February 17, 2006

DAILY ESCALATION IN THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE WEST AND IRAN. THE DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION IS STILL AN OPTION. THE IRANIAN PRESIDENT ASKS ABOUT THE GUARANTEES THE WEST WANTS AND THE US CONSIDERS IRAN THE BIGGEST THREAT. TONY BLAIR SAYS MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN IS NOT BEING CONSIDERED, BUT WARNS THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WOULD NOT STAND FOR CONTINUED BREACHES OF TEHRAN'S OBLIGATIONS. FRANCE WARNS OF THE CONSEQUENCES, BEIJING ENCOURAGES THE DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION AND MUBARAK RENEWS THE CALL FOR A MIDDLE EAST FREE OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTIONS. Iran has started putting uranium feedstock gas into centrifuges, defying the West with actual enrichment work on making what can be nuclear reactor fuel or atom bomb material, diplomats told AFP. Uranium enrichment is seen as a red line by the United States and the European Union in the long-running international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, as it is crucial to making atomic weapons. Putting uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into centrifuges, which distill out enriched uranium, is a major escalation by Iran in its face-off with the West over a nuclear program which the United States claims hides secret atomic weapons development and amid threats by Iran to withdrawn from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran said that it would resume uranium enrichment even before the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets next month in Vienna to decide whether to recommend UN Security Council action against Tehran. The diplomats' comments show that Iran is following through with its threat. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad too said in an interview that nations calling for economic sanctions over his country's nuclear program would lose far more than Tehran. "These difficulties are the prelude to advancement," Ahmadinejad told USA Today newspaper. "I believe those who want to impose limitations on us will lose more than us," the defiant Iranian leader said in the interview. Iran announced it was deferring until next week talks with Russia on its nuclear plans, but gave no sign it was ready to stop enriching uranium on its own soil the key element in Moscow's plan. However, a senior Iranian official said no actual uranium enrichment had yet taken place at the Natanz facility where Iran had halted work during negotiations with the European Union. "No work has been done on the centrifuges and no gas has been injected yet," said the official, asking not to be named. "They are preparing the ground. A facility that has been suspended for two and half years cannot become functional in one night." Centrifuges spin uranium hexafluoride at supersonic speed to make atomic fuel, or if highly enriched, bomb-grade material. Other officials had said preliminary work to revive a pilot project had begun at Natanz this week, intensifying world concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Russia and France called on Iran to cease "all activities connected with enrichment and processing" of nuclear fuel. Their joint statement was issued by the Kremlin during a visit to Moscow by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. Russia has offered to enrich uranium on Iran's behalf in a compromise designed to allay world fears that the Iranians might divert nuclear material into bombs. Iranian nuclear negotiator Javad Vaeedi said talks on the proposal would now start in Moscow on Feb. 20. "We still want to reach a formula to prove that we will not divert uranium enriched on Iranian soil," he told reporters. Russia confirmed that Iran had asked to postpone the talks and voiced no objection. Iran is ready to counter any US aggression with offensive action, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards warned, as Washington unveiled new plans to promote democracy in the Islamic republic. The State Department's announcement that it was seeking $75 million from Congress to undermine what it called the Iranian government's tight grip on power upped the stakes amid a worsening international row over Iran's nuclear program. "We have worked on all defensive and offensive scenarios for any possible attacks," Revolutionary Guards chief Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi told state television. Washington's European allies have stressed that military action against Iran is not an option and Safavi said he did not foresee a US-led strike for now. "Currently, there is no military threat against our country, and the United States and Israel are only talking about our nuclear program as part of psychological war in order to escape from their defeat in Iraq and Palestine," he said. However, earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Washington did not rule out using military force against Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. "All options, including the military one, are on the table," Rumsfeld told German financial newspaper Handelsblatt. "There is a genuine possibility that these weapons could fall into the hands of people who behead innocent people and blow up children." Iran drew new US anger y with the announcement that it had resumed limited uranium enrichment a process that makes reactor fuel but can also be extended to make the core of a nuclear weapon despite renewed warnings from world powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency voted on Feb. 4 to report the Islamic republic to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program and is due to meet again on March 6. Safavi had already warned late last month that in the event of a US-led attack, Iran was ready to use its ballistic missiles, which have the capacity to strike Israel as well as coalition targets in the Gulf. "Iran has a ballistic missile capability of 2,000 kilometers (1,280 miles). We do not intend to attack any country, but if we are attacked we have