Nuclear watchdog off to Iran

Vienna - UN atomic agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei is to hold talks in Iran next Tuesday to urge the government to co-operate fully with international monitoring of its nuclear program.

It will be the third visit to Iran by ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, since the IAEA began in investigating February 2003 whether the Islamic Republic was secretly developing atomic weapons, as the United States alleges.

The purpose of the visit is "to consult on outstanding issues relevant to the IAEA's verification of Iran's safeguards agreement" under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), spokesperson Melissa Fleming said in a statement.

She said: "With the IAEA board of governors members calling for a comprehensive report for the next board meeting in June, Dr ElBaradei wants to personally emphasise to the Iranians how crucial it is they act in a fully transparent and co-operative manner so that the open questions about Iran's nuclear activities can be answered."

Two IAEA inspectors arrived in Iran last Saturday to carry out more checks on the country's nuclear program.

Iran had tried to put off the mission earlier this month after the IAEA condemned it for continuing to hide sensitive nuclear activities including designs for sophisticated P2 centrifuges for making enriched uranium which could be weapon-grade.

But Tehran yielded and allowed the visit after a delay of two weeks, following an international outcry against Iran for failing to co-operate with the atomic agency.

The UN team will focus its inspections on the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and the Isfahan nuclear technology centre.

The Natanz plant is one of two sites where IAEA inspectors have discovered traces of highly enriched uranium. This substance can be used in civilian nuclear reactors to generate electricity but it can also be used as raw material for a nuclear bomb.

Inspection missions later in April are to verify Iran's pledge to suspend uranium enrichment and to try to answer questions about whether Iran has tried to make P2 centrifuges or has designs for nuclear weapons, diplomats said.

Mohammed ElBaradei's goal is to coverup Islamic nuclear bombs worldwide.

ElBaradei tried to continue his charade, but failed, in Iraq,
but gave them time to ship the materials to the Bekka and under the control of Damascus.

2 posted on 03/31/2004 5:09:50 AM PST by Diogenesis (If you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us)

El Baradei - do you have a nuclear weapons progam, By God?

Iranian Official - No, By God, and Death to Israel (raising Sieg Heil salute)!

El Baradei - Thank You, By God, and Death to Israel and America, too!

Maybe I want to give him the benefit of the doubt too much, but I haven't made a decision on ElBaradei yet. Sometimes he seems to be tough, and other times, I don't know what he's doing. I'm leaning in the direction of getting rid of him, though.
I'm reserving judgement until I see what he does about Iran. This is his last chance to redeem himself.

4 posted on 03/31/2004 6:11:13 AM PST by nuconvert ("America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins." ( President Bush 3-20-04))

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