ElBaradei: Iran not after bomb

ElBaradei: Iran not after bomb
Tue, 20 May 2008 13:47:19
Mohamed ElBaradei at the World Economic Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
The UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has once again highlighted the lack of evidence to prove Iran is after a nuclear bomb.

Speaking at a session of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East, ElBaradei reiterated the International Atomic Energy Agency has no evidence that Iran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb.

"We haven't seen indications or any concrete evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon and I've been saying that consistently for the last five years," ElBaradei asserted.

He said that the issue of Iran's nuclear standoff with the West is a problem of trust.

The IAEA boss referred to a December 3 joint assessment by 16 US spy agencies, which conceded that Tehran is not running a nuclear weapons program, and said that the US intelligence report agreed with his agency's assessment on Iran's nuclear program.

ElBaradei also criticized US President George W. Bush's remarks at the forum and suggested that the US hold direct talks with Iran in order to resolve the long-drawn-out standoff over the country's nuclear program.

"If you need to resolve an issue, you need to see where people are coming from," said ElBaradei. "We should have learned from now that dialogue, not isolation, is the way to move forward."

Iran has repeatedly stated that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is entitled to enriching uranium, which will provide fuel for the country's under-construction nuclear power plants.

However, the US president's flagrant disregard for international reports on Iran indicates his determination to drum up support for an act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

"I have said Iran is dangerous, and the NIE estimate doesn't do anything to change my opinion about the danger Iran poses to the world - quite the contrary," Bush said in response to the release of the US National Intelligence Estimate.

CS/BGH

- Iran will continue to enrich uranium despite the UN nuclear watchdog's call to halt the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Sunday.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), presented a new report on Iran's nuclear research on Monday, saying Iran's alleged studies into making nuclear warheads remain a matter of serious concern, and that Tehran must provide more information on its "missile-related activities".

In his report, ElBaradei said that Iran continued its uranium enrichment despite the UN Security Council's resolutions calling for a halt to these activities.
RIA Novosti - World - Iran vows to continue uranium enrichment

Former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said parts of the agency's latest report on Tehran's nuclear programme had been "deceitful" and "ambiguous".

Mr Larijani spoke moments after being overwhelmingly voted in as speaker by the conservative-dominated parliament.

The IAEA recently voiced "serious concern" about Iran's nuclear work.
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran speaker warns nuclear agency

Mr. ElBaradei's report culminates a career of freelancing and fecklessness which has crippled the reputation of the organization he directs. He has used his Nobel Prize to cultivate an image of a technocratic lawyer interested in peace and justice and above politics. In reality, he is a deeply political figure, animated by antipathy for the West and for Israel on what has increasingly become a single-minded crusade to rescue favored regimes from charges of proliferation.
ElBaradei's Real Agenda - WSJ.com

Nice to see that Iran has connections within' IAEA. The assclown can't even keep his story straight.

Have a good one!:s4:

Iran has repeatedly stated that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is entitled to enriching uranium, which will provide fuel for the country's under-construction nuclear power plants.





IAEA: US obstructing probe into Iran
Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:59:53
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei says Washington has hampered the agency's investigations by denying Iran access to vital intelligence.

In his opening address to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member Board of Governors on Monday, the IAEA chief expressed regret that the agency 'had not made the progress it had hoped for'.

ElBaradei cited the IAEA's inability to provide Iran with copies of the intelligence documentation due to 'US concern about exposing its sources' as the reason for the impediment to the expected progress.

"The agency received much of the information ... only in electronic form and was unfortunately not authorized to provide copies to Iran," the IAEA director said.

"[The] release of documents that are not sensitive from the proliferation perspective, including those purportedly showing interconnections between the three categories of alleged studies, would clearly help the agency in its investigations," he expounded.

ElBaradei went on to note major developments regarding the verification of Iran's nuclear activities and called on the country to increase its cooperation with the agency.

"While substantial progress has been made ... it is essential that the agency be able to reach a conclusion regarding the nature of Iran's program at the earliest possible date," ElBaradei said.

"This depends primarily on Iran demonstrating the necessary transparency and providing full disclosure. I again urge them to be fully forthcoming in this regard," he added.

Iran has repeatedly asserted that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is entitled to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and that has no intention to give up its inalienable rights.

Referring to the 'alleged studies' of weaponization in Iran, the IAEA, in its latest report, certified the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in the country's nuclear activities.

"Iran has provided the Agency with access to declared nuclear material and has provided the required nuclear material accountancy reports in connection with declared nuclear material and activities," said the report, a copy of which was obtained by Press TV.