the capability to give an effective response," he said. Washington did not immediately specify how it intended to disburse the new money to promote democracy in Iran. The most high profile opposition group is the rebel People's Mujahedeen, which has largely fallen from Western favor because of its close links to the ousted Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. Most of the group's fighters are currently cantoned in Iraq under US supervision, but Tehran accuses Washington of complicity in terrorism for its failure to hand over the militants, who have claimed responsibility for a string of attacks in Iran in the past. Iran also accuses the United States' principal Iraq ally Britain of fomenting separatist violence in its mainly Arab Khuzestan province, which borders British-patrolled Iraq. However, Washington's strong line against Tehran ran into new opposition yesterday from Moscow, which has close ties with the Islamic republic and is helping to build its first nuclear power station near the Gulf port of Bushehr. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that even sanctions against Iran risked being counterproductive. "They never help to find a solution to a problem. Sanctions are just a prelude to further exacerbation," he told a news conference in Vienna. Iran has informed Russian officials it will send a delegation to Moscow for talks on Russia's offer to enrich uranium for Tehran, the Interfax news agency quoted a Russian Embassy official in the Iranian capital as saying. "The Iranian side has provided official notification about their arrival on the 20th and the Russian side has taken receipt of it," Interfax quoted the embassy official, Vyacheslav Moshkalo, as saying from Tehran. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it could not immediately confirm the information. Last Monday, Tehran abruptly postponed talks scheduled for this week in the Russian capital on Moscow's uranium enrichment offer but a day later officials in Iran said they had requested a new date. "I don't see anything extraordinary in this delay, there was a lot of fuss about nothing," said the Russian diplomat. The U.N. Security Council had formally received notification about Iran and its nuclear program from the International Atomic Energy Agency, opening the door toward potential sanctions against Tehran. The dispute centers on whether Iran wants nuclear capability for energy or arms. Iran insists it has only peaceful nuclear ambitions but France, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States have expressed concern that Iran's nuclear activities could be aimed at acquiring a nuclear weapon. The letter from IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei to John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the current Security Council president, came after the nuclear watchdog's weekend vote in favor of reporting Iran to the council. The United States left copies of the letter and a packet of information about the IAEA and Iran on the seats of the other 14 Security Council member nations before a meeting at U.N. headquarters. A U.S. mission spokesman noted that "the process has begun." But it remains unknown what action, if any, the Security Council will take should Iran fail to cooperate with the nuclear watchdog. In a letter of its own this week, Iran told the Vienna, Austria-based IAEA to remove surveillance equipment from its nuclear sites. Iran had warned it would stop honoring the "additional protocol" to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if it were referred to the Security Council. The protocol allows for such oversight as snap inspections, IAEA seals on nuclear equipment and greater surveillance of Tehran's nuclear facilities. The letter told the IAEA it would stop cooperating with the protocol and would return to the bare minimum of cooperation as outlined by the treaty. France and Russia have urged Iran to halt its uranium enrichment programme after Tehran confirmed it had resumed the work. The French prime minister and Russian president issued a joint statement calling on Iran to conform in full with the demands of the UN's nuclear agency. Iran confirmed it resumed small-scale uranium enrichment work at the Natanz plant last week. Western nations suspect Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Uranium enrichment is one part of that process. However, Tehran insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. The joint statement was posted on the Kremlin's official website, following French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's visit to Moscow. "Russia and France call on Iran to fully comply with the February resolution and the demands of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency," said the statement. France and Russia said they recognised Iran's right to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme for energy. They also said the international community supported Russia's proposal to enrich uranium on its territory for Iranian nuclear power plants. At a joint news conference with Mr de Villepin, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said he was concerned about how "events were unfolding" around Iran's nuclear programme. However, he said the potential for a positive outcome was "not yet exhausted". Meantime the United States accused Iran of defying the world by resuming uranium enrichment for nuclear fuel without resolving suspicions it secretly wants to build atomic bombs. "They have now crossed a point where they are in open defiance [of the world community]," Condoleezza Rice, state secretary, told the Senate foreign relations committee in her first testimony in months. The US, which has long imposed economic sanctions against Iran, was considering further measures, said Rice. She acknowledged that the US had analysed the impact of oil sanctions on Iran. Rice said George W Bush would ask Congress for $75m (£41.6m) to try to promote democracy in Iran. The money would be used for radio and satellite television broadcasting and for programmes to help Iranians study abroad. