Iran’s logical diplomacy calms atmosphere at IAEA
The first day of the IAEA Board meeting passed without tension, he told the Tehran Times correspondent in Vienna, adding that an atmosphere of rationality and flexibility prevailed at the session.
Contrary to the heavy-handed Western propaganda, the issue of discussing IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei’s recent report on Iran’s nuclear activities was viewed as quite normal, Soltanieh said.
“Undoubtedly, Iran’s multifaceted, heavy, and purposeful activities over the past week, particularly the principled agreements made between Supreme National Security Council Secretary General Ali Larijani and Russian officials, as well as his meeting with the foreign ministers of the three European Union powers (Britain, Germany and France), helped create this atmosphere, which is based on the assumption that pressure and threats against Iran are not effective.
“Iran’s transparent cooperation with the IAEA inspectors and IAEA Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen’s trip to Iran, which led to the two positive paragraphs in ElBaradei’s report on Iran’s good cooperation with the agency’s inspectors, were effective in convincing members of the IAEA Board that Iran has behaved appropriately toward the IAEA. However, the U.S. and other Western media disseminated false reports over the past few weeks, saying that Iran has refused to accept inspections.”
Soltanieh noted that the Islamic Republic would uphold the rights of the nation with logic, peace, and confidence.
“Everyone in the agency knows that, as announced by Dr. Larijani, Iran will never renounce the right of its talented scientists to nuclear research and development.
“Iran views negotiations with other countries meant to secure cooperation in its planned activities to produce industrial-scale nuclear fuel as a measure in line with efforts to expand the peaceful use of nuclear energy around the world and to avoid nuclear apartheid.
“Therefore, it will study such proposals, including the offer by Russia,” he said in reference to Moscow’s proposal to establish a joint uranium enrichment facility on Russian soil.
Due to the diplomatic and technical measures that Iran has wisely taken so far, any illogical decision by the IAEA Board of Governors would result in an unpredictable cost, he observed, adding that there is currently a general understanding at the IAEA that Iran, as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is still in compliance with its commitments.
In fact, they have been using heavy-handed propaganda in an attempt to force Iran to take a hasty approach, but they were not successful, he pointed out.
On the possibility that the IAEA Board would draft a strong-worded resolution against Iran, he said that ElBaradei’s remarks at the beginning of the session prove that the atmosphere is not appropriate to issue a strong-worded resolution.
“They have the experience of the February meeting, and the current atmosphere will not allow them to take more risks, so there is a hidden inclination for them to extricate themselves from the current situation and save face,” he noted.
ElBaradei stated that there has been no diversion in Iran’s nuclear program and expressed hope that the remaining ambiguities would be cleared up through Iran’s cooperation, Soltanieh added.
In light of recent contacts between capitals, hopefully a friendly solution can be found for Iran's nuclear program, the IAEA chief said at a news conference on Monday, Soltanieh said.
Iran’s representative to the IAEA also mentioned the statement of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that says the involvement of other UN bodies (without referring to the Security Council) is unnecessary.
NAM’s firm stance is that IAEA member states should adhere to diplomacy and negotiations and avoid policies that might create tension, Soltanieh stated.
Russia presses U.S. to agree with limited enrichment in Iran
Diplomatic sources in Vienna, refusing to be named, say Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who is on a tour of U.S. plans to convince the officials at the White House to agree to limited enrichment in Iran. However, the diplomats said Washington seriously opposes such a deal.
According to Reuters, a diplomat close to Iran-EU talks has said Iran is ready to negotiate to suspend industrial scale if it can continue its nuclear research activities.
Iran has said it can only suspend industrial enrichment for two years but the West has demanded a ten-year moratorium on suspension.
France, Germany, Britain and the U.S. don’t agree with nuclear research in Iran but Russia and ElBaradei have asked the Western countries to allow Iran to conduct small-scale enrichment.
Among the EU trio Germany is the only state which shows some flexibility on the experimental enrichment in Iran, the European diplomat has said.
No sign of deviation in Iran’s nuclear program: ElBaradei
ElBaradei said on Monday that no sign of deviation has been seen in Iran’s nuclear program so far but there are still “uncertainties” despite three years of IAEA investigations.
Addressing the 35-nation Board of Governors, he said that over the past three years the agency has carried out a thorough and intensive investigation into Iran’s nuclear activities to become certain about the peaceful nature of the country’s nuclear program.
So far no sign has been found of the use of materials related to nuclear weapons in Iran, ElBaradei stated. However, there are still ambiguities about the magnitude and nature of Iran’s nuclear program, he added.
IAEA chief hopeful for a deal on Iran
ElBaradei told reporters he hoped an agreement could be reached soon to ease Western concern over Iran's nuclear program.
ElBaradei talked of a deal in around a week on the issue of Iran doing small-scale uranium enrichment. He said there was frantic diplomatic activity to try to get Tehran and the European Union back to the negotiating table. "The sticking point remains the question of the centrifuge-related R and D (research and development)," he told reporters as carried by AFP news agency.
"That issue is still again being discussed this week and I'm still very much hopeful that in the next week or so an agreement could be reached."
A deal on small-scale enrichment, and a resumption of talks between Tehran and the Europeans, would effectively head off Security Council action. Iran began actual enrichment in February but on a small-scale which is only for research. Meanwhile, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a cabinet meeting late Sunday that Tehran would not be bullied by a threat to the Security Council and possible sanctions.
"If they want to put political pressure on us, our decisions and behavior will be reconsidered."
"We will not be bullied and we ourselves are not bullies."
ElBaradei said that there were "contacts going on trying to reach agreement on modalities for Iran and the Europeans to go back to the negotiating table.
"There has been lots of progress on many elements of that agreement. I think there is agreement that industrial-scale enrichment should be suspended.
"I think there is an agreement that Iran should continue to implement the additional protocol and ratify it as early as possible," he said, referring to the protocol on wider IAEA inspections.
The United States and Europe have called on Iran to bow to IAEA demands to suspend all enrichment-related activities, including research.
However, Soltanieh reiterated Iran’s right to nuclear research. "We will not show any flexibility on research and development," Soltanieh told AFP.
Tehran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Sunday that Iran would not halt small-scale nuclear fuel work even if referred to the Security Council. He also warned that Iran could retaliate to any referral by pressing ahead with industrial-scale enrichment. ElBaradei said he was concerned that there were still "uncertainties" over Iran's nuclear program despite three years of IAEA investigation. But he said Iran was cooperating.
"We are getting some transparency but not with the magnitude and the speed expected. I hope Iran will continue to show transparency to be able to clarify the past."