Iran opens nuke plant to foreign tourists
(AP)
Updated: 2006-10-04 17:04 TEHRAN- Iran's hard-line president has ordered nuclear
facilities opened to foreign tourists to prove that the nation's disputed atomic
program is peaceful, state-run television reported on Wednesday.
"After an order by the president ... foreign
tourists can visit Iran's nuclear facilities," the head of Iran's tourism
division, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, was quoted as saying.
Mashai said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
issued the order to show that Iran's nuclear program it aims to generate fuel,
not weapons.
"We are reviewing the related instructions in
this regard," he reportedly said.
The report did not clarify the definition of a
foreign tourist. The announcement came a day after Iran's parliament voted to
debate a bill that would require the government to fingerprint all U.S. citizens
visiting Iran.
The draft law would require all American
citizens to be fingerprinted when they enter Iran. The measure was in
retaliation for the fingerprinting of Iranian travelers visiting the United
States — a procedure implemented in 2002 for Iranians and citizens of several
other countries.
The U.S. and some of its allies fear Iran is
seeking to enrich uranium to develop nuclear weapons.
Senior U.N. diplomats said Tuesday that Iran's
refusal to freeze uranium enrichment had sabotaged talks meant to defuse the
standoff over its nuclear program, opening the way for the Security Council to
start considering sanctions next week.
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