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Security Affairs Steven Rademaker ruled out military action against Iran over resuming uranium enrichment. Speaking after a meeting in Cairo with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa, Rademaker said, "we discussed the Iranian nuclear issue and the need to give a chance for diplomacy because military options will not be discussed at the time being." He stressed that Washington wants to give a chance for peaceful efforts and diplomacy to settle the conflict with Iran over its nuclear program, noting that, "only 12 days passed since the meetings of the International Atomic Energy Agency." Iran suspended its dealings with IAEA inspectors after the Council of Governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog decided to refer Iran to the Security Council on Feb. 4. China's foreign minister urged continued diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff. "A diplomatic solution serves the common interest," Li Zhaoxing said during an official visit. "We are still working on our Iranian colleagues to cherish negotiations." However, Li warned that time was "already pressing" for efforts to resolve the dispute before it reaches the Security Council. Li declined to stay whether China would support sanctions against Iran. France accused Iran of developing a secret military nuclear program in one of the toughest public criticisms yet against Tehran by a European nation. "No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear program," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in an interview with France 2 Television. "It is a clandestine military nuclear program." Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, responded on Iranian state television, saying, "We want civilian nuclear energy; we don't want to have the bomb." The French foreign minister's statement came two days after Iranian officials confirmed they had resumed uranium enrichment research in defiance of international mandates forbidding the work. In Vienna on 8 February, Iran's envoy to the IAEA said the Security Council would call on Iran to continue its cooperation with the UN nuclear agency, but no more. Ali Asqar Soltanieh went on to say that the council in fact cannot do anything if IAEA Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei's report on Iran is not presented at the March meeting of the agency's governing board, IRNA reported. There has been no indication, however, that the report will not be delivered as planned. Soltanieh went on to tell IRNA on 8 February that Russia and China oppose Security Council involvement in the issue. Russian legislator Andrei Kokoshin, who chairs the State Duma CIS Affairs Committee, said on 8 February that Russia and China, as well as India, have not given up on persuading Iran to resolve the situation, Interfax-Military News Agency reported. Kokoshin emphasized the importance of Iran accepting the Russian nuclear fuel proposal, saying, "It is now important that Tehran makes a final decision on this project as soon as possible." Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on 7 February that he hopes for a diplomatic solution, Xinhua reported. Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan added on the same day that Beijing hopes to see the crisis resolved through negotiations that take place within the "IAEA framework," and went on to call for "restraint," "patience," and "flexibility,". Kong explained China's vote in favor of the resolution, saying, "We believe this resolution is asking Iran to fulfill its obligations and commitments, but it is not transferring the IAEA's responsibility on handling the Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council." Iran's leading officials and political figures are united in the desire to master the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Hojatoleslam Hassan Rohani, who was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council for 16 years and who still serves on the council as a representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was for some time Iran's top nuclear negotiator. He made it clear at a 9 February speech in Tehran that he is unimpressed with the current state of affairs. "Shouting alone will not help us to achieve our goals," he said, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). He added, "To stand up to our enemies, we need a multidimensional, proactive and dynamic strategy." Rohani recommended widening Iran's "circle of consultants" -- in other words, bringing in people with better experience, diplomatic skills, and negotiating abilities. On the other hand British Prime Minister Tony Blair said military action against Iran was not being considered, but warned that the international community would not stand for continued breaches of Tehran's obligations. In Cairo President Hosni Mubarak spoke of Egypt's eagerness to enhance the benefits of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as guaranteed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In his address at the ceremony to honour Mohamed El-Baradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace last year, President Mubarak said Egypt calls for commitment to the NPT by all countries without exception. The President also referred to his call a few years ago for eliminating nuclear weapons from the Middle East. Mubarak congratulated El-Baradei, the fourth Egyptian to win a Nobel prize, personally and on behalf of the Egyptian people. El-Baradei addressed the ceremony, saying there is a long way to make the world more just and to reduce the gap between rich and poor. One-fifth of the world's population uses 80 per cent of the planet's resources, El-Baradei said, adding that $1,000 billion a year is spent on weapons but only 10 per cent of that sum is spent on development. "This is a world in which 350 million people go to bed hungry," he said. He stressed the need for security dialogue to address all issues related to regional security. This dialogue should be in tandem with the peace process, he added