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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert walking past a Chinese honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last January. (Reuters) Last update - 20:41 03/04/2008 China: Report that we gave info about Iran to IAEA is 'groundless' By The Associated Press Tags: IAEA, UN, China, Iran China dismissed Thursday a news report saying it had provided the International Atomic Energy Agency with intelligence linked to Iran's alleged attempts to make nuclear arms. China opposes harsh UN Security Council sanctions against Iran and has consistently watered down a U.S.-led push to impose severe penalties on Tehran for its nuclear defiance since the first set of sanctions was passed in late 2006. On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that diplomats have said that China, an opponent of harsh United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran, has provided the IAEA recently with intelligence linked to Iranian nuclear program. Advertisement Beijing, along with Moscow, has acted as a brake within the council, consistently watering down a U.S.-led push to impose severe penalties on Tehran for its nuclear defiance since the first set of sanctions was passed in late 2006. "The Associated Press report published Wednesday was totally groundless and out of ulterior motives," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. She did not give further details. Jiang restated China's position on the Iran nuclear issue: that it should be resolved peacefully through dialogue. "Parties should fully exert creativity and show flexibility and proactively seek a proper... resolution of the issue," she said. A Chinese decision to provide information for use in the UN nuclear watchdog's attempts to probe Iran's purported nuclear weapons program would appear to reflect growing international unease about how honest the Islamic republic has been in denying it ever tried to make such arms. China's venture was revealed by two senior diplomats with good contacts to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with one commenting late last week and the other Wednesday. The IAEA declined comment. The diplomats said Beijing was the most surprising entry among a fairly substantial list of nations recently forwarding information to the agency that adds to previously provided intelligence, and which could be relevant in attempts to probe Iran for past or present nuclear weapons research. But they said several other countries not normally considered to be in the anti-Iran camp had also done so in recent weeks. The diplomats - who demanded anonymity because their information was confidential - declined to name individual nations. But they attributed a generally increased flow of information to concern sparked by a multimedia presentation to the 35 IAEA board members by the agency in February of intelligence previously forwarded by member states on Iran's alleged clandestine nuclear arms program. One of the diplomats said the agency was also on the lookout for misleading information it was given either inadvertently or in attempts to falsely implicate Iran. One example, he said was a document showing experiments with implosion technology that can be used to detonate a nuclear device. While the document appeared genuine, it was unclear whether it originated from Iran, said the diplomat. Suspected weapons-related work outlined in the February presentation and IAEA reports preceding it include: * Uranium conversion linked to high explosives testing and designs of a missile re-entry vehicle, all apparently interconnected through involvement of officials and institutions * Procurement of so-called dual use equipment and experiments that also could be used in both civilian and military nuclear programs, and * Iran's possession of a 15-page document outlining how to form uranium metal into the shape of a warhead. A U.S. intelligence estimate late last year said Tehran worked on nuclear weapons programs until 2003, while Israel and other nations say such work continued past that date. Related articles: Amid Israeli siege, Palestinian businesses look east to China China denies sale of warplanes to Iran based on Israeli know-how PM: China made it absolutely clear they oppose Iran acquiring nukes China rejects Israel's call for tougher sanctions against Iran Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bread will abound J'lem court allows pizzerias, bakeries to sell leavened products during Passover. The looking glass A T.A. film festival tackles Israel's hardest issues from war to polygamy.   1.   "..settled peacefully" like in Tibet 18:55  |  Romano 03/04/08   2.   "..settled peacefully" like in Tibet 18:56  |  Romano 03/04/08   3.   Lincoln: "16 Agencies" ... Starting to Crumble 21:42  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 03/04/08   4.   Good news 10:59  |  MichaelUK 04/04/08

Today Online Israel and U.S. to coordinate on boycott of anti-racism meet Responses: 93 Former militant leader: The Palestinian people is finished Responses: 56 Poll: Nearly half of Israeli Arabs say let Iran develop nukes Responses: 27 Syria: We choose peace, but we're ready for Israeli attack Responses: 24 Akiva Eldar: The lie of peace and the nonsense of security Responses: 18 Editorial: What kind of Israel do you want? Responses: 16 Rosner's Domain Rabbi Yoffie vs. Pastor Hagee What is worth fighting for? Intermarriage pushes the question: what does it mean to be Jewish? The Iranian bomb and the chain reaction (WTR) Israel Factor: McCain-Barak, the dream team More Headlines 15:35 Dichter bureau chief hit by Gazan sniper near border 11:00 Syria: We choose peace, but we're ready for Israeli attack 14:13 U.K. Foreign Sec.: Israel's future depends on Palestinian statehood 16:07 Gazans eat endangered turtle termed 'as good as Viagra' 10:49 Israel, U.S. to coordinate on boycott of Durban II conference 10:47 'Marching toward total ruin' 13:13 Wiesenthal Center blasts Nazi-themed cosmetics ad in S. Korea 10:00 Poll: Nearly half of Israeli Arabs say let Iran develop nukes 11:39 A little tale about donkeys 04:58 Russian-Israelis abroad unaware repatriation program targets them 14:46 Bill banning MKs from visiting hostile states goes to plenum 10:42 Health Ministry: 'Complacence, negligence' cause patient's death Previous Editions Select Day 03 apr 02 apr 01 apr 31 mar 30 mar 28 mar 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 21 mar

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