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UN Watchdog Chief Steps Up Pressure on Iran November 2, 2009 UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei on November 2 called on Iran to respond right away to a nuclear fuel deal aimed at defusing tensions over its suspect atomic program. "I urge Iran to be as forthcoming as possible in responding soon to my recent proposal," ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the UN General Assembly. Pressure is mounting on Iran to sign the deal, which would see its low-enriched uranium sent to Russia and France for conversion into fuel and sent back to a Tehran reactor monitored by the IAEA. Western powers back the deal as the reactor is an internationally supervised facility and it would remove stocks of low-enriched uranium, which they suspect could be further refined for use in nuclear weapons. Iran said November 2 that it wanted a review of the proposal, as Britain and Russia urged it to accept the offer and France warned Tehran that "delaying tactics" would not be tolerated. Suspicious the deal will ultimately lead to the suspension of its enrichment work, Iran has indicated it would prefer to buy nuclear fuel supplies directly rather than sending its own uranium abroad. ElBaradei urged further negotiations and called on all sides to make the necessary compromises to ensure a deal is reached. "The issue at stake remains that of mutual guarantees amongst the parties," he said. "I should add however that trust and confidence-building are an incremental process that requires focusing on the big picture and a willingness to take risks for peace." The international community fears Iran is seeking to build an atomic bomb under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, but Tehran denies the charges and insists the program is peaceful. Enriched material can be used as fuel for civilian reactors and also to make the core of an atomic bomb. UN watchdog chief steps up pressure on Iran November 2, 2009 Yahoo.com http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091102/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsun_20091102164546 |
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