The international community on Wednesday continued to exert
pressure on Iran due to its resumption of research on uranium
enrichment, with some Western nations warning Tehran of a possible
referral to the United Nations Security Council.?
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is very concerned by Iran's
decision to resume enrichment-related activities, said Stephanie
Dujarric, a spokesman for the world body.
Dujarric told reporters that Annan is in close touch with
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed
ElBaradei, with whom the UN chief has spoken in the past few
days.
The secretary-general is "mindful and appreciative" of the
efforts of the three European states -- France, Germany and Britain
-- and Russia to find a diplomatic solution to this issue, the
spokesman noted.
ElBaradei also expressed his serious concern about Iran's
decision.
He said in a statement that maintaining the suspension, resuming
the dialogue with all concerned parties, and making available the
necessary cooperation and transparency to the IAEA, are conditions
for a comprehensive and equitable solution that ensures Iran's
right to peaceful nuclear activities.
?
The United States said it was now "more likely than ever" that Iran
would be referred to the Security Council over its nuclear
program.
"It is more likely than ever that this will happen," US State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a briefing.
Nonetheless, McCormack said Washington still hoped that Iran's
nuclear issue would be resolved through diplomatic means.
"We still seek to change Iranian behavior through diplomatic
channels," he said.
In Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Iran's
decision to resume nuclear research was a cause for alarm.
"This disappoints me and causes certain alarm," Ivanov, who is
also deputy prime minister, was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency
as saying, adding however that it is too early to say the situation
is beyond hope.
Asked what stance Russia will take should a referral take place,
Ivanov said Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security
Council, has the right to act as the situation demands. He added
though: "There should be room for maneuver."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he would
meet his British and French counterparts in Berlin on Thursday over
the issue.
The European Union's foreign policy commissioner Javier Solana
will also attend the meeting to evaluate the situation to see if
there was any political space for further negotiation over the
issue, Steinmeier told German news agency DPA.
After the meeting, the EU's big three foreign ministers would
telephone US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to coordinate
their stance.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said his country would seek
international consensus to refer Iran to the UN Security Council
over Tehran's move.
Speaking during his weekly question time in the House of
Commons, Blair said, "The first thing to do is to secure agreement
for a referral to the Security Council, that is indeed what I think
likely the allies will jointly decide."
In Canberra, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
expressed his disappointment over Iran's decision.
"I am extremely disappointed by Iran's removal yesterday of
International Atomic Energy Agency seals at its Natanz uranium
enrichment research facility, and by Iran's stated intention to
undertake uranium enrichment research," Downer said in a
statement.
He said uranium enrichment is a key technology for producing
nuclear fuel but also nuclear weapons, adding that Australia sees
no need for Iran to undertake this research.
Downer said Australia will be consulting closely with colleagues
on the IAEA Board of Governors to determine the next diplomatic
steps.
Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini said Iran's decision
will not create rifts in the international community and no country
will be willing to negotiate with it.
Italy viewed the move with "ongoing and strong concern," Fini
said, adding that he hoped "good sense" would prevail in
Tehran.
He stressed that the international community would otherwise
"find the best way" to deal with the crisis.
The Japanese government criticized Iran for restarting nuclear
research, calling for a halt and conformity with international
rules.
Japan felt "very regrettable" that Iran had decided to resume
the nuclear project -- an action which "ignores the concern of the
international community," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said
at a press conference in Tokyo.
"We are urging Iran to halt all the activities linked to the
process of uranium enrichment and genuinely abide by the
requirement of the IAEA Board resolutions," he said.
Meanwhile, Former Iranian President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani called on the EU to show wisdom when dealing with the
Iranian nuclear issue and warned against applying sanctions on the
country.
"To settle the nuclear issue both parties are required to show
wisdom, and if they (the Europeans) make an unwise move, they have
done injustice to the region and the world," Rafsanjani told a
religious gathering in Tehran.
"They cannot resolve the problem through sanctions and so on,"
Rafsanjani stressed, terming the Western reactions as "heavy and
unprecedented" anti-Iran propaganda and assaults.
"The root cause of these assaults lies in the colonialist nature
and policies of the West, whose plan is to keep countries
backward," Rafsanjani said.
The former Iranian president, who is the current chairman of the
powerful Expediency Council, reiterated that Iran would not give up
its right to peaceful nuclear technology, warning that the United
States and the EU would "be regretful if they obstruct Iran's
access to the latest science."
Iran on Tuesday removed seals on its nuclear research sites and
resumed the fuel research activities under the supervision of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear
watchdog.
Even Russia, which has been consistently supporting Iran on its
nuclear issue and aiding it with its first nuclear power plant
construction, expressed disappointment and concern over Tehran's
resumption.
Iranian Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei has said that Iran
would not give in under the pressure of sanctions.
The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons
secretly, but Iran terms the charge as politically motivated,
insisting that its legal rights on peaceful nuclear technology are
undeniable.
(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2006)
