French Expert: All Countries Entitled to Use Nuclear Energy

March 6, 2005

Weapon Program: 

  • Nuclear

A French expert has said here that man needs energy and that`s the right for every country to make use of nuclear energy.

Talking to IRNA on the sidelines of the International Conference on Nuclear Technology and Sustainable Development (March 5-6) here on Saturday, a member of the World Council of Nuclear Workers Andre Maisseu said it would be stupid to try to get some plutonium or uranium from nuclear power station and try to produce military-grade fuel because it was very expensive, very difficult and time consuming.

He hailed Iran as a country, having the knowledge, the ability and all the capacity to develop nuclear energy.

"Any technology may be used in two ways: You may use it in a bad way or in a nice way. When you have a knife you are able to cut something into pieces or kill my neighbor; It is not the knife thatis the bad thing."

"It is always possible for any country to use the technologyfor peaceful or non-peaceful purposes," he added.

Asked on the impact of the ongoing conference on Iran`s foreign relations, Maisseu said, "I don`t know; I am not a politician." The two-day conference opened Saturday morning with an inaugural speech by Deputy Director of Foreign Policy and International Relations Department, CSR, Mahmood Vaezie.

The Saturday meeting dealt with Nuclear Energy and Sustainable Development, the Policies of the Great Powers and International Nuclear Treaties and Iran`s Peaceful Nuclear Program: Requirements and Imperatives.

Also speaking at the same gathering were Iran`s chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani, Vice President and Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh, Head of the Algerian Atomic Energy Commission Noredin Ben Jaballah and Director General of the Malaysian Institute of Nuclear Daud Mohamed. Other speakers included Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Sergey Babourin, the member of the World Council of Nuclear Workers Andre Maisseu, Harvard University lecturer Steven Miller, a member of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Shannon Kile, Director for Non-Proliferation from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA, Joseph Cirincione, Vice Chairman of Russian PIR Center and Anton Khlopkov.

The Sunday meeting of the Conference reviewed a series of issues, including application of nuclear technology in medicine, industry and agriculture, international peace and security, challenges and threats, the Middle East and nuclear threats, and Iran`s nucleardiplomacy; challenges and opportunities.

The conference participants are scheduled to visit Iran`s nuclear facilities in Isfahan on Monday.

On Monday, they will also hold sessions on peaceful use of nuclear technology and sustainable development, and nuclear disarmament, regional security and global peace.