Iran May Harden Position Against IAEA

Yahoo! News ^ | 15 Mar 2004

[F14 Pilot]

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran indicated Sunday it could harden its position against the U.N. nuclear agency, a day after freezing international inspections to protest a critical resolution by the watchdog agency.

On Saturday, Tehran said it was indefinitely barring inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, hours after its 35-nation governing board adopted a resolution that said it "deplores" recent discoveries of uranium enrichment equipment and other suspicious activities that Iran had failed to reveal.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Sunday the resolution's tone "was unfair and insulting. We don't allow anybody to talk to us in such language."

He said no date has been set for when inspectors would be allowed back into the country, but first "realities must be taken into consideration."

"If realities are not seen, it's possible that the method of our cooperation with IAEA may change," Asefi told a press conference. "Barring the inspectors from visiting Iran should be interpreted in this context."

Asefi did not specify what actions Iran might take.

However, the spokesman later insisted Iran's "cooperation with IAEA is not being questioned. We are willing to cooperate because we are transparent in our intentions and goals."

The agency's Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and senior U.S. officials planned to discuss the weekend's developments at a meeting Monday in Washington. ElBaradei also was expected to meet with President Bush.

Iran insists its nuclear activities are for the generation of electricity. The United States suspects Iran is undertaking a secret program to build nuclear weapons and had called for even harsher language in the resolution.

Diplomats familiar with the work of IAEA said that a lengthy ban on inspections would be a huge obstacle to the agency's efforts to deliver a judgment by June on the nature of Tehran's nuclear past and present.

But in Vienna, ElBaradei said he was sure Iran would overturn it soon.

"I'm pretty confident that Iran will understand that we need to go within the time scheduled, and the decision to delay the inspection will be reviewed and reversed within the next couple of days," ElBaradei said.

The U.S. envoy to the IAEA, Kenneth Brill, condemned the freeze.

"This is a measure of their 'full cooperation' — their postponing the very thing that they are called on to do by their obligations," Brill told reporters.

The United States has been lobbying for the IAEA to declare Iran in breach of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and to refer Iran's activities to the U.N. Security Council, where economic sanctions could be imposed.

The IAEA resolution holds off on taking such action until the board of governors meets again in June.

Asefi said he was certain that Iran's nuclear dossier will not be referred to the council because of "Iran's cooperation with IAEA, and the other reason is that we didn't conceal anything."

[F14 Pilot]

Free Iran

[F14 Pilot]

NUCLEAR PING

[HarryCaul]

Well, why not?

Who is gonna force inspections?

Spain?

[risk]

The German nation wishes to live in peace with the rest of the world. But it is for this very reason that the Government of the Reich will employ every means to obtain the final removal of the division of the nations of the world into two categories. The keeping open of this wound leads to distrust on the one side and hatred on the other, and thus to a general feeling of insecurity. The national Government is ready to extend a hand in sincere understanding to every nation that is ready finally to make an end of the tragic past. The international economic distress can only disappear when the basis has been provided by stable political relations and when the nations have regained confidence in each other. --Hitler's speech at the Reichstag, March 23, 1933

[F14 Pilot]

No, May be France or Germany.

[mware]

According to Iran’s State News Agency (IRNA) democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry will seek direct talks with Iran if he wins the White House, his foreign policy chief said.

Why shouldn't Iran hold out, they could get just what they want by waiting until November.

[snooker]

Time to pave over their reactor sites. They want a demo, give them a demo.

[F14 Pilot]

Are you sure that John Fedayeen Kerry will win?

[sport]

They believe that john kerry is going yo be elected President.

From this point on they will begin using stalling tactics.

If President Bush is reelected , and I believe that he will, they will begin cooperating.

They know that if kerry is elected that they have nothing to worry about.

They will just send a donation to the dnc once a month and one to kerry also and continue their work.

Then one day the people around Boston and New Youk City will look up and say, "What is that funny looking cloud over Boston/ New York City?"

[mware]

Are you sure that John Fedayeen Kerry will win?

I sure hope NOT.

[OXENinFLA]

This looks like it will go downhill REAL QUICK!

[conservativecorner]

Are they really hardening their position when in fact their position has always been to allow only small nuggets of info into the hands of all concerned?

[blackie]

Freedom in Iran ~ now!

[nuconvert]

Changed their minds. Now they say Mar. 27th inspections can resume.