IAEA: Iran was cooperative with UN nuclear probe, but still defying demands - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Sat., November 17, 2007 Kislev 7, 5768

Israel Time: 00:13 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Easy Start

Magazine

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Week's End

Books



		International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohammed ElBaradei listening to reporters' questions during a news conference in Vienna on Wednesday. (Reuters)

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 04:42 16/11/2007

IAEA: Iran was cooperative with UN nuclear probe, but still defying demands

By News Agencies

tags: nuclear, United Nations

A report from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency on Thursday found Iran to be generally truthful about key aspects of its nuclear history, but warned that its knowledge of Tehran's present atomic work was shrinking.

The International Atomic Energy Agency report also confirmed that Tehran continued to defy the UN Security Council by ignoring its repeated demands to freeze uranium enrichment - a potential pathway to nuclear weapons.

A UN diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity described the report as a glass half-full or half-empty.

	Advertisement

The report's findings, and Iran's continued lack of full disclosure, may open Tehran to a third round of sanctions imposed by the West in efforts to prevent the Islamic republic from gaining nuclear capabilities.

Tehran says it seeks only nuclear-generated electricity.

Iran has further expanded uranium enrichment despite UN demands to stop, raising the number of centrifuge machines to 3,000, the IAEA report said. This number is enough to start industrial production of nuclear fuel.

"[Iran's] cooperation has been reactive rather than proactive," the report said. "Iran's active cooperation and full transparency are indispensable for full and prompt implementation of the work plan."

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that the report showed Iran had been telling the truth about its nuclear plans and was right to resist Western pressure, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"We welcome this, that the International Atomic Energy Agency has found its role and with the publication of [IAEA chief Mohammed] ElBaradei's report the world will see that the Iranian nation has been right and the resistance of our nation has been correct," Ahmadinejad said.

He also said that with publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency's report "the world will see that what the Iranian nation has said [about its nuclear program] from the start has been right".

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said that the UN report proves accusations that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons are baseless and that new sanctions against the country would be wrong.

Jalili said Tehran has answered all the IAEA's questions and made good progress in cooperating with it.

In light of the IAEA report, many accusations are now baseless, Jalili said, referring to U.S. claims that Tehran was seeking to build nuclear weapons. Those powers who base their accusations on this I hope will reconsider what they say.

He warned that if the UN Security Council imposes a third set of sanctions on Iran, it would affect Iran's future cooperation with the IAEA.

Six world powers agreed in September they would have the UN Security Council vote on wider sanctions unless reports by the IAEA and the EU's top diplomat, Javier Solana, showed Iran had come clean on its program and was moving to suspend it.

A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said: "... as the Prime Minister [Gordon Brown] has indicated, if Javier Solana's talks with the Iranians do not show a positive outcome, and as the IAEA report now shows that Iran has still not addressed several issues about its nuclear program, we will pursue further Security Council and EU sanctions."

The report said that after years of stonewalling, Iran had provided much documentation and allowed interviews with nuclear officials related to its secret development of centrifuges, which refine uranium for power plant fuel or the core of bombs, in the 1980s and 1990s.

"The agency has been able to conclude that answers provided on the declared past P-1 and P-2 centrifuge programs are consistent with its findings.

"We will however continue to seek corroboration and to verify the completeness of Iran's declarations," the report said.

"Iran has provided sufficient access to individuals and has responded in a timely manner to questions and provided clarification and amplifications on issues raised in the context of the work [transparency] plan," it said.

The UN watchdog remained unable to ascertain that Iran did not have a secret, parallel military enrichment program because Tehran was still denying inspector visits to anything but its few declared nuclear facilities.

On Wednesday, Gregory Schulte, the U.S. envoy to the IAEA, said the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors and Security Council members would not be content to see a little bit more information here, a little more there" from Iran in the report.

"Selective cooperation is not good enough," he told reporters.

An IAEA board meeting next week will debate the report.

Solana is widely expected to confirm in his report on recent talks with Iran that it remains unwilling to consider a suspension.

Related articles:

Iran condemns new U.S. sanctions as 'hostile policy'

Think tank: Israel could attack Iran's nuclear program alone

Iran's ex-nuclear negotiator charged with giving classified data to U.K.

Bush warns nuclear Iran could spur 'World War III'

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Walled out
	UN: West Bank fence severs Palestinan farmers from fields.


	Battle royal
	E-mail snub to Israel by Prince Charles' aides sparks furor.




