Compromise Struck With Europeans to Delay Referring Iran's Nuclear Program to United Nations

AP ^ | Mar. 10, 2004

[nuconvert]

Compromise Struck With Europeans to Delay Referring Iran's Nuclear Program to United Nations

Mar.10, 2004

By Barry Schweid/ The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States has struck a compromise with European nations that defers a showdown with Iran at the United Nations on its nuclear programs yet deplores its failure to come clean with the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency. A draft resolution, in circulation at a high-level conference of the U.N. agency in Vienna, Austria, catalogues Iran's acquisition of centrifuge technology in what the U.S. intelligence community is convinced is pursuit of nuclear weapons, an American official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The draft makes the case against Iran in a way that officials believe could persuade other countries to choke off technology supplies to Iran, said the official on condition of anonymity.

Among the allegations in the proposed resolution is that Iran has failed to explain its uranium enrichment program and its plutonium experiments, the official said. Also, the official said, the draft registers "utmost concern that Iran has not provided a full picture of its past and present nuclear programs."

The Bush administration had hoped the current IAEA conference in Vienna would wind up with the agency referring Iran's activities to the U.N. Security Council, where economic sanctions could be imposed to punish Iran.

But the administration decided on a compromise approach that defers action at the United Nations, in the hopes of attracting wider support from the Europeans as well as other countries, the official said.

The Europeans, who preferred a more measured approach on the nuclear issue, agreed to the draft after the United States agreed to drop its demand to take Iran immediately to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose economic sanctions, the official said.

Still, U.S. officials believe the resolution will enhance a U.S. campaign in which about a dozen countries already have agreed to stop assisting Iran with advanced technology, the official said.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, appearing before a House Foreign Operations subcommittee to seek approval of a $21.3 billion foreign spending request for the next fiscal year, disputed reports that the Bush administration had softened its position on Iran at the IAEA conference.

"We're not changing our position," Powell said under questioning by Rep. Joseph Knollenberg, R-Mich. "We believe Iran should give up all ambitions and capability to develop a nuclear weapon, period. We have been firm," he said.

But, he said, "in the writing of these resolutions there are always compromises taking place. There are always discussions taking place."

Powell said his staff was busy on the telephone, spending enormous amounts of time, as he has, on the "exquisite language that is used to capture what we want the IAEA to do, and what we want the international community to do."

He said the U.S. goal was to make sure the U.N. agency eventually makes a judgment on whether Iran's actions should be referred to the Security Council.

[jankp]

if our 'allies' loose another trillion they'll be pissed off. pos'

[Dilbert56]

Here we go again - another decade of the UN playing footsie with an evil regime. Hopefully when we liberate Iran they won't have 9 months' warning to hide all the incriminating info.

[MonroeDNA]

Old Europe is dying, but is in a place to poison the world, as they die out.

Americans that believe the UN should be involved in anything regarding OUR security should move to france. Enjoy the muslim violence.