Saying that Western countries wanted to make nuclear technology available at market values for civilian use to developing countries, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma defended the right of those countries, including South Africa, which had the capacity, to develop that nuclear technology themselves.
"We are not pitching for Iran but we are saying they have a right to nuclear technology for peaceful reasons," the foreign minister told an audience of about 700 people at a Foreign Affairs imbizo (public conference) held at the University of Cape Town today.
On weapons of mass destruction, the minister said South Africa had a clear policy: "We don't think anyone, whether it's the United States, Britain France or India, should possess those weapons."
"But we have to be realistic, we have to be part of the non-proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction struggle," Dlamini-Zuma said.
She also spoke of a struggle for worldwide disarmament, and said a key element of this was that technology, including nuclear technology, should be made available to countries committed to non-proliferation so that they could use this for peaceful purposes, such as with energy programmes.
"We have made it clear to Iran that they must not have any intention of having nuclear weapons," the foreign minister said, adding that if Iran does not have nuclear weapons "we don't see why they should be denied the possibility of using nuclear technology for energy, for medical use and so on."
At a media briefing earlier this month, deputy Foreign Affairs minister Aziz Pahad said South Africa was playing a role in mediating between Iran and Western countries - especially the European troika of France, Germany and Britain - who were using diplomacy to ascertain the extent of Iran's development of nuclear weapons, and to prevent the Middle Eastern country from becoming another nuclear-weapon wielding power.
Pahad indicated that South Africa was in talks with Iran and Western powers through its emissary, Abdul Minty, to the International Atomic Energy Authority based in Vienna, Austria.
Without dismissing it as a possibility, Pahad mentioned then that he had seen a press report suggesting an agreement might be reached with Iran over its nuclear programme whereby the enriched uranium necessary for such a programme is enriched in a third country.
This could ensure that the uranium that Iran uses for its programme is of a low level of enrichment, which is suitable for nuclear fuel, rather than the highly enriched uranium which can be used in nuclear weapons.
The foreign affairs inaugural imbizo - it was the first time that this department had reached out to communities in South Africa for an interchange on policy, while this has become a standard, albeit unique practice for other government departments - was attended by Education Minister Naledi Pandor, deputy Foreign Affairs ministers Pahad and Sue van der Merwe, as well as Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool, Foreign Affairs Director-General Ayanda Ntsaluba and new Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies. - BuaNews
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