Iran Agrees on Nuclear Inspections, Uranium Freeze

22/10/2003| IslamWeb

Iran yielded to international demands for it to prove it is not developing nuclear weapons, promising Britain, France and Germany it would show "full transparency" to the UN's nuclear watchdog and allow an intrusive inspections regime. The foreign ministers of the three countries immediately hailed the capping of their unprecedented diplomatic effort here as a major step forward in defusing mounting tensions and fears of yet another Middle East conflict. "This is a very important day," France's Dominique de Villepin said after the ministers emerged from several hours of hard bargaining with top Iranian officials, just 10 days before the expiry of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ultimatum for Iran to come clean. "We were facing a major issue. Proliferation is a major challenge to the world, and today we found a solution to the pending issues," he said Tuesday. For his part, Germany's Joschka Fischer said the deal would help "stabilise the region". Britain's Jack Straw, making his fifth visit to Tehran in two years, said the deal was "an important step forward". In a joint declaration, Iran pledged to show "full transparency" to the IAEA, reiterated its commitment to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and vowed atomic weapons had "no place" in its defence doctrine. "The Iran goverment has decided to engage in full cooperation with the IAEA ... and clarify and correct any possible failures," the declaration said. It also said the "Iranian government has decided to sign the additional protocol" to the NPT, with the terms of the accord applied immediately while signature and ratification are pending. This will allow the IAEA to carry out surprise visits to suspect facilities -- a key tool if Iran can ever be given the nuclear all-clear by watchdog. Iran also "decided voluntarily to suspend all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities", bowing to another key IAEA demand. The IAEA was more cicrcumspect in its reaction. Its chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, said in a statement from his Vienna headuarters he expects Iran to give soon a "complete declaration of all its past nuclear activities" and an "official notification" of its readiness to sign the additional NPT protocol. Hassan Rowhani, the secretary of Iran's powerful Supreme Council of National Security, said officials here would fix a date to sign the protocol before the IAEA's board of governors next meets on November 20. But speaking at north Tehran's leafy and former imperial Saadabad palace, where the talks were held, he cautioned that Iran reserved the right to resume enrichment at any moment if it were deemed necessary. In return, Britain, France and Germany "recognise the right of Iran to the peaceful use of nuclear energy". They pledged that the additional protocol "is no way intended to undermine the sovereignty, national dignity or national security" of Iran. Officials in Iran -- lumped into an "axis of evil" by the United States with North Korea and the former regime of Iraq's Saddam Hussein -- fear intrusive inspections could represent a violation of national sovereignty and put them on a path to confrontation experienced by neighbouring Iraq. Hence, President Mohammad Khatami was cautious over the accord. He welcomed the EU engagement of the clerical regime and added: "I hope we can move forward and remove tensions in the region." If Iran fully implements its pledges, the Islamic republic "could expect easier access to modern technology and supplies in a range of areas", the European trio pledged. Diplomats said that opened up the possibility of Iran receiving nuclear fuel from overseas, therefore keeping the sensitive fuel cycle -- and the risk of its misuse -- outside the country. The flying visit of the three ministers, only slightly overshadowed by a small protest by extremists angered by what they see as an Iranian climbdown, was a climax to months of intense and secretive diplomacy by the three countries. It comes amid mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington as well as speculation that the United States or Israel could be considering pre-emptive military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. Last month and after intense US lobbying, the IAEA gave Iran until October 31 to turn over a raft of information on its nuclear programme after alarm bells were setting ringing when inspectors discovered traces of highly enriched uranium at two sites. It says the traces came into the country on equipment bought on the black market, but has been understandably cautious on revealing the source of imported equipment given the imposition of US sanctions. A failure to meet the conditions before the deadline could see Iran being declared in breach of the NPT, and the dossier being forwarded to the UN Security Council. But diplomats say even Washington recognises this is not a satisfactory option, given that it cannot be assured of winning a consensus there because of Russia's multi-million dollar construction of a power plant in southern Iran. Iran also pledged Tuesday to sign a deal with Moscow promising to return supplies of nuclear fuel for use in the power station, meeting a key Russian condition for completion of the plant. Asked to react to the NPT deal, White House national security spokesman Sean McCormack replied: "We've noted the reports." He declined to say more. The commitment also comes despite voices in Iran's powerful hardline camp, which pulls many of the real strings of power, suggesting Tehran follow the example of North Korea and pull out of the NPT altogether. **PHOTO CAPTION*** French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, left, British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw, center, and their Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi, talk prior to a meeting with President Mohammad Khatami, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)