensitive nuclear
work by the August 31 deadline.

But Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov says it is premature to
talk about sanctions, calling for more time to resolve the dispute
through negotiations.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

 


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