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The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmajinejad appears to want to attend a conference of signatories of the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) at UN headquarters in New York. US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said this afternoon that Ahmadinejad had applied for a visa for the conference next week. Iran is a signatory to the treaty but its nuclear development program has earned it criticism and sanctions from the US and other countries.

Rice seemed hopeful that the ongoing debate surrounding Iran's nuclear program and sanctions would not complicate positive developments during the NPT conference. Although intense negotiations surrounding the drafting of a resolution on more sanctions against Iran have been going on for months now, Rice indicated that consultations within the security council would continue "at an appropriate time" and that she anticipated consensus on the security council's course of actions in "the coming weeks".

"Iran is obviously, in any case, in the backdrop when consideration of the non proliferation treaty is occuring because it remains in violation of its international obligations, but we think this is much bigger than any one country. Our aims are universal and we will approach it in that vein."

Rice emphasized the importance of making concrete progress during next week's conference and that, in the wake of the signing of the START treaty with Russia and the Washington DC nuclear summit earlier this month, President Obama and other UN member states had clearly shown their commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament.

"The NPT has been and remains a cornerstone of our national security and we think this conference is very important opportunity to strengthen all three pillars of the non proliferation treaty" said Rice, referring to treaty's focus on non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. "There are many other member states that understand the crucial importance of this conference yielding an outcome that serves to reinforce all three pillars and the risk to the viability of the non proliferation treaty regime if this conference does not make progress in that regard"