Iran's Rouhani leaves for New York to attend UN general assembly

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani left here for New York on Monday to attend the UN General Assembly, state IRIB TV reported. The Iranian president is scheduled to deliver a speech on the Tuesday session of the assembly. Prior to leaving Tehran, Rouhani told reporters that he intends to introduce the "real image" of the Iranians to the world. "We will try to make the voice and message of the Iranian nation heard by the world and say that the Iranian nation is opposed to any violence and extremism, particularly in today's world," Rouhani was quoted as saying. "The Iranian nation is considered the region's center of stability and has always sought peace in the region," said Rouhani. As for the Western sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, he said that "We want to say that the path of (imposing) sanctions is an unacceptable path and those who have chosen it will not achieve their objectives." The Iranian leader said his country seeks development and progress within the framework of international law, but has been unfairly subjected to political and economic pressures, according to the report. On Sunday, Rouhani urged the West to accept Iran's nuclear enrichment rights, reiterating that Iran has no intention to develop the weapons of mass destruction and is pursuing social and economic development instead. "Enrichment inside Iran and within the international rules and conventions should be endorsed" by the Western powers, said Rouhani. The president also reasserted Iran's longtime position that nuclear enrichment is the "inalienable right" of the country. "Iran is ready to have dialogue with the West provided that there is no pre-condition for the talks," he said. "The negotiations should be based on the equal footing and mutual respect... and they should accept all the rights of the Iranians including the nuclear and enrichment rights," he added. Rouhani had said that under his administration Iran will " interact constructively" and "seriously" with the world, in particular with the West, and will be "more transparent" over its nuclear activities. In response, the West has cautiously welcomed Iran's calls for engagement and urged the Islamic republic to observe the world's concerns over its sensitive nuclear program. Both Iran's new government and the world powers have shown interest of resuming nuclear talks after the last round of negotiations, which were held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in April ended without tangible results.