Iran's president called on Tuesday for developing nations to unite against what he said was bias by the UN Security Council, which the Islamic Republic accuses of siding with the West in a nuclear row. Iran wants to broaden international support for what it says is a peaceful drive to use nuclear technology but which the United States and the West says is a bid to make atomic bombs. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told ministers from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran that the Security Council and other world bodies were being manipulated by some world powers. He accused the powers of trying to deny others peaceful nuclear energy while they themselves stockpiled atomic weapons. “The major powers are on a descending course. The extent of their influence drops day by day. They are approaching the end of their era,” Ahmadinejad told the gathering. NAM, now with 118 members plus observers, was set up in 1961 to group many newly independent nations which wanted to avoid being caught up in the Cold War between Moscow and Washington. It has struggled to stay relevant since the Soviet Union fell. The movement has previously voiced support for Iran's peaceful use of nuclear energy and backed Tehran's cooperation with the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. A draft statement, obtained by Reuters, echoed this. But diplomats working on the statement said it was “watered down” from a more strongly worded document initially proposed by Iran. “Any measure to change the world conditions and realize the joint interests of member states will not be possible except through effective efforts and collective cooperation of member states,” Ahmadinejad said in his address. Ahmadinejad called for an “arbitration council” to mediate in disputes and a fund to back development in NAM. He said the Security Council would never issue a resolution against the United States, Iran's arch-foe, as long as Washington, like four other big powers, had a permanent seat. The permanent council members have veto powers.
