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Iran Accepts Tough 'Political' IAEA Resolution
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Kharazi called the IAEA a 'political one' (AFP file photo)
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VIENNA,
June 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Despite admitting a
mistake in its earlier nuclear-related investigations, the U.N. atomic
agency adopted a tough resolution rebuking Iran for failing to come
clean about its nuclear program.
Iran
reacted by criticizing the resolution but said it would still
cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The
United States which claims the Islamic republic is hiding a covert
plan to build nuclear weapons, voiced its satisfaction over the
resolution.
The
resolution, written by Britain, France and Germany with help from the
United States, was adopted unanimously by the International Atomic
Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi criticized the resolution, branding it
a 'political rather a technical one', but said his country would meet
its commitments to the UN nuclear watchdog, according to Al-Jazeera
Satellite Channel.
"The
IAEA has not limited its deliberations to the technical aspects, but
extended them to political ones as well. It came under political
pressure, especially from some US circles.
"Had
the IAEA focused on technical points only, it would have been possible
to close that file now," Kharazi told Iran's official radio,
according to Al-Jazeera.
He
added that Iran "would not accept any new conditions," but
said his country would continue to cooperate with UN agency.
The
resolution called for the IAEA's 15-month-old investigation into
Iran's nuclear activities to be stepped up and for Tehran to do more
to help it complete the probe within a few months, according to Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The
resolution repeats a call by IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei
"that it is essential for the integrity and credibility of the
inspection process to bring these issues to a close within the next
few months."
And
it "deplores... that overall as indicated by the Director
General's written and oral reports, Iran's cooperation has not been as
full, timely and proactive as it should have been."
The
tough resolution was tabled Thursday at an IAEA board meeting in
Vienna, even
though the agency admitted it had made a mistake in its
investigation and after Iranian President Mohammad Khatami warned that
the Islamic republic could back away from voluntary commitments such
as the suspension of uranium enrichment if the resolution went
through.
Mild
Reaction
Iran
had reacted mildly Thursday in Vienna with its chief Iranian delegate
Seyed Hossein Mussavian saying the Islamic Republic would continue to
cooperate with the IAEA.
But
Iranian Foreign Ministry official Amir Hossein Zamaninia said in
Vienna that the resolution was "a major departure from the
reality on the ground," where Iran claims to be cooperating
fully.
He
said Iran would decide whether to continue voluntary measures, which
go beyond the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), according to
"the degree of implementation of the reciprocal
commitments," a reference to Iran's desire for peaceful nuclear
technology transfers in return for carrying out so-called
confidence-building measures.
Non-Aligned
States Critical
The
some 15 non-aligned nations on the IAEA board said in a statement
Friday that they regretted that the resolution had not been more
positive about "steady progress towards resolving (the issue)
within the next few months due to the continued cooperation by
Iran."
Mussavian
told the Iranian news agency (IRNA) that the non-aligned members of
the Board issued a statement minutes before attending Friday's session
and expressed their severe opposition to the draft resolution.
According
to Mussavian, the opposing non-aligned members said that the document
over-sighted the obvious right of the Board's members to develop and
use their own nuclear energies for peaceful means and by their own
domestic technologies, according to IRNA.
Washington
'Happy'
Washington,
for its part, said it was happy with the resolution. State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said Thursday: "The United States has
felt that it's important for the IAEA to continue its pressure on
Iran, to continue its investigation, its inspections, to continue
finding things out about this program."
Boucher
also accused Iran of new attempts to hide sensitive activities,
particularly razing nuclear sites to hide banned nuclear activity,
according to AFP.
"I
can't give you any independent information, but commercial satellite
photography shows the complete dismantling and the razing of a
facility at Lavizan Shiyan (a Tehran suburb).
"And
that's a site that was previously disclosed as a possible Iranian
weapons of mass destruction-related site," he said.
A
senior diplomat close to the IAEA told AFP the agency was interested
in this site but had not yet been "invited" by Iranian
authorities to visit it.
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