Pakistan on Wednesday made it clear that it was against referral of Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council and called for resolving the matter within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Dawn reported Thursday.

Reacting to the impending move by the European Union and the United States to report Tehran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council for alleged breaches of international nuclear safeguards, Foreign Office spokesman Naeem Khan categorically stated that Pakistan was not in favor of referring this matter to the UN Security Council.

Talking to this English newspaper, the spokesman openly articulated Pakistan's position on the issue, saying Islamabad would like Tehran's nuclear issue to be resolved within the IAEA framework and that it was opposed to any coercive measures against Iran

Noting that Pakistan was against the use of force and advocated an amicable settlement of the issue, he pointed out that Pakistan had been encouraging Iran and the European Union to resume dialogue.

Indicating Pakistan's concern as a neighboring country, the spokesman said Pakistan would not like another crisis building up in the region.

Earlier this month, Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was here to solicit Pakistan's support on the issue. President Pervez Musharraf had underlined the need to find an amicable solution within the parameters of existing international law and Iran's legitimate national interests.

On Tuesday, following a half-hour meeting with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottakil Tuesday on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told Dawn that his country had difficult time in the past during the Afghan war and that another violent action in the region would destabilize the region.

He said he informed Mottakil that Pakistan's position on the Iranian nuclear issue had been consistent with the non-aligned movement's position and that Islamabad wanted peaceful resolution of the issue.

Kasuri assured Mottakil that Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Iran, recalling the historical, cultural and religious ties between the two countries.

The pressure on Iran has been mounting as the United States and the European Union suspect that Tehran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

Source: Xinhua