Tehran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
stressed to visiting former Japanese premier Yukio Hatoyama
on Sunday that Tehran opposes nuclear weapons, his official
website reported.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is fundamentally opposed to
the atomic bomb and weapons of mass destruction," Ahmadinejad
told Hatoyama.
"Iran and Japan can exert a common effort to create a
world without atomic weapons ... Difficult but humanitarian
efforts will win in the end."
Japan is the only country ever to have suffered a nuclear
attack, its cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki being targeted by
the United States at the end of World War II.
Hatoyama`s presence in Iran was an issue of contention in
Japan, after Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba
reportedly requested he not make the trip.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nodahe has also expressed concerns over Hatoyama`s visit, fearing it could undermine the
Japanese government`s efforts for international coordination,
Japanese media reported.
The visit came at a tense time, with Iran facing off
against much of the West over its nuclear programme.
The United States and its allies fear Iran is seeking
nuclear weapons capability, something Tehran denies.
Talks between Iran and the five permanent UN Security
Council members and Germany are due to be held starting
Friday, in a country yet to be agreed.
Hatoyama was quoted as telling Ahmadinejad:
"International trust-building and respecting regulations are
important part of the world community which should be
seriously pursued."
Ahmadinejad said Iran was "ready for negotiations" and
had unspecified "practical suggestions for the upcoming
meeting."
PTI
