Iran May Have More Nuclear Skeletons, Experts Say
November 25, 2003
Reuters
Louis Charbonneau
VIENNA -- Iran will escape being reported to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday for violating its non-proliferation obligations, but arms experts suspect Iran has more nuclear skeletons in its closet that will come to light.
The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors meets to adopt an IAEA resolution that "strongly deplores" Iran's 18-year cover-up of a secret nuclear program that included uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.
But the resolution, which was put to the board after a week of haggling between France, Germany and Britain and Washington, also "welcomes Iran's offer of active cooperation and openness."
The United States had originally hoped to send Iran to the Security Council for possible sanctions for violating its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But the European trio opposed this from the start and Washington eventually acquiesced.
Jon Wolfsthal, deputy director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a U.S.-based think-tank, said the disagreement between the European Union's three biggest states and America might resurface in the future.
"It's very likely that Iran has more skeletons in its closet, and if they come to light, there will probably be another split between the United States and Europe on what's the best approach to take," Wolfsthal told Reuters.
"My concern is that there is no agreement either within Europe or between the key players on what to do when the shoe drops," he said, adding that he was unsure if the Europeans were prepared to take Iran all the way to the Security Council.
The resolution contains a so-called trigger clause -- if further breaches by Iran are uncovered, the IAEA board will meet immediately to consider "all options," one of which is the Security Council.
IRAN'S TWO-DECADE COVER-UP
The IAEA resolution is a response to an IAEA report that details Iran's cover-up of sensitive atomic research for nearly two decades. It said there was "no evidence" of a covert arms program but the jury was still out as to whether one existed.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States was very pleased with the resolution, especially the part which immediately refers any future Iranian violation of international agreements to the IAEA board.
"That's...an element that we wanted to see in the resolution, which points out that action will be forthcoming -- appropriately so -- if there is any indication in the future that Iran is not meeting its obligations," he told reporters.
Gary Milhollin, head of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, a U.S.-based think-tank, told Reuters the resolution had "locked Iran into the declaration" it gave to the IAEA in October that Tehran insists was complete and accurate.
But if Iran has any more secrets, the trust that the Europeans have given them will be betrayed and the IAEA board will be under intense pressure to report Iran to the Council.
"If the present declaration turns out to be false, then all bets are off and this deal unravels," Milhollin said. He added he would not be surprised if some of Iran's "skeletons" were further undeclared imports of nuclear material.
Wolfsthal said the administration of President Bush clearly supported the IAEA inspection process, though some in Washington saw the resolution as a kind of a trap -- a chance to let the Iranians hang themselves.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3891547