Date: 2009-11-29
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Washington — U.S. officials say the censure of Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors sends a strong signal on the country’s continued noncompliance with its obligations for its nuclear program and underscores the international community’s collective concern about Iran’s nuclear activities.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington — U.S. officials say the censure of Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors sends a strong signal on the country’s continued noncompliance with its obligations for its nuclear program and underscores the international community’s collective concern about Iran’s nuclear activities.
The 25–3 vote at the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna “demonstrates the resolve and unity of the international community with regard to Iran’s nuclear program,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a November 27 statement.
The vote marked the first time in nearly four years that the IAEA has passed a resolution on Iran’s nuclear activities. Among the nations supporting the censure are Russia and China, as well as the United States.
The resolution shows that there is a “broad consensus” that Iran must live up to its obligations and offer transparency on its nuclear program, as well as a collective commitment to uphold international law and hold Iran accountable, Gibbs said.
“Indeed, the fact that 25 countries from all parts of the world cast their votes in favor shows the urgent need for Iran to address the growing international deficit of confidence in its intentions,” he added.
The text of the IAEA resolution calls on Iran to adhere to international rules regarding nuclear proliferation, “including by suspending immediately construction at Qom,” a nuclear site which Iran declared in September, years after it had begun construction of it in secret.
Iran’s refusal to abide by its obligation to report the Qom facility as soon as it had decided on its construction and its failure to submit information to the IAEA as its design was developed “does not contribute to the building of confidence,” the resolution said.
The resolution urges Iran “specifically to provide the agency with the requested clarifications regarding the purpose of the enrichment plant at Qom and the chronology of its design and construction.”
Along with requesting Iranian cooperation with the IAEA, the resolution also calls on Iran to confirm that it has not decided to “construct, or authorize construction of, any other nuclear facility which has as yet not been declared to the agency.”
IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said November 26 that there has been “no movement” on the IAEA’s efforts to verify Iran’s repeated claim that its nuclear activities are exclusively peaceful.
“It is now well over a year since the agency was last able to engage Iran in discussions about these outstanding issues. We have effectively reached a dead end, unless Iran engages fully with us,” ElBaradei said.
He said the Qom facility is now at “an advanced stage of construction,” and Iran plans to make it operational in 2011. The late disclosure of the facility “reduces confidence in the absence of other nuclear facilities under construction in Iran which have not been declared to the agency.”
The director-general also said he is disappointed that Iran has not yet agreed to an IAEA proposal that would allow it to obtain fuel for its Tehran medical research reactor. The agreement would permit Iran to ship its uranium to Russia for enrichment and have France process the material into fuel rods.
The IAEA has offered to take custody of the uranium while it is outside of Iran, ElBaradei said, “in view of the degree of mutual mistrust.”
Along with providing fuel to allow the reactor to produce medical isotopes for cancer patients, he said, the agreement “would also help to bring about a shift away from confrontation toward cooperation and open the way for a broad dialogue.”
“This opportunity should be seized and it would be highly regrettable if it was missed,” ElBaradei said.
Press secretary Gibbs expressed strong U.S. support for the IAEA proposal and said the United States has recognized Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and remains willing to engage with Iran to find a diplomatic solution over the nuclear concerns.
However, Gibbs said, Iran has refused a follow-on meeting with the P5+1 group consisting of Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. The seven countries last met in Geneva on October 1, and Gibbs said Iran is refusing to meet again if its nuclear program will be included on the agenda.
“Our patience and that of the international community is limited, and time is running out. If Iran refuses to meet its obligations, then it will be responsible for its own growing isolation and the consequences,” Gibbs said.
Senior State Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity said all of the P5+1 countries are committed to a two-track approach toward Iran, meaning the use of both diplomatic engagement and pressure to get the country to comply with its international obligations.
“That means, as we get closer to the end of the year, the point at which we’ve made clear judgments need to be made, we are going to be exploring a package of consequences,” one official said.
“Nothing that … we contemplate or we would consider is aimed at causing greater harm for the Iranian people, who have suffered enough as a result of the repression of the people’s efforts to express themselves peacefully since the elections on June 12,” the official added, referring to the protests that have followed Iran’s disputed presidential election.
A second U.S. official said the IAEA’s actions are significant because they mark the first time in nearly four years that the agency has passed a resolution on Iran’s activities, and said the P5+1 countries had collectively taken the lead on drafting and presenting the measure.
“Iran’s cooperation has been at best spotty, and at worst there has been a great deal of foot dragging with the IAEA,” the official said, urging Tehran to cooperate with the agency.
“Iran says that its program is of a civilian character and it’s peaceful, and it’s precisely through the mechanism of cooperation with the IAEA that they can best make that case and prove that point,” the official said.