IRAN ESCAPES INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS
VIENNA 25 Nov. (IPS) The Islamic Republic escaped international sanctions after International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted on Wednesday a "compromise" resolution condemning the Mollahrchy for having concealed from the Agency parts of its nuclear programmes, but stopped to refer the case to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.
Both Tehran and Washington welcomed the resolution, a compromise worked out by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, ending five days of intense discussions by the 35 Directors of the IAEA’s Board.
Mohammad el-Barade’i, the head of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), told a news conference in Vienna that the board was "sending
a serious and ominous message that failures in the future will not be
tolerated".
"This is a good day for peace ... and non proliferation", el-Barade’i told reporters, saying the resolution, "strengthens my hand in ensuring that Iran's program is for peaceful purposes".
According to the resolution if further serious Iranian failures arise, the IAEA board would meet immediately to consider all actions allowed by its statute, which includes actions from the U.N. Security Council.
It said the IAEA board would consider "all options at its disposal" if Iran continued hiding sensitive atomic activities.
"If the IAEA turned to the Council, the body would likely move to impose sanctions", diplomats told Iran Press Service.
The resolution, drawn from a report prepared by the Egyptian Director of the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, notes that the Islamic Republic of Iran had failed "over an extended period of time" to meet obligations on "the reporting of nuclear material and its processing and use", including separating plutonium and enriching uranium.
Enriching uranium is an important step in the chain of producing nuclear energy.
But the resolution did not include Mr. el-Barade’i's assessment in his report that there is so far no evidence Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons, as the United States claims.
Iran said the resolution was an "achievement" for Tehran. But its ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Akbar Salehi, expressed disappointment that it did not include one of the main conclusions of Mr el-Baradei's report: that the IAEA had not found evidence of a nuclear weapons programme.
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said that "there is no doubt ... further failures," by Iran would result in Security Council involvement.
In Tehran, Hojjatoleslam Hasan Rohani, the influential Secretary of the Supreme Council on National Security described the Resolution as a "victory" for Iran.
It was Mr. Rohani, a cleric close to the Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, who, after a five hours talks with the foreign affairs of France, Germany and Britain on 21 October, announced the Iran would accept IAEA demands for signing the Additional Protocol to the Non Proliferation Treaty and stop uranium enriching activities.
The French Foreign Ministry said of the resolution: "Its content is balanced, it makes a very firm judgment on Iran's past activities in the nuclear area and encourages it to continue and confirm its move toward a new policy of transparency and cooperation with the international community."
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw issued a statement welcoming the adoption of the resolution as "an important step forward in the international community's efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons."
Russia also welcomed the resolution, saying it was pleased the matter would not be taken up by the Security Council. ENDS IAEA IRAN RESOLUTION 251103