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10/31/2004:

"Iranian Bill Backs Nuclear Program Drive"

TEHRAN (Reuters) - To cries of ``Death to America'' and ``God is Greatest'' Iran's hard-liner-dominated parliament passed a bill on Sunday obliging the government to continue efforts to develop a nuclear energy program.

The proposal, backed by 247 of parliament's 290 lawmakers, did not specifically force the government to immediately resume uranium enrichment or end snap U.N. inspections of atomic facilities as some lawmakers had called for.

But the outline bill approved on Sunday called on the state to continue work on the nuclear fuel cycle which includes uranium enrichment -- something which brings Iran into direct conflict with demands by the U.N.'s atomic watchdog that it halt such activities.

Full Article: nytimes.com