Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Ahmadinejad Reiterates Iran Rights in Rally

Alalam New reports: Massive rallies were held across Iran on Monday as the nation commemorated the 29th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Tehran and millions in the provinces to renew their allegiance to the ideals of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, and to show their solidarity with the government.

In Tehran, the people ventured the cold weather and into the streets chanting slogans such as "Death to America," "Death to Israel" and "Nuclear energy is our undisputable right".

The crowd walked towards Azadi (Freedom) Square in western Tehran where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was giving his annual speech.

President Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran would not make any concessions in the dispute over its peaceful nuclear program.

"The Iranian nation will not retreat one step from its (nuclear) rights, the West should know that Iran cannot be threatened by (Western) economic pressures and threats," Ahmadinejad said.

"Any concession would be a disgrace for Iran to which we would never ever give in," the president said.

President Ahmadinejad asked the crowd at the Azadi square whether they would give in to concessions over the nuclear dispute to which the tens of thousands at the venue replied "no".

The president also accused Western countries of imposing false information on the United Nations Security Council, hence discrediting the international body.

"But there is nothing more they can do just playing with papers," he said, referring to the UN resolutions so far issued against Iran.

Ahmadinejad stressed that Iran's nuclear projects were solely for peaceful purposes and in line with international regulations, adding that any UN resolution would therefore have no legal basis.

"The West should accept the simple fact that they made a mistake and adopting another resolution would just be a futile effort to compensate previous mistakes by another one," he said.

President Ahmadinejad also lashed out at his critics at home who he accused of having a "vendetta" and betraying the country over the nuclear issue.

"Unfortunately there are some in this country who consider themselves to be the owner of the country and want to control everything in this country," he said.

"In the nuclear case, there are some who unfortunately went to enemy and encouraged the enemy. They gave them the information from inside the country."

"I do not think that these people are part of the Iranian nation. These people cannot escape the claws of the Iranian nation," he added.

Meanwhile, president Ahmadinejad announced Iran is to launch two more rockets into space in the next few months.

"Two other rockets will be launched so that we can then send a satellite into space," Ahmadinejad said.

"We hope that Iran's first home-produced satellite will be launched in the summer," he added, reiterating a prediction made by other Iranian officials.

Iran on February 4 fired a rocket into space in preparation for the launch of its first home-produced satellite.

The national holiday of the "Glorious Victory of the Islamic Revolution" marks the day on February 11, 1979 when the Islamic Revolution led by the late Imam Khomeini managed to topple the corrupt US-backed regime of Shah.

The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the anniversary rally as a sign of people's resistance against the West, especially the United States, and their willingness to continue their independent path.

The 22nd of Bahman, February 11, marks an annual occasion to highlight the most important achievements and successes of the Islamic Revolution, especially with regard to the nation.

The revolution has inspired technological development and modernity, as well as self-sufficiency in the face of all the threats and sanctions imposed on Iran from the voices of evil in this world.

The purpose of this revolution was to ensure justice, liberty and freedom for the Iranian people and to devise an original and distinguished system of Islamic governance, under the leadership of the late Imam Khomeini, in which Islam has become a way of life.