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Iran promises IAEA cooperation as diplomats' patience thins

ABC News Online
Sunday, November 9, 2003

Iran has pledged to give the United Nations nuclear watchdog crucial letters making official its acceptance of tougher nuclear inspections and a suspension of its controversial uranium enrichment program.

However, several diplomats say they are losing patience with Iran, which has yet to stop its enrichment activities three weeks after promising to do so.

The United States believes the activities are at the heart of a secret atomic weapons program.

"Next week, we will get the letter by Iran for conclusion of the Additional Protocol, which is a positive step," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed El Baradei said.

Mr El Baradei describes his meeting with the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rohani, as "very fruitful".

He says Iran has promised him a letter formally announcing the "suspension of all enrichment-related activities" next week.

Mr Rohani has declined to give a date for the suspension of activities.

"In the next week I will announce that," he said.

Last year, US President George W Bush branded Iran part of an "axis of evil" with North Korea and pre-war Iraq.

Iran denies it wants an atomic bomb and says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

This meeting comes days before Mr El Baradei delivers his latest report on inspections in Iran to diplomats in Vienna, a report the IAEA has said would detail more failures by Iran to report required information to the United Nations.

This report will be discussed at the November 20 meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors.

-- Reuters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s985203.htm

ElBaradei: Iran to Confirm Nuclear Concessions

VOA News
08 Nov 2003, 18:04 UTC

The U.N. nuclear agency chief says Iran will hand over letters next week agreeing to suspend uranium enrichment and allow surprise nuclear inspections.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei made the comments Saturday, after talks with Hasan Rowhani of Iran's National Security Council.

Mr. Rowhani said he will announce next week exactly when Iran will begin suspending uranium enrichment. Iran had already agreed to make the concessions, but has yet to confirm the arrangments in writing to the IAEA.

Iran also filed a report late last month that it said was a full and complete account of its nuclear activities. Mr. ElBaradei is still sorting through the document and is set to file his own report as early as Monday.

The IAEA board of governors is to consider during a meeting later this month November 20, whether Iran is complying with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The U.S. State Department has said any decision by Iran to end cooperation on its nuclear program would be "gravely troubling."

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=6D3F66B6-F982-4165-ACEDBCA6EED0B594

Norwegian, French firms join bidders for Iran's Azadegan oil field

ChannelnewsAsia
11.8.2003

TEHRAN : French oil giant Total and Norway's state-run oil firm Statoil have joined talks for contracts to develop Iran's massive Azadegan oil field.

An official from the National Iranian Oil Engineering and Development Company, Ali-Akbar Vahidi Al-Aqa, told the IRNA news agency that talks with the two firms were already underway -- confirming that Japan no longer has exclusive negotiating rights.

The official said Royal Dutch/Shell and Italy's ENI had also been invited to enter talks on the field, considered to be Iran's most important with estimated reserves of 26 billion barrels, but had both refused.

Tehran had offered preferential rights to a Japanese consortium during President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Japan in 2000.

Japan and Iran agreed in 2000 to start negotiations over the field, but Iranian officials warned that a period of exclusive signing privileges for the Japanese consortium expired at the end of June and other companies could now be considered.

Washington has been trying to persuade Tokyo to drop the investment due to concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme.

- AFP

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/56280/1/.html

UN inspections may not stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons: CIA

ChannelnewsAsia
11.09.2003

WASHINGTON : The US Central Intelligence Agency has warned that international inspections may not prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear weapons program because Tehran could be using legitimate fuel production to cover up its weapons programme.

The assessment, contained in a report to Congress made public over the weekend, coincided with Iran's formal assurances to the International Atomic Energy Agency that it will accept surprise UN inspections of its nuclear facilities and suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

The two promises had been requested by the IAEA ahead of its November 20 meeting to assess Iran's compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But the CIA said that a secret nuclear facility at Natanz whose existence had been disclosed by members of the Iranian opposition in August 2002 could be cause for concern.

About 160 new centrifuges for enriching uranium have subsequently been discovered at that complex, located between the cities of Isfahan and Kashan in central Iran, according to US and UN officials.

"Even with intrusive IAEA safeguards inspections at Natanz, there is a serious risk that Iran could use its enrichment technology in covert activities," warned the leading US intelligence agency.

It added that the uranium centrifuges discovered at Natanz were "of specific proliferation concern" because they are capable of enriching uranium for use in nuclear weapons.

"Although Iran claims that its nascent enrichment plant is to produce fuel for the Russian-assisted construction projects at Bushehr and other possible future power reactors, we remain concerned that Iran is developing enrichment technology to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons under the cover of legitimate fuel cycle activities," the CIA said.

The report insisted that Iran appears to be trying to produce both known materials for making nuclear warheads - highly enriched uranium and low burn-up plutonium.

According to the CIA, commercial satellite imagery showed that Iran was trying to bury the Natanz enrichment facility in the ground, presumably to hide it or harden it against military attack.

"We also suspect that Tehran is interested in acquiring fissile material and technology from foreign suppliers to support its overall nuclear weapons programme," the report said. - AFP

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/americas/view/56335/1/.html

Iran, US have resumed talks in Geneva: Iraqi leader

Times of India
AP[ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2003 04:02:35 PM ]

CAIRO : An Iraqi leader who maintains close relations with Iran said the United States and Tehran have resumed secret talks in Geneva on security issues and bilateral relations, a newspaper report said on Sunday.

Jalal Talabani, current head of the Iraqi Governing Council, told the pan-Arab Al Hayat in an interview in Baghdad that talks resumed a few weeks ago.

"As far as I know there are now talks in Switzerland between the Iranian and the US governments. We always are helpful messengers carrying positive aspects to both the Iranians and the Americans," Talabani said.

"Certainly, we wish that relations between America and Iran could be better, and I think this will be positively reflected on the situation in Iraq ," he said.

He did not elaborate.

Talabani said the resumption of the talks must have been approved by Iran 's hardline supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters, although he is known to oppose rebuilding close relations with the United States .

Iranian-US talks were last held in May in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=274328

Several injured and tens arrested in new riots

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Nov 9, 2003

Several demonstrators have been injured and tens of other arrested, in the last 2 days, following consecutive protest actions which turned into riots in the Tehran southern suburb of Rey and in the religious city of Ghom.

Protesters attacked public buildings and security patrols as the regime forces attacked brutaly the demonstrators in both actions. Slogans against the Islamic regime and its leaders were shouted while calling for free elections.

The security forces were able to smash the riots with the help of the Pasdaran Special Units sent to these two areas.

While in Rey, demonstrators intended to protest against the local officials corruption, Ghomis used a gathering of religious origin in order to show their rejection of the regime.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_3464.shtml