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Teheran threatens to bar U.N. inspections
| Iran's nuclear negotiator says country will resume nuclear activities if referred to Security Council |
IN THE LEADER'S SHADOW: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leaves the grave of the revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, as the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh (right), prays in Teheran on Tuesday.
TEHERAN: Iran's top nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday that Iran will resume suspended nuclear activities and bar surprise U.N. inspections of facilities if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council.
Negotiator Ali Larijani stopped short of specifying that Iran will restart its uranium enrichment programme, which has been suspended for nearly two years.
``In case of referral ..., we have to start all nuclear work that has been voluntarily suspended and stop implementation of the Additional Protocol,'' Mr. Larijani told reporters.
``Europeans should pay more attention. Iran has called for dialogue and is moving in the direction of reaching an agreement through peaceful means. The Islamic Republic of Iran doesn't welcome this. We still think that this issue can be resolved peacefully. We recommend them not to do it,'' he said. He also said Iran would ``end all voluntary measures and cease the application of the additional protocol'' to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
A move by Iran to cut off cooperation or push ahead with nuclear fuel work would lead to a further escalation of the crisis, but Iranian compliance with IAEA demands to cease such work and greater cooperation with IAEA inspectors could defuse the situation.
The five permanent members of the U.N. also decided the Security Council should wait until the IAEA issues a formal report on Iran in March before tackling the issue. Russia pushed that proviso in hopes that the referral will not scuttle negotiations it is holding with Iran in hopes of resolving the standoff.
Text of statement
Following is the text of the statement issued by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw concerning the agreement on Iran made by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and the European Union in London on Tuesday: "The Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union met this evening, 30, January 2006, and agreed the following:
"Ministers:
Underlined their commitment to the NPT and their determination to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons; shared serious concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, and agreed that an extensive period of confidence-building was required from Iran; called on Iran to restore in full the suspension of enrichment-related activity, including R&D, under the supervision of the IAEA; agreed that this week's Extraordinary IAEA Board meeting should report to the Security Council its decision on the steps required from Iran, and should also report to the Security Council all IAEA reports and resolutions, as adopted, relating to this issue; agreed that the Security Council should await the Director General's report to the March meeting of the IAEA Board, which would include a report on the implementation of the February Board's Resolution, and any resolution from the March meeting, before deciding to take action to reinforce the authority of the IAEA process; confirmed their resolve to continue to work for a diplomatic solution to the Iran problem." — AP
Atul Aneja reports from Dubai:
Iran has warned that it would end diplomacy surrounding its nuclear programme if its case was reported to the United Nations Security Council for possible action.
The 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency is to meet in Vienna on Thursday and could forward Iran's nuclear file to the Security Council.
"Informing the Security Council or referring the Iranian case to it will bring an end to diplomacy and that is not at all positive," the head of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, stressed. Iran has held negotiations with Germany, France and Britain to convince them that it was committed to a peaceful nuclear energy programme.
Its referral to the Security Council, however, could end the possible revival of this dialogue. Similarly, it is not clear what impact will the Security Council referral have on the on-going nuclear dialogue between Iran and Russia.
Russian offer
Russia has offered Iran that uranium enrichment could be carried out on its soil, thereby preventing the possible diversion of nuclear material for the manufacture of weapons.
"I do not want to use the term scandalous," Mr. Larijani said in reference to Monday's agreement, while Iranian Atomic Energy Agency chief Gholamreza Agazadeh said there was no "legal basis" for calling in the Security Council.
Iranian officials have also asserted that Teheran would not reverse its decision to carry out uranium enrichment research, which they had been recently resumed in a facility in Natanz. The head of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, Javad Vaidi, said the decision to resume uranium enrichment research was "irreversible". The Iranian move had triggered a chain of events that led to the agreement in London.
Mr. Larijani clarified that Iran was not intending to walk out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) — a move that would free it of its obligations to cooperate with the IAEA, including inspections of its nuclear facilities.
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