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UN demands Iran stop uranium enrichment work

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 March 2006, 20:24 CST

By Evelyn Leopold and Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council demanded on Wednesday that Iran suspend uranium enrichment efforts that the West suspects are part of a secret nuclear weapons program.

But Iran remained defiant, saying that it was not seeking an atomic bomb and regardless of assurances, the United States and others would find new reasons to fault Tehran.

"Threats do not work with Iran. Iran is allergic to pressure," Iran's U.N. ambassador, Javad Zarif, told a news conference. "Iran's commitment to the nonproliferation regime, to nonproliferation, is categorical."

The statement, which needed the approval of all 15 council members, was read at a public meeting after the five permanent veto-holding council powers agreed on a text following three weeks of arduous negotiations.

The United States, Britain and France made significant concessions to Russia and China, which were anxious to avoid language that might later be used to press for sanctions or military action against Iran.

Still, Russia's U.N. ambassador, Andrei Denisov, told reporters: "For the time being, we have suspicions -- very strong ones, but suspicions -- on intentions. On intentions we also have some evidence but it is only intentions."

The council called on Iran to comply with resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency board, including a suspension of "enrichment-related activities."

Iran restarted work at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz earlier this year, but insists its aim is to develop nuclear energy rather than weapons. Highly enriched uranium is used to make nuclear bombs.

The council also asked Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA's director-general, to report back in 30 days on Iran's progress.

The statement, which does not threaten punitive measures, was adopted on the eve of a high-level meeting on Iran in Berlin. It was the council's first action to pressure Iran into explaining and disclosing all its nuclear programs.

'FIRST MAJOR STEP'

"It sends an unmistakable message to Iran that its efforts to deny the obvious fact of what it is doing are not going to be sufficient," U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters.

He called the statement the "first major step in this council to deal with Iran's nearly 20-year-old clandestine nuclear weapons program."

"I hope the people of Iran get a chance to read this message too, so they can consider what dangers their government is putting them into," Bolton said.

Ambassadors of the five council members said they reached agreement only after a provision stating that the council was responsible for international peace and security was removed at Russia's insistence.

Russia and China both feared such a statement, although it is in the U.N. Charter, could later be used as a legal basis for harsh measures.

Criticizing their stance, Bolton said even if they did not want to quote from the U.N. Charter, "the message is clear nonetheless that Iran's nuclear weapons program is unacceptable."

The West has refused to rule out sanctions if Iran does not comply and U.S. officials have said that military action is an option, although Britain and France have disavowed it.

"We are not talking about military action. We have said from the outset -- we, the Europeans -- that we wanted a gradual, incremental and reversible outcome," said France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere.

The IAEA reported the Iranian issue to the council on March 8 after Tehran resumed nuclear fuel work. This prompted European negotiators -- Germany, France and Britain -- to break off 2-1/2 years of negotiations.

Now that the statement is adopted, the next step will be even more difficult. Division among the five powers does not bode well in developing a unified strategy when their foreign ministers and their German counterpart meet in Berlin on Thursday.

Before leaving for Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a statement, saying "Iran is more isolated now than ever."

She said the Security Council sent "an unmistakable message to Iran that its efforts to conceal its nuclear program and evade its international obligations are unacceptable."

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said again that "any idea of resolve the matter by compulsion and force are extremely counterproductive."

(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in Berlin and Sue Pleming in Washington)

Source: REUTERS

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