January 17, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 16, 1426

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: India on Monday expressed ‘regret’ over comments made by Iran’s top nuclear negotiator that New Delhi received preferential international treatment on nuclear proliferation issues.

“We have seen comments made by Ali Larijani regarding India in a recent interview. We regret this reference to India,” said a statement released by the Indian foreign ministry.

“India is a responsible nuclear weapon state and has always been in compliance with its obligations under international treaties and agreements.”

On Jan 12, CNN aired an interview with Mr Larijani, in which the official asserted Iran’s right to pursue peaceful nuclear activities and noted that the country submits to international inspections while several nations that already possess nuclear weapons do not.

According to Indian foreign ministry notes, Mr Larijani made a specific reference to India at the end of the interview.

“Americans say (to Iran) ‘we doubt and we suspect your intentions, you may in future develop nuclear weapons’, while IAEA reports say that Iran is 10 years away from being capable of developing weapons,” Mr Larijani reportedly said.

“But compare that to India, it does have nuclear weapons but they have extensive relations in the nuclear field. This dual standard is detrimental to international security.”—AFP