Permanent five say IAEA must report Iran to U.N
Tue Jan 31, 2006
By Sue Pleming
LONDON (Reuters) - The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed on Tuesday that the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog should report to the Council this week on what Iran must do to cooperate with the agency.
The foreign ministers from China, Russia, the United States, France and Britain as well as Germany and the European Union, said after a dinner in London that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must decide to bring Iran's case before the Council when the agency meets on Thursday inVienna.
"(Ministers) agreed that this week's extraordinary IAEA Board meeting should report to the Security Council its decision on the steps required of Iran," said a joint statement after the meeting between the foreign ministers.
A senior U.S. official said the statement meant Russia and China were now on board with the United States and the European powers that there must be strong action taken by the IAEA in Vienna to discourage Tehran from pursuing atomic research which could enable the country to build a nuclear bomb.
"This is the most powerful message we could have hoped for," said a senior U.S. official, who said the discussions over dinner had been animated.
But the agreement appeared to have made a concession to Russia by deferring any Security Council action -- which could include sanctions against Iran -- until a scheduled IAEA meeting in March. Moscow did not want the Council to be pushed into taking immediate steps against Tehran.
The ministers said the Security Council should wait for a report expected to be delivered by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei at the agency's March meeting before taking action. Originally, the United States had wanted the IAEA director general's report by this week's meeting.
The United States and other Western countries say Iran's nuclear program is a front for its ambitions to build a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the accusation and says its nuclear program is only intended to generate electricity.
Iran insists on its right to nuclear technology and has alarmed the international community by restarting nuclear research previously under IAEA seal.
CONFIDENCE BUILDING
Despite directing the IAEA to report Iran to the Security Council the statement did not indicate what the U.N. body should do when it actually has the case placed before it. The Security Council could impose sanctions on Iran in an effort to make Tehran stop its nuclear activities.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the ministers shared serious concerns about Iran's nuclear programs and agreed that an extensive period of "confidence-building" was required from Iran.
The Council could ultimately impose sanctions against Iran but there are many steps before this could happen.
Russia has suggested previously that the IAEA could ask the Security Council simply to discuss Iran and then send it back to the IAEA.
Earlier this month, Iran removed U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment, key to making atomic bombs or fuel, and resumed nuclear fuel research.
"(The ministers) call on Iran to restore in full the suspension of enrichment-related activity, including research and development under the supervision of the IAEA," the statement said.
The ministers' statement added that they should all continue their resolve to work for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear weapons program.
Earlier on Monday, Iran put forward its ideas to European officials in Brussels who said the talks had yielded nothing new but that negotiations with the Europeans could be reopened if Tehran complied with IAEA requests.
Iran has threatened to end IAEA snap inspections and, as the world's No. 4 oil exporter, hinted it would cut back crude exports if it were sent to the Council -- scenarios that have made many countries wary of pursuing sanctions against Tehran.
European powers Germany, France and Britain have been trying for 2-1/2 years to persuade Tehran to give up its uranium enrichment program.
A senior State Department official who attended the dinner said there was a "deep sense of frustration" in the room and the statement reflected this.
(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers in London)
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