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Iran Will Comply With Nuke Demand
EFL/FU(CBS/AP) Iran on Monday pledged to keep cooperating with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency â at least for now â backing down from earlier suggestions it might sever ties in reaction to the agencyâs demand that it reveal its nuclear secrets by next month. Black Hat delay for strategic reasons - theyâll renege tomorrow "Our cooperation with the agencyâŠshall continue as before," Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh told the general assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency, adding that his country remained committed to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. Aghazadeh also said Iran would start "negotiations with the agency about the additional protocol," that would allow the IAEA thorough and unfettered inspections of all of its nuclear activities. During negotiations that led to passage of a resolution setting the October deadline by the IAEA board of governors last week, Iran had suggested that it would scrap plans to accept that protocol. While accusing "partisan politics in the United States" of being behind the "heavy-handed" resolution, Aghazadeh said Iran is "fully committed" to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Still, he suggested not all of its provisions could be met in such a short time frame. "It seems that the resolution has been engineered in such a manner to guarantee its non- or half-implementation," said Aghazadeh. The agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations, seeks to ensure compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which aims to ban the spread of nuclear weapons. It monitors the status of nuclear materials in dozens of countries and promotes the peaceful use of nuclear technology. It also serves as a forum for global scientific and technical cooperation. If an agency board meeting in November rules that Iran did not meet the demands contained in the resolution, it could rule Tehran in violation of the treaty. The board would then be obligated to report the noncompliance to the U.N. Security Council, which could recommend sanctions. We need to actively disrupt this program with..say...a regime change?? Posted by: Frank G 2003-09-25 |
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