UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Iran on Thursday to freeze
its nuclear activities so negotiations can go on with Russia and
European Union powers over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Iran has announced it would resume enrichment of nuclear fuel
after the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency
voted last weekend to report Iran to the UN Security Council over
its nuclear program.
But there has been no sign that it has actually begun to carry
out enrichment-related activity, UN diplomats say.
Annan has consistently sought to delay Security Council action
on Iran, hoping to resolve the impasse over Iran's nuclear
intentions in Vienna or through negotiations.
"What is important is that both sides have said negotiations are
not dead, both sides are prepared to talk. I would urge them to
continue," Annan told reporters.
"In the meantime, it will be important that no steps are taken
that will escalate the already tense situation, and I hope Iran
will continue to freeze its activities the way they are now, to
allow talks to go forward," he said.
The vote by the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog called for IAEA
Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei to report to the UN Security
Council by March 6 on Iran's response to demands that it suspend
its enrichment activities and better cooperate with the agency.
The IAEA acted at the behest of the United States and European
Union, which say that Iran is intent on developing nuclear arms and
that talks with Tehran are at a dead end.
But Iran and Russia are due to hold talks in Moscow on February
16 on a Russian proposal to process uranium for Iran's nuclear
power stations and China said this week it felt an international
standoff with Iran should be defused through talks rather than in
the Security Council, which can impose punitive measures on
Iran.
Tehran also has expressed an interest in resuming talks with the
various parties but insists it wants only to generate electricity
and does not seek nuclear arms.
Annan also appeared to side with Russia and China -- and against
the United States and EU -- in a dispute over the meaning of last
Saturday's IAEA board vote.
"If the issue were to be referred here to the (Security)
Council, I would work with the member states to find the best way
to deal with it," Annan said.
Russia and China insist that despite the IAEA vote, the Iran
dossier remains in Vienna and the Security Council has no green
light to launch proceedings against Tehran. But Washington and the
EU say the vote meant the matter is now before the council as well
as the IAEA.
Moscow's UN ambassador, Andrei Denisov, said much would depend
on what happened after the February 16 Moscow meeting and further
consultations between the IAEA and Iran.
"We need strong irrefutable evidence that Iran is engaged in
atomic weapons," Denisov told a news conference. "This is not a
play where there are good guys and bad guys, black and white. We
desire to have as much a clear picture as possible and nobody can
do it but the IAEA."
(Chinadaily.com via agencies February 10, 2006)
