Posted on 09/15/2005 3:55:06 AM PDT by F14 Pilot
LONDON, September 15 (IranMania) - UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has urged the United States to give Iran one last chance to halt suspected weapons-related nuclear activities but Washington is insisting on immediate UN Security Council action, diplomats said.
"US ambassador Gregory Schulte asked him (ElBaradei) on Wednesday not to lobby for this (a delay)" at the Vienna-based UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a diplomat who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue told AFP.
The United States and the European Union are pushing for the IAEA to refer Iran to the Security Council at United Nations headquarters in New York, when the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors begins meeting in Vienna on Monday.
The British delegation to the IAEA is Thursday to give a series of presentations to different board members explaining why the EU has no confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, diplomats said.
Still, ElBaradei told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a telephone conversation last week it would be better to give Iran a deadline for ceasing uranium conversion work, rather than going for referral to the Council now, as the IAEA board is split over the issue, a diplomat said.
"Rice said this was not a good idea," another diplomat said.
US and IAEA spokespersons refused to comment.
Conversion is the first step in making enriched uranium which can be fuel for nuclear power reactors or bomb material.
Russia, China and several non-aligned states oppose sending Iran before the Security Council, which could impose sanctions on Tehran, as they say the right to make nuclear fuel is guaranteed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"It would be better to find a compromise that can keep everyone engaged rather than splitting the board," a diplomat said.
The diplomat said that since Iran was only converting uranium into a feedstock gas and not actually making enriched uranium, "it is not that critical that the matter is solved at next week's board meeting. We can wait another few weeks, or another few months, as long as the Iranians don't go beyond what they are doing now."
The IAEA on August 11 called on Iran to stop nuclear fuel activities in order to resume talks with the European Union on guaranteeing its nuclear program is peaceful, as Tehran claims it is.
The United States believes Tehran is using its civilian nuclear program to hide atomic weapons development and feels the time has come to make a stand on the issue.
At a UN summit in New York Wednesday, US President George W. Bush expressed concern over Iran's nuclear program to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as Washington moved to rally support against the Islamic republic.
A diplomat said the United States was appealing to countries not favoring Security Council referral to change their minds.
Washington was asking India to show leadership against Iran as a proliferation threat since New Delhi wants Washington to help it get a seat on the Security Council.
Washington was warning Russia that it could end up isolated in blocking referral and trying to get Pakistan and Brazil, which both have strong nuclear programs, to wait until they see developments at the board meeting before deciding what to do.
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin "strongly" called in New York for Iran to keep its nuclear non-proliferation promises or face action before the Security Council.
Iran said Monday it would cooperate fully with IAEA inspectors provided it was allowed to make nuclear fuel, according to a document presented to IAEA board members and obtained by AFP.
The IAEA, which monitors compliance with the NPT and has since February 2003 been investigating Iran's nuclear program, has never been forced to vote on a compliance issue as it uses consensus decisions to give measures the weight of a united international community.
Western nations almost certainly have enough votes to get the IAEA board to send Iran to the Security Council but diplomats warn against forcing this.
"A vote on this issue would be very damaging so there is pressure to move ahead only with a consensus," a diplomat said.
European diplomats said if they got the issue to New York, they would not initially ask the Security Council, which unlike the IAEA has enforcement powers, to impose sanctions but would merely recommend a Council "president's statement" as the goal would be to get Iran to heed the IAEA calls.
Mohamed ElBaradei, screw that lying SOB
time is running out for mullahs
"Still, ElBaradei told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a telephone conversation last week it would be better to give Iran a deadline for ceasing uranium conversion work, rather than going for referral to the Council now"
We've been down this road before.
For your reading pleasure.
"Washington is insisting on immediate UN Security Council action"
I'm hoping Condi would learn from Powell's mistakes. The only reason to appeal to the UN is to lull a regime into a false feeling of safety. Going to the UN makes them think they are buying time. The only way this will work out well is to take action well before the UN tapdance is over.
Title should be: IAEA chief urges US to give Iran one last chance ... again
"Russia, China and several non-aligned states oppose sending Iran before the Security Council, which could impose sanctions on Tehran, as they say the right to make nuclear fuel is guaranteed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."
That actually works in our favor this time. As we saw in Iraq, "sanctions" would merely give Iran the maneuver space & time it needs to finish and export its research to Islam.
Maybe Tehran will have a nuclear accident.
no telling what ties he has through his iranian wife
I know you don't favor a military solution to the Iranian problem. But if a device goes off either here or in Israel, it's going to get ugly for them very quickly.
Yes, I know I'm stating the obvious- but this diplomacy tactic is getting us nowhere. We have no real cooperation from third parties.
I've said before and I'll say it again, Mohammad El Baradei is an anti-US, anti-Western backstabber who couldn't (or wouldn't) prevent North Korea, Pakistan or Libya (we stopped Libya) from developing nuclear weapons. He cannot be trusted and we should proceed with all due haste to the UN Security Council.
Blah ,Blah, Blah
we can not keep playing that game
E I B is a A R A B.
Screw him and the carpet he rode in on!
Title should be: IAEA chief urges US to give Iran one last chance ... again for the 14th time.
"Maybe Tehran will have a nuclear accident."
Oops! Fall down go BOOM!
That's why Bush was there yesterday, right?
This story is a reaction to his speech at the Security Council. Diplomacy does us no good.
The man is a moron BUMP!
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