Posted on 09/12/2005 1:09:01 AM PDT by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
UN inspectors 'powerless to stop atom bomb plans in Iran'
By Con Coughlin
(Filed: 11/09/2005)The former head of the United Nations inspection team that is investigating Iran's nuclear programme has called on the Security Council to give it greater powers so it can determine whether Teheran is trying to build an atomic bomb.
For the past six years Dr Pierre Goldschmidt, a Belgian nuclear scientist, has been in charge of the inspectors sent by the UN-sponsored International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, to investigate Iran's nuclear programme.
Dr Pierre Goldschmidt: 'Many serious omissions' Throughout that period the Iranians have tried to conceal crucial aspects of the programme and have indulged in a dangerous game of diplomatic brinkmanship with the IAEA and the UN over the level of access provided to the inspection teams.
"It is reaching the point where it is beyond critical," Dr Goldschmidt told The Sunday Telegraph in his first interview since retiring from the IAEA in July. "The IAEA can only work on the basis of the facts that are presented to it, and there have been many serious omissions by the Iranians. The Iranians are exploiting all the loopholes in the international agreements. As to why they are doing this you can draw your own conclusions."
Dr Goldschmidt believes that to deal effectively with Iran, IAEA inspectors need to be given greater powers than they currently have.
"As it stands, the investigating authority of the agency is too limited with regard to Iran. To do its job properly it needs to have more authority than is currently available to it."
In particular, he wants the inspectors to be given the power to interview any Iranian scientist they choose. The inspectors should also have the freedom to visit any military institutions to inspect and take environmental samples, and should be provided with all the original documents relating to Iran's nuclear programme.
Similar powers were given to IAEA inspectors investigating Saddam Hussein's weapons programmes in Iraq.
But Dr Goldschmidt refused to be drawn on whether he believed Iran was involved in a clandestine operation to build a nuclear bomb.
"These issues are very sensitive and I prefer not to give my personal opinion," he said. "I am a scientist and I like to deal with the facts. And I would like to see all the facts relating to Iran. Then I could reach an informed opinion."
He took issue, however, with the way Mohammed El Baradei, the head of the IAEA, had handled negotiations with Iran in the past two years. "El Baradei says that any judgement about Iran should be made on their intentions. My view is that we should look at the indications, not the intentions, and then decide.
"As things stand we cannot prove that Iran has a military nuclear programme. But do you have indications that this is the case? This is the question I think everyone should now be asking."
Mohammed El Baradei Apart from heading up IAEA investigation teams in Iran, Dr Goldschmidt was also responsible for inspecting other rogue nuclear states, such as North Korea and Libya.
He cited the difficulties experienced by the IAEA in investigating Libya's nuclear programme as an example of the agency's inability under its current mandate to determine whether a country's intentions were peaceful or military.
Until Tripoli agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme in December 2003, Libyan officials had insisted that their research was aimed at developing a domestic nuclear power industry.
"Our experience with Libya shows that it is almost impossible for the agency to decide whether a country's nuclear intentions are peaceful or otherwise," Dr Goldschmidt said. "If the Libyans had not admitted [that they were trying to build an atomic bomb] we would not have been able to prove it."
The confrontation between Iran and the UN over Teheran's nuclear programme is likely to intensify this week when the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, travels to New York to meet Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general.
The meeting follows Iran's decision last month to renege on its agreement with Britain, France and Germany to halt its nuclear activities until the IAEA had thoroughly investigated its facilities.
Mr Ahmadinejad personally ordered work to resume on processing uranium at the plant at Isfahan, prompting Mr El Baradei to threaten to report Iran to the UN Security Council. The Iranians, however, managed to persuade the IAEA to defer its decision until after Mr Ahmadinejad has spoken to Mr Annan.
This has infuriated EU officials who believe that the Iranian move was designed to embarrass their efforts to resolve the issue peacefully.
"The Iranians are up to their old games again," said a senior European official. "They think they can ignore the past two years and start again. It is just another delaying tactic."
- Iran Press News reported that political prisoners Valiollah Fayz-Mahdavi and Hodjat Zamani, joined their fellow activists, Bina Darab-Zand and Behrooz Javid-Tehrani on their hunger strike.
- Iran Press News reported that Ahmadinejad, will be leaving Tehran for New York City on Tuesday. He will arrive in New York on Wednesday morning and bring with him an entourage.
- Iran Press News reported that the Dezfool Sugar Factory workers marched 448 miles from Dezfool to bring their protest to Tehran.
- Iran Press News reported that the Deputy Governor of Kurdistan, Jamshidi, was killed in a car crash along with one of his children. This is the second government official in Kurdistan who has presumably been killed in a car accident, in the past two weeks.
- Iran Press News reported that Iranians are dying of thirst in the port city of Kenaarak.
- Iran Focus reported that the chancellors of ten of Iran’s prestigious universities have resigned in protest against the policies of the new radical Islamist government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
- Iran Focus reported that some 200 special units of the State Security Forces (SSF) moved into different locations across the Iranian capital on Saturday.
- Iran Focus reported that a handshake between British Foreign Minister Jack Straw and one of Esfandiar Rahim Masha'ie, new Vice-Presidents, has aroused much anger and indignation among Iranian exiles, who say he has a long history as a torturer and executioner of political dissidents in Iran.
- Jim Saxton, The Washington Times published Jim Saxton's: Fighting Terror Four Years On. Another must read.
- Louis Charbonneau, Reuters reported that a joint EU and U.S. effort to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council is meeting fierce resistance.
- The Telegraph India reported that Hijab and chador notwithstanding, Iranian women have carved out a space for themselves in society.
- Iranian.ws reported that Ahmadinejd urges Iranian youth to support regime.
- Islamic Republic News Agency reported that the Supreme Leader appointed Major General Ataollah Salehi to the post of general commander of the Army.
- The NY Times reported that Iran said today that it would not suspend its nuclear activities and contended that there would be serious consequences if its case were sent to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.
- And finally, The Scotsman interviewed Ahmad Batebi, Tehran's 'most wanted' political dissident. A must read.
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”
This is supposed to give validity to the inspection team? Sounds like a rerun of the Iraq inspection team.
No surprise at all.... The UN is always "powerless" at anything they wish/hope/attempt to do, unless the might of the United States is enforcing their will.
The UN is an absolutely useless organization, incapable of doing anything worthwhile.
They are however pretty good at stealing and wasting money and resources, and getting innocent and decent people killed.
Anyone expcting the UN to do anything actually worthwhile and good is greatly deluded.
It seems as if it has no other purpose than to be a vehicle to allow foreign powers to control US resources.
Mohammed El-Baradei's intention is clear: Iran's mullahs are to have nuclear weapons.
"Our experience with Libya shows that it is almost impossible for the agency to decide whether a country's nuclear intentions are peaceful or otherwise," Dr Goldschmidt said. "If the Libyans had not admitted [that they were trying to build an atomic bomb] we would not have been able to prove it."
Then what good are they?
Thank you Jimmy Carter
To read today’s thread click here.
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!
"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
