IAEA adopts resolution on Iran's nuclear issue

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 27, 2003

IAEA adopts resolution on Iran's nuclear issue

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The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution Wednesday on Iran's nuclear issue, restraining the nuclear watchdog from reporting Iran to the UN Security Council for a decision on imposing sanctions on the country.

The resolution, sponsored by France, Germany and Britain, applauded "Iran's offer of active cooperation and openness" with the IAEA which demanded intrusive snap inspections of Iran's atomic sites.

However, it "strongly deplores" Iran's cover-up over the past 18 years of a program involving uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.

After a week of haggling between the three European countries, China and Russia and the United States, the resolution was approved by all the 35 members of the IAEA Board of Governors by consensus.

IAEA head Mohammed El Baradei expressed to the press his satisfaction with the resolution, but said: "It is pretty clear that the board is sending a very serious and ominous message that failures in the future will not be tolerated and that the board will use all options available to it to deal with these failures."

Iran, the key subject of Wednesday's meeting, adopted a noticeable change in its attitude toward the IAEA's nuclear inspection demands after foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain paid a visit to Tehran on Oct. 21.

Just before the IAEA board meeting, Iran shifted its stance from resistance to cooperation, saying it would keep its promise to sign a protocol allowing snap inspections of its nuclear plants.

"Certainly we have committed ourselves to sign the Additional Protocol and that's what we are going to do," said Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's representative to the IAEA. He said Iran would sign the protocol soon.

The United States, which sees Iran as part of an international "axis of evil," had long hoped to send Iran to the UN Security Council for possible punishment for "non-compliance" with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Washington finally made a concession in face of strong opposition from some countries.

Iran acclaimed the resolution as an "achievement" for Tehran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: "This resolution... proved that Iran has followed its peaceful nuclear activities with transparency and truthfulness."

However, the United States interpreted the resolution in a different way.

"The board has expressed the international community's unity in rejecting Iran's policies of denial, delay and deception, and has acknowledged Iran's past behavior as non-compliance," US Ambassador to the IAEA Kenneth Brill said in a statement.

After the resolution was adopted, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yan told Xinhua that China sticks to its consistent position on the peaceful settlement of Iran's nuclear issue and hopes to solve it within the IAEA framework through dialogue and cooperation.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told a news conference during a visit to Poland: "Sending it to the Security Council would have only complicated an already difficult situation."

However, the resolution contains a so-called trigger clause: If Iran is discovered with further breaches, the IAEA board will meet immediately to consider "all options," one of which is the Security Council.

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