TEHRAN AGREEMENT A MODEL OF DIPLOMACY AT WORK: IRANIAN OFFICIAL

TEHRAN, 31 Oct (IPS) As Iran "escaped" the 31 October deadline that had been fixed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for signing the Additional Protocols to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and stop its uranium enriching programs, a senior hard line cleric warned that Iran’s decision was to allow the regime to "pass the crisis", stressing however that Tehran’s "red lines" still exist over the issue, stopping short of emphasising further.

At about the same time, Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA and one of the top negotiators described the agreement Iran reached on 21 October with the foreign affairs ministers of France, Germany and Britain as "the victory of the power of logic over the logic of force" and a "model for solving international hot issues by the way of peaceful diplomacy".

Mr. Salehi confirmed that Iran has addressed a "full and complete" report on all its nuclear-related activities to the Vienna-based Agency on 22 October, as according to the terms of the agreement, assuring Tehran’s readiness to answer "all further inquiries and questions" that the international inspectors might ask.

In an interview with the Persian service of Radio France International (RFI), Mr. Salehi said four inspectors were already in Iran conducting "interviews, inspections, sample taking etc.." with full cooperation and understanding with Iranian officials.

The next step would be taken on 20 November when the Agency’s 35 member Board of Directors meet again in Vienna to study the report from the inspectors work in Iran, Dr. Mohammad el-Bradeh’i, the Egyptian General Director of IAEA indicated, while expressing his "satisfaction" at the report Iran has presented the United Nations watchdog on nuclear activities.

"The international community is keen to have this (Iranian) case ended peacefully. The Europeans and in my view, even some segments in the American Administration also are on the same tune to present the case as a model of diplomacy solving world’s problems", Mr. Salehi said, adding that the Iranian leadership was also "walking on the same logic".

In its first reaction to the Tehran accords that allows international inspectors full access to all Iranian nuclear sites, projects and activities, the Bush Administration that has labelled the Islamic Republic a "rogue regime" reserved a cautious welcome, urging the Iranian authorities to "stand by its commitments in the future".

"Iran will do all it can to make sure that no ambiguity remains as far as its nuclear activities are concerned and so far, we have reached full understanding and enjoyed close cooperation with IAEA’s inspectors", Mr. Salehi said, stressing that Tehran would firmly stand by its undertaking.

In return for Iranian pledges to suspend uranium enrichment and sign up to the snap inspections of nuclear sites demanded by the additional protocol, Britain, France and Germany agreed to provide technical assistance for civil energy production, understood to include supplies of fuel.

Speaking at the traditional Friday prayers, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a close aide to Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in a complete U-turn from his earlier positions over the issue, backed the agreement and praised the officials for having "exercised the necessary prudence and expediency" in making the decision, stressing that no "ill-intention was involved in the case", according to IRNA, the official news agency of Iran.

The fact that Iran’s bowing to IAEA demands was announced by Hojjatoleslam Hasan Rohani, the influential Secretary to Iran’s Supreme Council on National Security after a four hours talk with Dominique de Villepin of France, Joschka Fischer of Germany and Jack Straw of Britain was seen as a sign that Mr. Khameneh'i had given the green light to the agreement, opening the way for its approval by both the Majles (Iranian Parliament) and the powerful Council of the Guardians that he controls directly.

It is exactly for this reason that Mr. Jannati’s Friday statement did not surprised Iranian political analysts who reminded that from the moment IAEA had delivered its ultimatum to Tehran on 12 September until the last days prior to the 21 October four party accords, he had been one of the most ferocious tenors of the segment of the hard liners suggesting the authorities to emulate the North Korean attitude towards the IAEA by getting out of the NPT.

To some 1,500 protesters bussed to the campus demonstrating against the agreements they denounced as "a shame" while announcing their support for the leaders of the regime, Mr. Jannati advised to avoid "adopting positions on matters you do not fully understand", according to IRNA.

As he was assuring the audience that "no one can say anything to harm Iran’s independence, security, dignity and sovereignty", he told worshipers at Tehran University Campus.

Pointing to the recent remarks by some US officials that the White House is not after toppling the Islamic establishment, Ayatollah Jannati observed that such positions "are not new to Iran".

"We have experienced this issue hundreds of times. We never become happy over a smile of the enemy, nor will we be frightened by its anger", he said to the chants of "Death to America," and "Death to Israel".

The CG Secretary further recalled the new US charges against Iran over the issue of human rights, stressing that this is part of the efforts by Washington leaders to seek pretexts against the Islamic Republic. "No country in the world violates human rights as much as the US and the Zionist regime do", Jannati said. ENDS IRAN IAEA 311003