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Daily on Likelihood of Iran's Nuclear File Referred to Security Council

Posted on: Friday, 16 September 2005, 06:00 CDT

Text of report by Barmak Bahremand, entitled: "International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman responds to Sharq: Al-Baradi'i's report is on the Board of Governors' agenda"; published by Iranian newspaper Shargh website on 15 September

The report of Muhammad al-Baradi'i, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was made public on 2nd September (Friday, 11th Shahrivar), has been put on the agenda of the Board of Governors' next meeting. In the light of that report, the board will make its decision about Iran at its 28th Shahrivar meting [19th September].

Melissa Fleming, the International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman, told Sharq that the report was planned to be considered in the section relating to "identifying nuclear activities" and to be investigated in the working branch on "matters relating to safeguards implementation".

Al-Baradi'i's report had been issued at the request of the members of the board who in their resolution at their 10th August meeting had demanded that the uranium conversion activities at the Esfahan site be halted and had required the head of the agency to present a comprehensive report about the manner of Iran's nuclear activities based on the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty regulations and safeguards associated with it.

From the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna Fleming told Sharq: "The convention is that whenever the board requested the head of the agency to present a report such a report would be considered at the next meeting of the board."

It is still not clear what decision the Board of Governor will make on Al-Baradi'i's report. In its decision-making, the board will also bear in mind that despite the board's demand Iran has not halted uranium conversion activities at its Esfahan site.

Al-Baradi'i's report had said: "The agency is still not in a position to come to the conclusion that there are no undeclared nuclear activities in Iran." He had also said: "Despite two years of the intensive investigation and inspection the agency is still not able to answer fundamental questions. Iran's complete transparency, which been accompanied by excessive delay, is necessary."

Iran has declared that it is to put its activities fully at the disposal of the agency's inspectors. But it has also included a proviso that it would cooperate with the agency only if the agency recognized nuclear conversion activities in Iran.

Reuters, following the release of that report, said that Al- Baradi'i's report has paved the way for Iran's dossier to be referred to the United Nations Security Council.

Following the release of Al-Baradi'i's report, Iran's diplomatic apparatus has set in motion extensive activities to win over the 35 members of the Board of Governors and to prevent Iran's dossier from being referred to the Security Council. Some of the members of the Board of Governors are members of the Non-aligned Movement who are mostly on Iran's side in international confrontations.

Meanwhile, the United States and the three European countries [Britain, France and Germany], who have been unable to convince Iran through negotiations to abandon its nuclear fuel production, are trying to take Iran's dossier to the United Nations Security Council and to put Iran under economic and political pressure.

Al-Baradi'i, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, had said he preferred Iran's nuclear file to remain with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to see nuclear negotiations with the three European countries continued. But Fleming said: "What will happen next week will first and foremost be dependent upon the decision of the members of the Board of Governors. The agency will only make information available and will refrain from predicting what will happen next."

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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