The UN Security Council on Friday agreed to allow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak in defence of his nation's nuclear programme at a session to be held next week in New York, the council president said Friday.
Ahmadinejad requested to speak before the 15-nation council is to adopt a draft resolution tightening targeted sanctions against his controversial uranium enrichment programme. Iran refused to suspend the activities by a February deadline, triggering the fresh round of sanctions.
"We conveyed the request (by Ahmadinejad) and there was no objection to it" by Security Council members, said South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, the council president.
Ahmadinejad's request was made by Iran's mission to the UN in New York.
"I request that our delegation, headed by the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, be allowed to participate in the possible meeting, without the right to vote ... and make a statement before the vote," a letter signed by Iranian UN Ambassador Javad Zarif said.
The council plans to meet Wednesday to discuss the draft resolution on new sanctions against Iran for refusing repeated demands to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
But Kumalo said the six countries that negotiated the draft wanted to move forward discussion of the new document to Tuesday instead of Wednesday, which he said may upset the 10 council members that did not take part in the negotiations.
"We are not a rubber stamp," Kumalo told reporters, expressing once again the unhappiness of the 10 countries that are non-permanent members of the council and who are often kept out of talks by the five permanent members.
Those 10 members had sent the draft back to their capitals for consideration and they would not be ready to discuss it before Wednesday.
The five veto-wielding permanent members - the US, Russia, China, Britain and France - and Germany negotiated the new draft resolution and handed it over to the 10 non-permanent members on Wednesday.
Kumalo said discussion of the new draft would take place next week, but he said no date had been fixed as to when the draft would be voted on.
Ahmedinejad wanted to attend a council meeting before the vote to defend Iran's right to civilian nuclear technology. Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suspect Iran is hoping to manufacture nuclear weapons with its advanced uranium enrichment activities.
Ahmadinejad requested to speak before the 15-nation council is to adopt a draft resolution tightening targeted sanctions against his controversial uranium enrichment programme. Iran refused to suspend the activities by a February deadline, triggering the fresh round of sanctions.
"We conveyed the request (by Ahmadinejad) and there was no objection to it" by Security Council members, said South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, the council president.
Ahmadinejad's request was made by Iran's mission to the UN in New York.
"I request that our delegation, headed by the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, be allowed to participate in the possible meeting, without the right to vote ... and make a statement before the vote," a letter signed by Iranian UN Ambassador Javad Zarif said.
The council plans to meet Wednesday to discuss the draft resolution on new sanctions against Iran for refusing repeated demands to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
But Kumalo said the six countries that negotiated the draft wanted to move forward discussion of the new document to Tuesday instead of Wednesday, which he said may upset the 10 council members that did not take part in the negotiations.
"We are not a rubber stamp," Kumalo told reporters, expressing once again the unhappiness of the 10 countries that are non-permanent members of the council and who are often kept out of talks by the five permanent members.
Those 10 members had sent the draft back to their capitals for consideration and they would not be ready to discuss it before Wednesday.
The five veto-wielding permanent members - the US, Russia, China, Britain and France - and Germany negotiated the new draft resolution and handed it over to the 10 non-permanent members on Wednesday.
Kumalo said discussion of the new draft would take place next week, but he said no date had been fixed as to when the draft would be voted on.
Ahmedinejad wanted to attend a council meeting before the vote to defend Iran's right to civilian nuclear technology. Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suspect Iran is hoping to manufacture nuclear weapons with its advanced uranium enrichment activities.
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