IAEA set to report against Iran
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-31 06:45
VIENNA: Iran faces the risk of sanctions after a UN nuclear watchdog report
yesterday is likely to find that Teheran has ignored a deadline to halt an
atomic fuel programme Western leaders say could lead to bombs.
Ahead of the August 31 deadline, Teheran vowed "never" to scrap the project
and dedicated one of its cornerstones, a heavy-water production plant, for good
measure. It also continues to enrich uranium in small quantities at a pilot
plant, diplomats say.
The UN Security Council asked International Atomic Energy Agency chief
Mohamed ElBaradei to spell out if the Islamic Republic had heeded the deadline
set in a July 31 resolution.
"The outcome is obvious. No one really expected otherwise," a senior diplomat
close to the IAEA said when asked if ElBaradei would judge Iran in defiance of
the Security Council.
Diplomats said Washington felt the 30-day grace period given Iran was a fair
chance for it to change its mind and if it did not, it could persuade other
members on the Council to back sanctions once the deadline expired.
But Iran's deft August 22 reply to an offer of incentives not to pursue
enrichment, hinting it could curb the work as a result of talks but not as a
precondition, has led to some differences among the six big powers handling
Teheran's case.
Russia and China have called for a return to talks while key Council allies
of Washington, Britain and France, have dampened US predictions of a swift
resort to sanctions next month.
Two Western diplomats said some EU states were pushing for discussions with
Iran on specifics of its reply even if the Iranians flouted the Security Council
deadline as expected.
"This is to gain more time and postpone the expected sanctions," one of the
diplomats said.
Gary Samore, chief global security analyst at Chicago's MacArthur Foundation,
said a no-nonsense ElBaradei report could buoy Western arguments for resorting
to sanctions.
(China Daily 08/31/2006 page1)
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