Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

World Video | Defence | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | Search

 

UN Radio Iran to Allow Tougher Nuclear Inspections


UN Radio: Iran to Allow Tougher Nuclear Inspections

  • Click here to listen to this UN Radio Report (real player)
  • Click here to listen to this UN Radio Report (mp3)
  • Special Report: UN Middle East peace process moving backwards
  • IAEA Welcomes Iran's Intention to Allow Tougher Nuclear Inspections

    The International Atomic Energy Agency has welcomed news that Iran has agreed to allow tougher UN inspections of its nuclear programme and to suspend its enrichment of uranium. Iran's position came out in talks of senior Iranian officials with the visiting British, French and German foreign ministers. IAEA Spokesman Mark Gwozdecky says the news, coming in the wake of last week's visit to Iran by Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei, is an encouraging sign that Iran will meet the end of the month deadline for full disclosure of its nuclear activities:

    "The Director General hopes and expects that in the next few days, Iran will deliver to the IAEA a complete declaration of all its past nuclear activities and an official notification of its readiness to conclude an Additional Protocol."

    UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, also welcomed Iran's decision and expressed appreciation for the negotiation efforts of France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

    Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

    Are you getting our free newsletter?

    Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

    General Assembly Seeks to Determine if Israel Security Barrier Is Illegal

    The UN General Assembly will vote on Tuesday afternoon on the separation barrier being built by Israel between itself and Palestinian territories. The meeting was requested mainly by Arab representatives in reaction to a veto by the United States last week in the Security Council. A draft resolution proposed by the Arab Group seeks to have the barrier declared illegal by the General Assembly, as it had asked the Security Council to do. The representative of Malaysia, Rastam Mohd Isa, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said he was deeply disappointed that the Council had been prevented from declaring the illegality of the Israeli expansionist wall:

    "It is unfortunate that a veto once again has been exercised once again in the Council. This was the 27th veto on a draft resolution pertaining to Palestine. This latest veto does not bode well for future progress towards a just lasting and comprehensive peaceful solution."

    A second draft text being considered by the General Assembly would ask the International Court of Justice in The Hague to issue an advisory opinion on whether Israel should cease construction of the barrier and dismantle the existing parts. The Security Council also met Tuesday morning on the issue of Palestine.

    UN and Sierra Leonean Forces Begin Joint Border Operations

    Troops from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have launched a joint border operation with local police and air force units. It is designed to increase security in the frontier with Liberia, and to enhance the capabilities of Sierra Leone's armed forces. The Mission said the exercise, named "Operation Blue Vigilance," will serve to prevent potential infiltrations of Liberian combatants into Sierra Leone and will collect information for further operations by Sierra Leone's security agencies. ICTY Tells Serbia it Must Extradite Indicted War Criminals

    The International Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia says Serbia has a clear obligation to extradite for trial four of its citizens, whose indictments for war crimes were revealed on Monday. They are two former top soldiers, an ex-police chief and the current head of Serbia's public security, Sreten Lukic. They are charged with having planned, instigated, ordered, committed or otherwise aided crimes against humanity, including executions and the deportation of some 800,000 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo in 1999. Serbian officials have indicated that extraditing the four men, who are considered heros by many at home, would lead to internal instability. But Tribunal Spokesman Jim Landale says they are expected to comply with their obligations under international law:

    "We will give them a bit of time to work through their procedures according to their law and cooperation. If that is not forthcoming, then it is a matter for the Prosecutor and the President of the Tribunal to decide what measures to take."

    Angelina Jolie Opens Film "Beyond Borders" on UN Relief Workers

    Movie star, Angelina Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency, attended a premiere of her film BEYOND BORDERS Monday in New York. The film is about a UN relief worker caught up in conflicts in Ethiopia, Cambodia and Chechnya:

    "It's for people in the field who dedicate their lives and hopefully, it will shed some light on them and people will remember them and look into other parts of the world, in Ethiopia today, in Chechnya today and maybe do some research and not rely on the front page of the local papers, invest some time and thought in the entire world, because we are very separated here and often don't get the full picture. "

    © Scoop Media

    Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
     
     
     
    World Headlines

     
    UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

    Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


    Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

    Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

    UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

    UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


    Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

    By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Join Our Free Newsletter

    Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.