West wants two-week deadline for Iran to stop nuclear fuel work



By Michael Adler
AFP
VIENNA
Petroleumworld.com 03 11 06

The United States and Europe want the UN Security Council to give Iran a two-week deadline to halt suspect nuclear work, according to a draft text for a Council presidential statement obtained by AFP Friday.

The draft, which was written by European states on the Security Council, marks the beginning of the process by Council members to agree on a presidential statement in what would be its first action against Iran's nuclear program, diplomats told AFP.

The draft says the Security Council should "call upon Iran without delay: to re-establish full, sustained and verifiable suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities."

It says the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency should "report to the Council within 14 days on the implementation by Iran of the actions it has requested."

The 15-member Council is to meet next week in response to Iran's defiance of the Vienna-based IAEA's call to suspend work on uranium enrichment.

The end product of that process can serve as fuel for nuclear power reactors but also for making an atom bomb.

On Wednesday the IAEA sent an assessment report on Iran's program, which the West fears is hiding a covert drive for the atom bomb, to the Council.

Unlike the IAEA, the Security Council has the authority to impose punitive measures such as sanctions.

It is, however, expected first to issue a presidential statement calling Iran to order.

Titled "draft elements for Security Council action on the Iranian nuclear program," the proposed text for the statement text begins: "Security Council action is necessary to reinforce the authority of the IAEA."

A Western diplomat said there was to be a meeting in New York Friday of the five permanent members of the Security Council and that the United States, Britain and France were expecting to receive reactions to their draft text from the Russians and Chinese.

"We would want the Council to react rapidly, working closely to maintain a strong international consensus, and sharing views with partners," the draft said.

The IAEA has also called on Iran to fully cooperate with its three-year investigation of Iran's nuclear work, in which questions remain about Iran's development of the nuclear fuel cycle as well as research, projects and documents that could be related to making nuclear weapons.

The draft text calls on the Council to "express serious concern" about Iran's possession of a document on casting uranium metal into hemispheres as this part would be "suitable only for military purposes."

The draft restates IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's assertion in his report sent to the Council "that the IAEA is not in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran".

Furthermore, it says the Council should "agree that an extensive period of confidence building is required from Iran."

Confidence-building measures should include, according to the draft document, Iran's ceasing all nuclear fuel work, including making the centrifuges used in enrichment, and the converting of uranium ore into the uranium hexafluoride gas that is the feedstock used by centrifuges.

The Council is also urged to tell Iran "to halt the construction of a (plutonium-producing) heavy water reactor" which Iran is building at Araq. Plutonium is also an atom bomb material.

The Council should also call on Iran to ratify an Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that would give the IAEA wider inspection powers.

The document also said the Council should "express the conviction that... a negotiated solution can be found that guarantees Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes."

AFP 03 10 06

Copyright © 2006 AFP. All rights reserved.

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