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Posted on 03/11/2004 8:18:24 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - U.N. nuclear agency members were deadlocked Thursday over how harshly to censure Tehran for failing to fully expose its nuclear activities. Informal meetings ended with no agreement, after the nonaligned bloc at the 35-nation board of governors watered down a draft resolution backed by the United States, Canada, Australia and European countries. Those Western nation then rejected the altered resolution as being too gentle on Iran. The deadlock left Canadian and Australian diplomats shuttling between U.S. and nonaligned representatives in a reflection of how far apart the two sides were before the informal meetings were adjourned for the night with no agreement. Consultations were set to resume Friday, two days after what had been the scheduled end of the conference. The United States, which insists Iran has a nuclear arms program, earlier held out the example of Libya as a nation whose openness has reaped international rewards. "A country that truly comes clean with the agency and truly cooperates ... gets a constructive response," U.S. delegate Kenneth Brill told reporters after the IAEA board passed a resolution Wednesday praising Tripoli for scrapping its nuclear weapons program. "Countries that seek to avoid providing the kind of cooperation that Libya has continue to be the subjects of intensified ... scrutiny," he said. Iran asserts its nuclear programs are peaceful and has promised to cooperate with IAEA inspectors to dispel suspicions prompted by revelations last year of finds of traces of uranium enriched to 90 percent, or weapons grade, and other activities that could be used to make arms. Since then, however, new finds by IAEA inspectors of undeclared items and programs have cast doubt on Tehran's assertions that it has no more nuclear secrets. The United States, along with Canada and Australia, wanted strong condemnation of Iran. The draft submitted to the nonaligned group was, however, a less harsh compromise to please European nations seeking to focus more on Tehran's cooperation with the IAEA, even though that began only after last year's discovery that Iran had plans to enrich uranium and had secretly conducted other tests with possible weapons applications. An IAEA report last month accused Tehran of hiding evidence of nuclear experiments and noted the discovery of traces of radioactive polonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons. The report also expressed concern about the discovery of a previously undisclosed advanced P-2 centrifuge system for processing uranium. Iran asserts its now suspended enrichment plans are geared only toward generating power. But on Wednesday, Iran announced plans to resume enrichment, eliciting a negative response from Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA chief, who said it would hurt Tehran's chances of proving that it has no interest in nuclear weapons. --- On the Net: International Atomic Energy Agency: http://www.iaea.org --
The Europeans don't want to do anything about the Iran Nuclear efforts!
Sanctions, HA! I was thinking invasion. We can't let those looney-tunes have a nuclear bomb...think Madrid.
How harshly? I vote for dropping a MOAB right down the central stack of Iran's main atomic factory complex.
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”
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