UN Nuclear Watchdog Strikes Compromise on Iran

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UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG STRIKES COMPROMISE ON IRAN
6/18/04

After five days of intense debate at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, the UN watchdog organization has passed a unanimous resolution on Iran that rebukes the Islamic country for shortcomings in its dealing with the IAEA.

"It is a compromise text that tries to make everyone happy, or rather make everyone less unhappy," one diplomat from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a group of 13 developing countries involved in the IAEA discussions, told EurasiaNet.

The resolution, presented by the UK, France and Germany, "deplores" that "Iran’s cooperation has not been as full, timely and proactive as it should have been." It goes on to express "concern" that almost two years after inquiries into Iran’s nuclear program began in August 2002 "a number of questions remain outstanding."

Despite this, the final resolution is a much watered-down version of the original draft. Noticeably missing from the document is a deadline, or "trigger mechanism," for investigations into Iran’s nuclear program -- a provision supported by the US. With a deadline in place for IAEA findings, a path would have been cleared for the issue to be eventually raised in the UN Security Council, a necessary precursor to the imposition of economic sanctions if Iran is found to be in violation of international agreements governing nuclear weapons.

Even while maintaining that the resolution was the work of political pressure from Washington, Iran has expressed satisfaction with the document. "Cooperation between Iran and IAEA is at its best," Hussain Mousavian, Iran’s chief spokesperson at the IAEA, told the Iranian news service Mehr on June 18. "There are no negative points in the... resolution on Iran."...>>

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav061804a.shtml