Posted on 07/06/2007 10:12:15 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
VIENNA (AFP) - Iran expects the United Nations to hold off on new sanctions while Tehran pursues new talks with the UN atomic agency about its disputed nuclear work, a senior Iranian official said Friday.
"Of course this is definitely the expectation because otherwise, as I've said, this positive, constructive environment will be in jeopardy and this whole peace might collapse," Iranian ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh told AFP in an interview.
The UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency's deputy director general for safeguards Olli Heinonen will visit Tehran next week to draw up a plan to resolve "outstanding issues" in an over four-year-old IAEA investigation of Iran's nuclear program, Soltanieh said.
This comes with Iran defying UN Security Council resolutions for it to suspend uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear reactor fuel but also atom bomb material, and to cooperate fully with the IAEA, which has unresolved questions about Iranian nuclear activities that could have military applications.
The Security Council has already imposed two sets of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend enrichment.
The United States and its European allies plan to propose a third sanctions resolution.
But China's UN ambassador Wang Guangya on Tuesday urged the international community to boost diplomatic efforts to end the nuclear standoff with Iran, saying the time was not yet right for new sanctions.
Soltanieh said Iran was making a concession in holding new talks with the IAEA.
"The main issue is that Iran has taken a big step accepting that we will have discussions with the IAEA about the modality of how to touch upon and deal with outstanding issues," he said.
"We hope that we get a postive, constructive mood and environment," he said.
"Hopefully, this is a new breakthrough . . . and I hope that this will go in the right direction to the negotiated settlement of the whole issue," Soltanieh said.
He said Iran would not be discussing with the IAEA team in Tehran from Wednesday to Friday the issue of a "time-out" under which the Islamic Republic would limit its enrichment work and the UN would hold off on further sanctions.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has proposed such a "freeze-for-freeze" as a way to defuse the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions and set the stage for multilateral talks.
Soltanieh said the matter would "probably" be discussed when EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani continue their meetings, the last of which was in Lisbon on June 23.
Iran has so far rejected any halt in its enrichment work, to which it claims a right in what it says is a peaceful effort to generate electricity, in accord with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The United States claims however that Iran is using this program as a cover for the secret development of nuclear weapons.
The Security Council could toughen Iran sanctions, which now target people and institutions involved in its nuclear and missiles programmes, and impose travel bans, freezing of bank accounts and inspections of Iranian cargo ships and aircraft.
But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has brushed off the threat saying: "They cannot hurt us, not that they don't want to but because they are incapable of doing so as they are in a difficult situation," in comments published in Tehran on Saturday.
A deadly and allegedly Iranian-made "EFP" armour-penetrating roadside bomb (L) is seen among other explosives used by Iraqi militants during a press conference in Baghdad. The US military has accused Iranian special forces of using Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah militiamen for training Iraqi extremists and of planning an attack that killed five US soldiers this year.(AFP/Pool/Chris Hondros)
How laughable!
This is absolutely ridiculous - I mean how long has it been since the UN first started having “discussions” about Iran’s nuclear program? What - 2 years now? This is insane that they can’t get anything done in 2 years.
“The main issue is that Iran has taken a big step accepting that we will have discussions with the IAEA about the modality of how to touch upon and deal with outstanding issues,” he said.
Cut the double talk mullah, we want action.
Here is what the stance is it seems for the major players:
1) Iran’s = Tell the world we will build the bomb and use it on Israel and allude that you will use it on the USA as well. Mein Kempf must have been the Supreme Guide’s favorite reading along with Alhjmanajeed.
2) USA = Bury our heads in the sand, undermine the POTUS so we can do nothing to them. Alhjmanajeed is right, we are not in the position to do anything to them. Thanks to the rats when NYC goes up in a nuclear fireball.
3) Europe = Appease, appease, talk, talk, appease, appease then blame the USA for acting irresponsible on the global stae.
4) China = Iran, please build the bomb and use it on Israel and the USA, it will make our job of eliminating the competition so much easier...
5) Russia = Iran, please build the bomb and here are the blueprints so go ahead use it on Israel and the USA, it will make our job of eliminating the competition so much easier...
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