Iran rejoices over nuclear 'victory'

News, November 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

Jordan Times, Friday, November 28, 2003

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran has gleefully welcomed a UN nuclear watchdog's resolution on its atomic programme as a victory over arch-foe Washington, ignoring warnings that international pressure on Tehran may have only just begun. “The United States did not achieve a single one of its objectives concerning Iran's nuclear activities,” said Hassan Rowhani, who as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council handles the country's nuclear affairs.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: “What has taken place these past few days is the failure of unilateral policies ... and a victory for cooperation, politics and dialogue.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Wednesday condemned Iran for 18 years of covert nuclear activities but stopped short of taking Tehran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions, as Washington had previously hoped.

The resolution was a compromise between the US call to censure Iran and demands from Britain, France and Germany that Iran be rewarded for cooperating since October with the IAEA.

But while voices both inside and outside Iran warned that Tehran has only earned a temporary breathing space, officials in the Islamic republic rushed to claim a diplomatic coup against the United States.

“The United States wanted to send the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council ... and wanted to say in the resolution that Iran had turned its nuclear activities towards making an atomic weapon,” said Rowhani.

“But they were forced to see their isolation and understood that they could not prevent the adoption of this resolution,” he added.

Washington accuses Iran of using its nuclear energy programme as cover for plans to build atomic weapons which could be directed at Israel, claims fiercely denied by Tehran.

IAEA head Mohammad Al Baradei has also said in a report that there is so far no evidence that Iran has been developing nuclear weapons, a claim disputed by Washington as “simply impossible to believe.”

But the text of the resolution also contained harsh words for Iran, in particular a passage warning that any further Iranian breaches of non-proliferation would be met by stern action from the IAEA's board of governors using “all options at its disposal.”

Rowhani played down the significance of the warning, saying it contained “nothing new and did not worry Iran” as Tehran would continue to insist on the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities.

But his confidence was not shared by other observers.

Western analysts said the United States would pounce on the discovery of any further secret nuclear facility as a chance to bring up the subject again and take Tehran to the Security Council.

And at home the Jomhuri Islami daily — which had been against any concession by Tehran to the international pressure — went as far as to describe the resolution as a “sword of Damocles” for Iran.

“The very frank relations between the United States and Europe and the introduction of the White House's positions into the resolution has transformed this into a sword of Damocles over Iran's nuclear activities,” it said.

It said the resolution in effect warned Iran that it would be brought before the Security Council if any further nuclear infringements were discovered.

“Iran is in a difficult position as the situation is such that ... the conditions required by the Americans to pressure Iran could be fulfilled very easily,” it said.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python (Alquds, 1/25/03.

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah's.

editor@aljazeerah.info