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Iran not an imminent threat says ElBaradei
 VIENNA - Irans nuclear program is not an imminent threat, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday as his agency met to hear a call to haul the Islamic Republic before the UN Security Council.
| Depends on your definition of "imminent," doesn't it? |
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran needed to do confidence building but that the international crackdown on Teherans nuclear ambitions, which the United States says involves making atomic weapons, is not about an imminent threat. I should make that very clear.
| I always get a queasy feeling when somebody burps the words "confidence building." You can buil my confidence by showing that you don't intend to beat the crap out of me, true. But if you're lying, then I can be as confident as I please and I still end up with most of my teeth missing and bruises all over me. |
We are reaching a critical phase but it is not a crisis situation, ElBaradei told reporters.
| It's critical but it's not a crisis. Do I need to be a diplobat to understand what he said? |
| I think he's calling for something called "willing suspension of disbelief." |
The IAEAs 35-nation board of governors is debating a European Union draft resolution to report Iran to the UN Security Council, calling on it to suspend all nuclear fuel work and to cooperate fully with a now three-year-old IAEA investigation into its nuclear program. The resolution is a compromise to Iranian ally Russias demands as it allows for a month-long pause before the Council can move ahead on any action, which could include punitive sanctions. I think what the board is trying to do is to send a very clear message to Iran but also to provide a window of opportunity for diplomacy, ElBaradei said.
| I think you're willingly fooling yourself. |
| They've been crawling in and out of that window of opportunity for at least the past three years. |
The message is that Iran needs to take more confidence-building measures, such as suspending enrichment and other nuclear fuel work, ElBaradei said. He said full cooperation by Iran could lead to the Security Council backing off from sanctions.
| On the other hand, if they'd been cooperative, the Security Council could be attended to other important matters, like whether to have the veal or the lamb. |
El Baradei said that in speeches on Thursday board members had made clear that the goal is simply a continuation of diplomacy by having the council lend its weight to the agencys effort, to my effort, and everybody is stressing renewing the commitment to negotiation, ElBaradei said, referring to now broken-off talks between Iran and the EU.
| It's not like the UN would take any action. |
There is a window of opportunity until I submit my report in March, El Baradei said, referring to a report on Irans cooperation with the watchdogs investigation that is to be filed before the next IAEA board meeting on March 6. Nobody is questioning Irans right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy but they are really saying at this stage, when there are still question marks about Irans porgram that Iran should not engage and should exercise restraint on engaging in enrichment which is a very sensitive technology and could lead to nuclear weapons, ElBaradei said.
| Why yes it could, couldn't it? What will you do when Iran tests a nuke? |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-02-02 |
