Free Republic

The International Atomic Energy Agency has found no "smoking gun" in Iran that would indicate a nuclear weapons program, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the IAEA, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. At the same time, however, he acknowledged that, until three years ago, Teheran maintained an undeclared nuclear program for 18 years, which the IAEA failed to detect. ElBaradei said there was now "lots of speculation" about an Iranian drive to nuclear weapons capability. But "we try to work on the basis of facts," he said. And the facts, he said in response to a question from the...

UNITED NATIONS -- U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Wednesday that Syria's leader refused to meet U.N. investigators probing the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, but would be required to submit to questioning under a proposed new U.N. resolution. Bolton's comments were the first confirmation that the investigation led by U.N. prosecutor Detlev Mehlis had tried to talk to President Bashar Assad about the Feb. 14 car bomb in Beirut that killed Rafik Hariri and 20 others. The Syrian president wasn't mentioned in Mehlis' report to the Security Council last week, which implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in...

Two weeks after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was warmly received in the UN, Israel announced on Monday – for the first time –its candidacy for the UN Security Council in 2019. Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman formally submitted Israel's application to the Security Council as part of the UN's Western European and Others Group (WEOG) Regional Group. Each year WEOG sends two of its 29 countries to the Security Council. The next available slot will open only in 2019. While Israel has never even applied for a seat on the powerful Security Council; every year at least one Arab...

The UN Security Council unanimously passed two resolutions on the first day of the high-level summit Wednesday, one to prevent the incitement of terrorism and the other to prevent conflict, especially in Africa. Leaders of the 15 nations were sitting around the council's horseshoe-shaped table for the vote, something extremely rare in the history of the council.

UNITED NATIONS - Negotiators met into the early hours Tuesday to try to reach agreement on a watered-down plan for reforming the United Nations, having abandoned many of the sweeping changes Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended. With some heads of state already in New York for Wednesday's opening of a three-day U.N. summit, the diplomats were running out of time for producing a substantive document for world leaders to adopt. Mark Malloch Brown, the secretary-general's chief of staff, said negotiations seemed more favorable than a few days ago because "deadlines are starting to loosen minds and positions." "There's a threshold where...

UNITED NATIONS - The Security Council extended the U.N. mission in Iraq for another year, reaffirming its role in helping to promote a national dialogue aimed at fostering political stability. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who introduced the resolution, said the United States was "very pleased" at the result and the fact that the 14 other council members joined in co-sponsoring the resolution.He said Thursday's unanimous vote, following the unanimous adoption of a resolution last week condemning terrorism in Iraq, "shows the council as a whole is viewing the question of progress in Iraq from very similar points of view.""I think...

Washington -- The Bush administration appears ready to help guide the United Nations through an era of reform, even as the president and members of his party voice displeasure -- and at times disgust -- with the international organization. The president will not attend Sunday's celebration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter in San Francisco. The White House rejected requests for the president or a high-ranking surrogate and is scheduled to send Sichan Siv, the U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council. President Bush's absence from an international celebration in a city where...

The UN Security Council has ruled that the controversial Shaba Farms district in northern Israel belongs to Syria, not to Lebanon, Israel radio reported Saturday morning. All 15 Security Council members adopted the draft, which was drafted by the US, France, Britain, Denmark and Greece. The draft concluded that Israel has fully complied with UN Security Council Resolution 425, which obligated Israel to withdraw to the UN-delineated Blue Line. Russia, Algeria and Lebanon criticized the decision. In addition, the Security Council extended the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to remain in Lebanon for an additional six...