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India studying implications of UNSC sanctions on Iran

New Delhi, Dec 24 (UNI) India today said it was ''studying'' the implications of the UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Iran and asserted that all possible efforts should be made to address the issue through peaceful dialogue and negotiations.

A statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should play a central role in resolving the outstanding issues.

Maintaining that Iran had the right to pursue its nuclear programme for peaceful civilian use, the statement said Tehran had undertaken certain obligations that its nuclear programme was exclusively for peaceful purposes.

''We have noted the passage of the UN Security Council Resolution and are studying its implications.

We continue to feel that all possible efforts should be made to address the Iranian nuclear issue by peaceful means through dialogue and negotiation and that the IAEA should play a central role in resolving outstanding issues,'' External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.

The UNSC yesterday unanimously decided to impose sanctions against Iran in response to its uranium-enrichment activities, which Tehran says are for peaceful purposes but which other countries contend are driven by military ambitions.

The issue threatens to snowball as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while rejecting the sanctions, said today that world powers would soon regret imposing them (sanctions.) '' ''This resolution will not harm Iran and those who backed it will soon regret their superficial act... Iranians are neither worried nor uncomfortable with the resolution ... we will celebrate our atomic achievements in February,'' the Iranian President said, according to reports from Tehran.

Terming the U N sanctions resolution as ''a piece of torn paper,'' he asserted it would not scare the Iranians into stopping nuclear work.

The adoption of the sanctions resolution came after successive reports by the IAEA indicating its inability to certify that Iran's motives were entirely peaceful.

Iran's nuclear programme has been a matter of international concern ever since the discovery in 2003 that it had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The Security Council decided that Iran must suspend the ''proliferation sensitive nuclear activities,'' including all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, and work on all heavy water-related projects. Both these steps are to be verified by the IAEA.

The Council banned trade with Iran of all items, materials, equipment, goods and tech enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems.

States are also required to prevent the provision to Iran of any technical assistance or training, financial assistance, investment, brokering or other services, and the transfer of financial resources or services, related to the supply, sale, transfer, manufacture or use of the prohibited items, materials, equipment, goods and technology.

UNI RB VD PM1734

Mild quake hits Rajasthan

New Delhi, Dec 24 (UNI) An earthquake of slight intensity shook Pink City Jaipur in Rajasthan early today. The Indian Metrological Department said the the quake, measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale, occurred at 0413 hrs. It was epicentred at latitude of 26.7 degrees North and longitude of 76.0 degrees East. However, there were no report of any casualty or damage. UNI SSC RL GC0845.....

Bihar, Raj and WB lag on literacy front; Kerala tops literacy level

New Delhi, Dec 24 (UNI) Illiteracy has been literally wiped out from households in Kerala while Bihar and Rajasthan reported the lowest literacy rates of 44 and 64 per cent among rural and urban areas respectively, says an NSS report. Kerala topped among the states with the highest literacy rates in both rural and urban areas -- only three per cent in rural areas and one per cent in urban areas were still untutored -- a.....

State WC demands one-third tickets for women in assembly polls

Hardwar, Dec 24 (UNI) The Uttaranchal State Women Commission today demanded one-third representation for women in the coming state assembly elections. Talking to the newspersons here in 'Meet the Press' organised by the district Press Club Hardwar, State Women Commission Chairperson Santosh Chauhan said, ''The commission has written to all the political parties, appealing them to field one-third women candidates in the coming sate Assembly elections.'' She regretted the lack of representation for women in.....
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