Iran threatens to stop cooperation with nuke agency

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 11, 2004

Iran threatens to stop cooperation with nuke agency

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Iran criticised European states on Wednesday for bowing to US pressure to condemn Teheran's atomic programme before the UN nuclear watchdog and threatened to cut cooperation with the international agency.

Iranian ambassador Pirooz Hosseini told reporters at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that there was too much unconstructive pressure by Americans on Britain, France and Germany over a draft resolution that lists Iranian failures to report sensitive nuclear activities.

In Teheran, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said the Islamic Republic could end cooperation with the IAEA unless it stopped being 'influenced by the Americans'.

The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors was on Wednesday still debating at its Vienna headquarters the resolution on Iran, with a vote expected later in the week.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran should keep on cooperating to build confidence in its peaceful claims. The IAEA has been verifying since February 2003 whether Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful, as Iran claims.

He urged Iran not to renew its uranium enrichment activities, as Mr Kharazi threatened on Wednesday.

But US ambassador to the IAEA Kenneth Brill told reporters the nuclear watchdog had identified 'significant concerns' about Iran's programme.

Iran's resumption of enriching uranium, a possible material for making nuclear weapons, would not be constructive, Mr Brill said.

The United States, which wants to take Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions, agreed on the compromise text on Tuesday with Britain, France and Germany, which have stressed the need to get Iran to cooperate with the international community over nuclear non-proliferation.

The text condemns Iran for failing to report such crucial technologies as advanced P-2 centrifuge designs for enriching uranium, possibly to weapons grade, despite having claimed to have fully disclosed its nuclear programme in a declaration to the IAEA last October.

Source: agencies

Questions?Comments? Click here

Iran syas to resume uranium enrichment

US wants IAEA to be tough on Iran

Indian navy to have two aircraft carriers by 2011 ( 4 Messages)

What's the meaning of Bush & Blair nominated as candidates for Nobel Peace Prize? ( 31 Messages)

Study: Americans eating themselves to death ( 7 Messages)

Japanese PM's remark on shrine visit leads to long-term cold relations with China: Kyodo ( 10 Messages)

French Presidents' China complex ( 4 Messages)