Iran, Syria, West clash at meeting to save atom pact

By Mark Heinrich

GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran and Syria clashed with the West on Monday over accusations of suspicious nuclear activity in both countries, clouding the start of global talks on how to salvage the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In opening statements at the start of a two-week gathering on the NPT, the European Union and other Western delegates cited Iran as symptomatic of the spread of technology which can be used to produce atomic bombs.

The EU condemned Iran's defiance of U.N. resolutions demanding it suspend enrichment and pressed it to clarify intelligence reports that it secretly studied ways of building atom bombs in violation of the NPT.

"(This is) critical to an assessment of a possible military dimension to Iran's program," Slovenian Ambassador Andrej Logar, speaking for the EU, told the meeting of some 120 states that will run until May 9.

"The EU is resolved not to allow Iran to acquire military nuclear capabilities and to remove any proliferation risks posed by the Iranian nuclear program," he said.

Iran, which was not slated to speak, took the floor to blast the EU for "lengthy and exaggerated allegations that distort the truth" about Iran's enrichment campaign, which Tehran bills as solely a quest for electricity so it can export more oil.

Iran remained "faithful" to its NPT obligations but no one could take away "our inalienable right" to benefit from peaceful nuclear energy, Iranian delegate Mohammed Taghi Hosseini said.

In Tehran, Iranian officials discussed with a Russian envoy what they called "serious proposals" to defuse tensions with the West over its nuclear activity, but gave no details.