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IAEA
weapons inspector Olli Heinonen (R) talks to Iran's delegate Sirus
Naseri. (Reuters)
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VIEANNA,
September 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The EU-3
have called for a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
on Monday, September 19, to refer the Iranian nuclear file to the UN
Security Council, a move that two years of talks between the two
parties have failed to evade.
"The
drafting of a resolution sending Iran to the Security Council has
begun," an EU diplomat told Reuters.
"Do
we think we have a majority? Yes, we probably have. Do we think that a
majority of, say, 20 out of 35 with some big countries voting against
or abstaining would be enough to pressure Iran? That is the
question," he added.
Although
Britain, France and Germany would not seek immediate sanctions against
Iran, they might consider them in the future if Iran remained defiant,
EU diplomats said.
Some
EU negotiators would prefer to vote this week, before the 2005-2006
IAEA board takes office.
"When
the new board takes over soon, there will be more NAM countries and it
will be even harder," another EU diplomat said.
Russia,
China, Brazil, most of the non-aligned nations on the IAEA board and
IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei strongly oppose an immediate referral
of Iran's case to the UN Security Council.
Of
the 14 IAEA board members belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),
only two -- Singapore and Peru -- have said they will back a UN
referral. The rest would vote against it or abstain, diplomats in
Vienna said.
Iran
and the European Union embarked in December on negotiations towards a
long-term agreement to give Tehran trade, technology and security aid
and guarantees in return for it taking steps to reassure the
international community that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
The
US accuses Iran of having a secret program to manufacture nuclear
weapons.
Iran
staunchly denies the allegations and maintains that its nuclear
program is only designed to produce electricity.
The
right to peaceful nuclear technology is enshrined in the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that for 35 years has governed efforts
to contain the spread of atomic weapons.
Against
Islam
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"Our
religion prohibits us from having nuclear arms," Ahmadinejad
said. (Reuters)
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Speaking
to the Newsweek magazine, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahadinejad
ruled out his country had any plans to possess nuclear weapons.
"Our
religion prohibits us from having nuclear arms. Our religious leader
has prohibited it from the point of view of religious law. It's a
closed road.
"We
don't even need it; we can guarantee our security in other ways,"
Ahmadinejad told the magazine in an interview to be released Monday.
He
added that at least 1,200 inspections had taken place in Iran to vet
the country's nuclear program and more than 1,030 documents had been
handed to the UN's nuclear watchdog.
"All
the IAEA cameras are fixed on our facilities, and the IAEA supervisors
can control every action within our facilities. We have proven amply
that we are conforming to regulations."
On
Sunday, September 18, Ahmadinejad made it clear his country would not
make any further concessions to its critics.
He
said his offer to allow foreign participation in the Islamic
republic's nuclear energy drive ought to be enough to dispel
suspicions.
In
his address to the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Ahmadinejad
launched a virulent attack on what he said was "nuclear
apartheid" and refused to surrender Iran's right to enrich
uranium.
"We
want the fuel cycle. It is the right of all countries, including Iran,
and we want it under the framework of the regulations that apply to
all nations."
The
Iranian leader warned that if the IAEA "resorts to a language of
force and threat" Iran will reconsider our entire approach to the
nuclear issue.
"One
month ago they started this psychological war and created a
psychological atmosphere, that this or that would happen... there were
even threats," he recalled.
US
President George W. Bush threatened in an interview with the Israeli
television broadcast Saturday, August 13, he could consider using
force to press Iran to give up its nuclear program.
A
US bipartisan presidential panel investigating pre-war intelligence
about Iraq's weapons has concluded that intelligence on Iran is
"worrisome" and "inadequate"
for making firm judgments about its weapons program.