1.	In other words. . . .	19:27	\|	MichaelF	15/11/07

2.	Npnsense! Iran is a sovereing country and has the right develop	19:34	\|	lakshmi	15/11/07

3.	Sorry Israel - no attack on Iran	19:36	\|	Clickfool	15/11/07

4.	Don`t Be Confused By the Facts - ATTACK!!	19:59	\|	viewfromafar	15/11/07

5.	to Number # 4	20:21	\|	samoel	15/11/07

6.	ELBARADEI THE MUSLIM	20:24	\|	Iskander	15/11/07

7.	The UN report reminds me of guy who spots something familiar ...	20:39	\|	bat yam	15/11/07

8.	In the Eye of the Beholder	20:45	\|	joebhed	15/11/07

9.	lets be honest with the world	20:47	\|	suzana	15/11/07

10.	IAEA report is an ambiguous disaster, merely asks more questions	21:09	\|	John	15/11/07

11.	"...glass half-full or half-empty. "	21:34	\|	Blogowitz	15/11/07

12.	any government...	21:53	\|	Gabriel	15/11/07

13.	AAATTTTAAACKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!	22:25	\|	Peaceful Jew	15/11/07

14.	Iskander: And the jews?	22:31	\|	Ask a Ninja	15/11/07

15.	#13 Okay, Peaceful Jew	22:41	\|	ballistic	15/11/07

16.	John, how untimely and ambiguous???	22:41	\|	joebhed	15/11/07

17.	#1 Say Michael	22:46	\|	ballistic	15/11/07

18.	#6 Iskander	22:48	\|	ballistic	15/11/07

19.	Islander - why the weak response??	22:57	\|	joebhed	15/11/07

20.	sorry, iskander	23:00	\|	joebhed	15/11/07

21.	"...unable to ascertain that Iran did not have a secret,....	23:11	\|	Karl	15/11/07

22.	What a lovely day in Tel Aviv & Haifa	23:45	\|	Rophus	15/11/07

23.	TIME TO NUKE IRAN!!!!!!!!!	23:47	\|	WARRIOR	15/11/07

24.	" still defying demands " says it all,the trade bans continue	00:15	\|	PETER SM	16/11/07

25.	#4 View from Afar	00:18	\|	ballistic	16/11/07

26.	TO THAT IDIOT #3	00:28	\|	David	16/11/07

27.	NOW YOU KNOW, BABY	00:57	\|	indrajaya	16/11/07

28.	CFOOL Israelis take as much note of you as the Arabs do	02:37	\|	PETER SM	16/11/07

29.	TO David from SF	02:54	\|	Persian Kitty	16/11/07

30.	@28 Haaretz, pls fix Server Error	03:36	\|	ballistic	16/11/07

31.	Still not a shred of evidence	03:50	\|	Mark Lincoln	16/11/07

32.	IAEA: Iran proofs that it is true not like	04:32	\|	adnan	16/11/07

33.	Iran`s Attitude Is Not Pro-Active	04:35	\|	joebhed	16/11/07

34.	MY CHILDREN, DON`T WORRY,PERSIAN KING`S BIG MOUTH ONLY HELPS YOU)	05:21	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	16/11/07

35.	Iran Also Innocently Says It Only Exports Religion ...	06:02	\|	Lavi	16/11/07

36.	WHAT A FARSE THIS ALL IS!!!	06:14	\|	E.J. Chanin	16/11/07

37.	HE IS A HIGHLY-TRAINED PROFESSIONAL	07:40	\|	Indrajaya	16/11/07

38.	Did you mean farce?	17:00	\|	joebhed	16/11/07

39.	To Lavi	20:47	\|	Persian Kitty	16/11/07

40.	Increased likelihood of attack on Iran because of this report	09:40	\|	Genuine Tosefta	17/11/07

41.	Genuine!	00:00	\|	joebhed	18/11/07

Today Online


	E-mail snub to Israel by Prince Charles' aides sparks furor
	Responses: 511


	Yoel Marcus: We exist and we are a Jewish state
	Responses: 344


	Yossi Sarid: Without Erdogan, Iran would set the tone in Turkey
	Responses: 99


	Report: Jewish poverty rate in the U.S. higher than in Israel
	Responses: 84


	Israel concerned IAEA report could delay sanctions on Iran
	Responses: 122


	Vatican envoy: Ties with Israel are deteriorating
	Responses: 217

Rosner's Domain

On Pakistan, Democratic candidates sound like neocons

AIPAC case: silent witnesses and bias (WTR)

Poll: Should Israel "get used" to the Iranian bomb?

Rosner's Guest: A revolution in the Orthodox synagogue

More Headlines
23:04 Israeli Arab panel rejects Israel as Jewish state


23:33 Teachers' union holds mass rally in support of strike


22:09 England Euro 2008 hopes alive after dramatic Israeli victory


17:45 Jewish group says anti-Semitic incidents in Holland up by 64%


00:05 Israel asks U.S. to clarify call to extradite alleged pedophile


23:58 UN: West Bank fence severs Palestinans farmers from fields


16:41 Ex-justices lash out at reforms proposed by Justice Minister


17:14 Retired IDF officer Hirsch: Career soldiers are underpaid


22:55 Five cars destroyed by Qassam rocket attack on city of Sderot


11:06 E-mail snub to Israel by Prince Charles' aides sparks furor