UN Atomic Watchdog Urges Iran to Respond to Deal
New York, Nov 2 2009 1:10PM
The outgoing head of the United Nations atomic watchdog today urged Tehran not to delay in responding to the draft agreement on fuel for its civilian nuclear research site, and called for transparency and cooperation to address outstanding issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme.
The agreement, put forward
nearly two weeks ago during talks at the Vienna headquarters
of the International Atomic Energy Agency (http://www.iaea.org/),
concerns fuel for use at a research reactor in Tehran which
produces medical radioisotopes for therapeutic and
diagnostic procedures.
Last week Iran informed IAEA
Director General Mohamed ElBaradei that it is “considering
the proposal in depth and in a favourable light,” but
needed more time to provide a response. The other three
parties to the talks – France, Russia and the United
States – have all indicated their approval of the
agreement.
“Addressing the concerns of the
international community about Iran’s future intentions is
primarily a matter of confidence-building, which can only be
achieved through dialogue,” Mr. ElBaradei said in his
final address to the UN General Assembly as head of the
IAEA.
“I therefore urge Iran to be as forthcoming as
possible in responding soon to my recent proposal, based on
the initiative of the US, Russia and France, which aimed to
engage Iran in a series of measures that could build
confidence and trust and open the way for comprehensive and
substantive dialogue between Iran and the international
community,” he stated.
He added that trust and
confidence-building are an incremental process that requires
focusing on the big picture and a willingness to take risks
for peace.
Iran has stated that its nuclear programme
is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend
it is driven by military ambitions. The issue has been of
international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the
country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in
breach of its obligations under the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“As a result of
difficult and painstaking work, the agency has acquired a
better understanding of Iran’s civil nuclear programme,”
said the Director General.
“Nevertheless, a number
of questions and allegations relevant to the nature of that
programme are still outstanding and need to be clarified by
Iran through transparency and cooperation with the
agency.”
Mr. ElBaradei, who has headed the IAEA
since 1998, also highlighted the case of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which the agency
reported to the Security Council 16 years ago for
non-compliance with its non-proliferation obligations. Since
that time, he said, the country has moved from the likely
possession of undeclared plutonium to acquiring nuclear
weapons.
“The on-again, off-again nature of the
dialogue between the DPRK and the international community
has stymied the resolution of this issue,” he
stated.
In addition, he lamented the “tragic war”
that was launched in Iraq “on the basis of a false
pretext, without authorization from the Security Council,
and despite the agency and the UN Monitoring, Verification
and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) having found no evidence
that Iraq had revived its nuclear weapons programme or
programmes involving other weapons of mass
destruction.
“It gives me no consolation that the
agency’s findings were subsequently vindicated,” he
said.
In July, the IAEA’s Board of Governors chose
Yukiya Amano, a Japanese diplomat with a lengthy record of
working on disarmament and non-proliferation issues, to
succeed Mr. ElBaradei when he steps down at the end of
November.
ENDS