Iran to Allow Stringent Nuke Inspections
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 8, 2003
Filed at 2:12 p.m. ET
VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Working to deflect the possibility of
international sanctions, a powerful Iranian official affirmed Saturday
that his country will allow stringent inspections of its nuclear
facilities and suspend uranium enrichment to end suspicions Tehran is
developing atomic weapons.
The promise -- from Hasan Rowhani, who heads Iran's Supreme National
Security Council -- came less than two weeks ahead of a top-level
meeting by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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The agency director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, told reporters that
Rowhani gave him the assurances during a meeting and would make an
official announcement next week specifying the suspension dates.
``We will also next week get the letter for the conclusion of the
additional protocol,'' which would allow U.N. inspectors access to all
of Iran's nuclear activities, the Vienna-based agency chief said.
``I also was told that next week a letter indicating Iran's agreement
to suspend enrichment activities'' was expected, ElBaradei said.
On Nov. 20, the IAEA board of governors will meet to scrutinize a
report by ElBaradei on Iran's past nuclear activities, which the
United States says points to a clandestine weapons program. Saturday's
meeting was held just days before the confidential report is to be
given to board member nations.
If the board decides the report justifies declaring Tehran in
violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty, meant to stop the spread of
nuclear arms, it will ask the U.N. Security Council to get involved.
It, in turn, could impose sanctions.
Under international pressure, Iran gave the agency what it said was a
complete declaration of its nuclear activities just days ahead of an
Oct. 31 deadline.
Tehran promised weeks ago to suspend its enrichment activities, a key
concern. But Iran has maintained it has enriched uranium only to
non-weapons levels, as part of purely peaceful nuclear programs meant
to generate electricity.
While acknowledging IAEA finds of traces of highly enriched,
weapons-grade uranium on its enrichment centrifuges, it says the
``contamination'' originated outside Iran and was inadvertently
imported with the equipment bought abroad.
Diplomats say the United States and its allies will seize on any
ambiguity in ElBaradei's report concerning enrichment and other
suspicious activities in pushing at the board meeting to have Iran
declared in noncompliance with the Nonproliferation Treaty.
From Vienna, Rowhani was to fly to Moscow. A senior State Department
official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
earlier this week that Russia may be ready to halt a $800 million deal
with Tehran to build a reactor for a power plant if Iran backtracks on
its commitment to clear up suspicions about its nuclear activities.
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