IAEA blocks
Iran’s bid for reactor aid
Foreign Desk Report
VIENNA—The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board of governors on Thursday
indefinitely blocked Iran’s bid for technical aid for a reactor project
over concerns it could be secretly used to yield bomb-grade plutonium.
But diplomats said the ruling, which the International Atomic Energy
Agency’s board adopted by consensus after days of haggling between
industrialized and developing nations, left a theoretical possibility of
revisiting Iran’s request in future.
In a compromise hammered out in negotiations ahead of the board meeting,
Iranian requests for IAEA technical assistance on seven other nuclear
energy projects judged not to pose a risk of being diverted to
bomb-making were approved by the board.
“The decision is that the (Arak) project will be definitely put on
hold,” IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters. “If confidence in
the nature of Iran’s program were to be restored ... the board might
consider to revisit the decision.”
Tehran says its nuclear agenda, anchored on enrichment of uranium, is
limited to generating electricity or, in the case of the Arak reactor
project, radio-isotopes for medical ends.
The United States and European allies suspect the Islamic Republic’s
professed civilian nuclear program is a cover for building bombs to
imperil Israel and Western interests in the Middle East, and have
drafted U.N. sanctions against Tehran.
Iran sought on-site IAEA safety advice at the Arak complex under
construction. It said the IAEA had a duty to ensure all nations’ nuclear
programs were safe, but vowed to complete the reactor by 2009 whether
granted IAEA expertise or not.
“Asking for safety expertise on Arak is like a burglar digging a tunnel
under a street to rob a bank and asking for help to ensure the street
surface won’t be undermined,” a European Union diplomat said. The
session of the 35-nation IAEA board in Vienna also debated a report by
ElBaradei describing Iran’s evasions of agency investigations dating to
2003. He told the board meeting, however, Iran had just agreed to let
IAEA inspectors take further environmental samples from research
equipment to try to determine the origin of traces of highly enriched,
or weapons-quality, uranium found there.
ElBaradei said Iran also agreed to provide inspectors access to
operating records needed to audit the level of uranium enrichment at its
Natanz pilot nuclear fuel plant after a prolonged refusal to do so.
“These are important steps in the right direction,” he said of Iran’s
gestures, possibly made to help blunt Western pressure for tough U.N.
Security Council sanctions. These are being resisted by Russia and
China, major trade partners of Tehran.
“What we really require from Iran is a full explanation of the
development of its nuclear program from (1980s) start to finish,”
ElBaradei said. “Then, Iran needs to openly corroborate this explanation
with evidence, including records and access to relevant locations and
individuals involved.” |
