Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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October 4, 2007

Iran's Foreign Minister Says US Threats Not Helpful to Resolving
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Nuclear Issue
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19BC5EB:A6F02AD83191E160C6CD850244B296769574F7DCC14957C0 Manouchehr Motaki
says there have always been two options for resolving crisis
surrounding his country's nuclear activities - cooperation and
confrontation Following a week of intense international pressure on
Iran to comply with U.N. resolutions demanding it suspend uranium
enrichment, Tehran's top diplomat says his country is cooperating with
the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency and wants a peaceful solution to the
crisis. VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from U.N. headquarters.







Manouchehr Motaki speaking at UN headquarters, 03 Oct 2007Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Motaki says there have always been two
options for resolving the crisis surrounding his country's nuclear
activities - cooperation and confrontation.

"We did - and we do - prefer the first option," he said.

He told reporters Wednesday at the United Nations that Tehran is
cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency to answer what
he said are "six or seven sets" of questions about its nuclear
program, adding that the IAEA is the appropriate forum for such a
discussion.

Last week Iran won a temporary reprieve from possible new U.N.
sanctions for not complying with international demands that it stop
enriching uranium. Motaki says sanctions are unfair and do not work,
and the decision to delay new ones shows the permanent members of the
Security Council, plus Germany, are finally taking what he called "a
realistic approach" to the issue.

He added that U.S. saber rattling to pressure Iran is ineffective,
because Tehran believes Washington is in no position follow through.

"Our analysis is clear," said Motaki. "The U.S. is not in a position
to impose another war in our region."

The Iranian foreign minister says his country is peaceful and has
never attacked a neighbor. He adds that Tehran does not want to see
the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, and
reaffirmed his government's stance that it only seeks nuclear energy
for peaceful purposes.







President Bush speaks in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 3 Oct 2007But
President Bush says Iran's president has made very provocative
statements in the past, including threatening to destroy Israel. Mr.
Bush told an audience in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday
that the world needs to understand the potential consequences of a
nuclear-armed Iran.

"This is a leader who has made very provocative statements, and we
have made it clear, however, in spite of that we are willing to sit
down with him so long as he suspends his program, his nuclear weapons
program," President Bush said. "In other words, it's his choice not
mine any more."

Mr. Bush says the United States' objective is to, with the help of the
international community, peacefully persuade the Iranians to give up
their nuclear weapons ambitions for the sake of peace.


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