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EU warns Iran against unilateral nuclear moves amid huge opposition rally in Vienna |
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Thursday, 24 November 2005 |
NCRI, Vienna: The European Union warned Iranian regime
against making any "unilateral moves" to increase its atomic activities.
British ambassador Peter Jenkins told reporters the European Union has
"acceded to the request of several board members" of the UN watchdog
International Atomic Energy Agency "who have asked for more time for
diplomatic dialogue on the future of mullahs’ nuclear program."
The IAEA's board of governors was meeting in Vienna Thursday and
expected to hold off on calling for Iran to be referred to the UN
Security Council for possible sanctions for hiding sensitive nuclear
activities in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In the meantime thousands of supporting of the Iranian main opposition,
National Council of Resistance (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI) staged a huge rally in front of the IAEA
headquarters in Vienna calling for referral of the Iranian regime’s
nuclear file to the UN Security Council.
Demonstrators carried banners which read, "Mullahs are Terrorists," "Mullahs' Nukes to U.N."
The board had in September found mullahs’ regime in non-compliance with
the NPT and was meeting to review progress on the dossier since then.
Jenkins, who was speaking for the EU presidency at the IAEA board
meeting, said Tehran should "seriously" consider a Russian compromise
proposal that would allow it to enrich uranium in Russia.
But Jenkins warned fundamentalist regime that it needs "to implement
the confidence-building measures" for which the IAEA has called, namely
to cease uranium conversion work that is the first step in enriching
uranium into what can be nuclear reactor fuel or atom bomb material.
He said the Iranian regime should "refrain from any further unilateral
move which could aggravate the situation," a clear reference to it
moving on to actual uranium enrichment.
Jenkins said in a speech to the board "that any resumption of
enrichment related activities at Natanz would seriously aggravate the
situation created by the resumption of activity at Isfahan," the
conversion facility.
Jenkins said in his press comments that the Iran regime’s failing to
fully cooperate with an IAEA investigation of its past and current
nuclear activities "undermines its claim that its nuclear program is
peaceful in nature."
Jenkins said the EU also "sees grounds for deep concern" that Tehran
"has admitted to having in its possession a document which was
supplied" by an international black market and which is a guide to
making the explosive core of an atom bomb.
Jenkins said the opening for talks, and the IAEA's holding off on referral, should not be misunderstood by clerics in Iran.
"Iran should not conclude that this window of opportunity will remain open in all circumstances," Jenkins said.
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