Iran's Suspension of Uranium Enrichment Incomplete


The United Nations nuclear watchdog
said Iran's suspension of its uranium enrichment program isn't
yet complete and that it hoped to resolve Iran's request
regarding 20 centrifuges in the next day.
``We have completed our work with regard to verification of
the suspension with one exception, and that's a request by Iran
to exempt 20 centrifuges for research and development without
using nuclear fuel,'' said Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of
the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
The U.S. has accused Iran of running a clandestine nuclear
weapons program. Iran, the second largest oil exporter in the
Middle East, says it wants to enrich uranium for nuclear energy.
The Islamic Republic told the IAEA that it would stop activities
like producing uranium hexaflouride gas and making centrifuges to
build international confidence.
The use of centrifuges, which are needed to enrich uranium,
is prohibited under the terms of an agreement with the European
Union. Iran negotiated a halt to uranium ``enrichment-related''
activities with French, German and U.K. diplomats last week.
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami today criticized the IAEA
and said the EU accord was ``not good,'' Agence France- Presse
reported, citing Iranian state television.
``Intense negotiations are currently under way between non-
aligned states and the Europeans to change the draft,'' AFP cited
Khatami as saying.

`Ambiguous'

Gary Saymore, director at London's International Institute
for Strategic Studies, said that Iranians ``in the near term''
want to leave the uranium enrichment issue ``ambiguous.''
``The Iranians have already laid down some markers that in
the future they will resume these activities,'' said Saymore, who
served as a security advisor to two U.S. presidents, Ronald
Reagan and Bill Clinton.
Iran's diplomats have in the past dismissed requests to
permanently suspend uranium enrichment, citing rights under the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. All signatories of the 1968 NPT
are allowed to enrich uranium as long as the activities are for
producing energy and declared to the IAEA. Iran ratified the
treaty in 1970.
The EU accord with Iran isn't ``a legal obligation,'' said
IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky in an interview with the Cable News
Network. Iran needs to ``build confidence'' in the international
community after hiding its nuclear program for 20 years,
Gwozdecky said.

Washington's View

``The European Union has some cards to play,'' Saymore said,
referring to the ongoing negotiations to increase trade between
the EU and Iran. ``But at some point Washington will have to make
a decision whether it endorses or supports the agreement.''
Last week President George W. Bush said that the U.S. is
concerned that Iran is speeding up efforts to produce fuel for a
nuclear weapon.
``The world knows it's a serious matter and we're working
together to solve it,'' Bush said.
The IAEA can safely say that none of Iran's ``declared
materials'' have been diverted to a nuclear weapons program,
ElBaradei told reporters today. ``But we still have a lot to do
with regards to possible undeclared material,'' he said.
The IAEA will continue verifying the nature of Iran's
nuclear activities for ``many years,'' ElBaradei said.
The IAEA's board of governors is meeting in Vienna to
discuss Iran's nuclear program.