UN Nuclear Agency Demands Iran Suspend Uranium Enrichment

The United Nation's nuclear watchdog
agency demanded Iran cease all uranium enrichment activities and
said it will decide on Nov. 25 whether to take steps to ensure
the country's atomic program isn't a threat to the international
community.
The International Atomic Energy Agency ``considers it
necessary that Iran immediately suspend all enrichment-related
activities,'' it said in a three-page resolution. The Vienna-
based agency also demanded Iran further open its atomic program
to inspectors. It did acknowledge the country has a right to
enrich uranium.
The U.S. says Iran, with the second-highest oil reserves in
the world, is concealing a nuclear weapons program and wants it
sent before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. Iran
says its atomic program is peaceful and only intended to generate
energy.
Iran's uranium enrichment activities have been suspended
since October 2003, and the nation will decide in coming days if
that will continue, said Hossein Mousavian, the head of Iran's
delegation to the IAEA. It is Iran's ``national right,'' to
convert uranium, he said earlier this week.
``We will continue our cooperation with the IAEA fully and
transparently to clarify and resolve any remaining issues,''
Mousavian said at a press conference after the passage of the
resolution.
Iran has had more than 800 IAEA inspections in the last
year.

U.S. `Pleased'

The U.S. is ``pleased'' the IAEA has set Nov. 25 as a
``deadline for Iran to cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons,''
said Jackie Sanders, the head of the U.S. delegation.
``The resolution calls on Iran to take confidence building
measures related to enrichment and reprocessing activities,''
Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA director general, said at a press
conference. ``I think people were ready to listen to Iran's point
of view, and I look forward to resolving the outstanding issues
at the board meeting in November.''
The so-called Non-Aligned Movement of nations, representing
13 of the 35 seats on the International Atomic Energy Agency's
board of governors, succeeded in making the resolution recognize
a distinction between Iran's commitment to the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty and its voluntary ``confidence building
measures'' to stop enriching uranium.

`Confidence Building'

All signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty are allowed
to enrich uranium as long as the activities are for producing
energy and declared to the IAEA. Iran signed an additional
protocol last year to suspend enrichment after engaging in
undeclared activities.
``We are fully cognizant of the distinct difference between
legal obligations and confidence building measures,'' Germany's
delegation said in a statement. ``Signatories of the NPT should
benefit fully from the peaceful use of nuclear energy.''
The Non-Aligned Movement has been in existence since the
1960s. It's members on the IAEA's Board of Governors come from
Cuba, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Tunisia, Vietnam, Panama, Peru,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Malaysia and Pakistan. The
group is composed of more than 100 member countries.