U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said countries such as Iran that do not have nuclear arms should give up the right to enrich uranium.
Iran is a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which allow members to process uranium, a step that can be used both for nuclear energy and atomic weapons. The United States says Iran is using this loophole to secretly build nuclear arms.
"It is a loophole that countries have used, including, for instance, the North Koreans to gain access to civilian nuclear power but to continue activities that were closed and unclear," Rice told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Friday.
Iran, which is in talks with European nations on its program, denies it wants nuclear weapons. Britain, France and Germany -- the so-called European Union 3 -- are, with U.S. support, offering Tehran a range of economic and high-tech incentives to persuade it to give up its uranium enrichment program.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
