Iran:
'We're not going to take it
anymore' By Golnaz Esfandiari
PRAGUE - More threats and demands are coming out
of Iran, with the Middle East nation now threatening to
end its cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear
watchdog as the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) is set to release its damning new resolution on
Iran's nuclear program.
Foreign Minister Kamal
Kharrazi told reporters after a cabinet meeting on
Wednesday that Iran is working with the IAEA, but he
said such cooperation should be bilateral. He said, "If
one side does not respect its obligations, the
cooperation will end." Kharrazi said the IAEA should
honor its commitments to Tehran and stop being
"influenced" by the United States. He said Tehran will
react to any improper decisions made by the IAEA.
The text of the draft resolution, to be issued
by the 35-member board of governors of the IAEA and
debated on Thursday, reportedly criticizes Tehran for
not fully living up to pledges to be completely
transparent about its past and present nuclear
activities. News agencies report that the United States
- joined by Canada and Australia - has reached agreement
on the issue with the United Kingdom, France and
Germany.
But Iran's ambassador to the IAEA in
Vienna, Pirooz Hosseini, said that the draft resolution
is the result of US "bullying". He said European nations
should have done more to stand up to Washington. "The
three European countries [Britain, Germany and France]
tried their best, I think. But, on the other hand, we
expected more from our European colleagues," he said.
"But unfortunately, as I said, too much pressure -
unconstructive pressure by the Americans - put an
impediment and an obstacle in the way of the cooperation
of Iran with the agency."
Under a deal brokered
last year by France, Germany and the UK, Iran agreed to
cooperate fully with the IAEA and to suspend its
uranium-enrichment activities. In return, the three
European countries agreed to provide Iran with peaceful
nuclear technology. Kharrazi said Iran plans to resume
its uranium-enrichment activities once its relations
with the IAEA are normalized. Iran says its nuclear
program is for civilian purposes only, but Washington
accuses Tehran of pursuing a clandestine weapons
program.
Reuters reported that the draft
resolution tells Iran it will be punished if it defies
the IAEA but stops short of any immediate referral to
the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. The text
also reportedly praises Iran for signing the Additional
Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which
gives UN inspectors the right to conduct snap
inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Mehdi
Mozafari, a professor of political science at Arhus
University in Denmark, says Iran is in effect trying to
blackmail the IAEA by threatening to halt cooperation.
"In this situation, the Iranian government is finding
[itself] under huge pressure both from the [UN nuclear]
agency and also from the Americans and Europeans. I
don't think really that the Iranian government has much
argument or possibilities to counterattack the peaceful
strategy from the agency," Mozafari said.
This
week Tehran called on the IAEA to remove Iran's nuclear
program from its agenda. But IAEA director general
Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran's nuclear program will be
taken off the agency's agenda only after all outstanding
issues are resolved.
A spokeswoman for the
agency, Melissa Fleming, spoke to Radio Free Europe/Rado
Liberty's Persian Service on Saturday about the most
critical issue facing the agency: "Certainly, the most
urgent and important issue is to resolve the question of
why the IAEA found traces of highly enriched uranium on
components and at sites in Iran. This question is still
unresolved."
Iran blames imported materials from
third parties for the contamination. Highly enriched
uranium is a key ingredient for the production of
nuclear weapons.
Professor Mozafari says Iran's
future ratification of the Additional Protocol to the
NPT is another unresolved issue. "So far, this protocol
has not been approved by the parliament, [so] it has not
really the validity of law," he said.
The
Iranian government has not yet submitted the bill for
the ratification of the Additional Protocol to
parliament. However, Iran has said it will act as if the
protocol is already in force. Mozafari says ratification
of the bill could be jeopardized if the government waits
to submit it until Iran's new conservative-dominated
parliament convenes in June.
This week a
conservative member of parliament's influential National
Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hassan Qashqavi,
said Iran could pull out of the NPT if the situation
with the IAEA deteriorates.
Copyright 2004
RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted with the permission ofRadio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20036.
