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IAEA delays vote to report Iran to UN Security Council
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-04 14:46

SWEEPING IAEA REPORT PENDING

An EU3 diplomatic source said another controversy holding up action in Vienna is a dispute over a clause Egypt backs saying resolving the Iranian nuclear issue would contribute to the creation of a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East.

The wording, without naming Israel, clearly referred to it, the EU3 diplomat said and proved contentious with the United States.

IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei is due to deliver a sweeping report on Iran's nuclear energy programme at a regular March 6 meeting of the agency's board.

Iran says it wants only nuclear energy, not bombs, and has a sovereign right to making uranium fuel on its own soil.

U.S. and EU leaders, aware that Russia, China and developing states on the IAEA board want to avoid a showdown with Iran, the world's No. 4 oil exporter, explained that reporting Tehran would not finish off diplomacy or trigger early sanctions.

Russia and China endorsed the resolution in a deal between the five permanent, veto-wielding Security Council powers last week, removing a crippling barrier to IAEA board action on Iran.

"Once this is on the agenda of the Security Council we foresee a graduated approach to bring additional pressure on the leadership in Tehran to achieve a negotiated settlement," U.S. Ambassador Gregory Schulte told reporters.

But Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator warned that involving the Security Council would also kill talks on a Russian offer to defuse the crisis by enriching Iranian uranium to ensure the Islamic Republic cannot divert it for bombs.

Iran says reporting it to the Security Council has no legal basis since the IAEA has found no hard proof of bomb-making. It says the move arises from a U.S. agenda to topple its Islamic government, which has called for Israel's destruction.

"The Iranian threat is serious and there's fear we are entering a risky period of polarisation and confrontation that will do no good for either side," said a senior diplomat not involved in the push to report Iran to the Council.

"If the IAEA loses snap inspection access, a vacuum will ensure whereby others step in and make accusations the IAEA cannot check out, and where could that lead? We are in need of ideas on how to solve this peacefully."

BLOW TO CONFIDENCE

Analysts earlier reckoned on a majority of 25-30 on the 35-member IAEA board in favour of the resolution, with only a few "no's" from nations such as Syria, Venezuela and Cuba.

Russia and China approved the EU-sponsored resolution after Tehran was given at least until March to cooperate fully with U.N. investigators before the council takes any action.

But Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani warned ElBaradei in writing that any recourse to the council "would be the final blow to the confidence of Iran" in the IAEA.

"The agency's monitoring would be extensively limited and all peaceful nuclear activities (in Iran) being under voluntary suspension would be resumed without any restriction," he wrote.

Larijani called on Germany, France and Britain to restart talks on a diplomatic solution. But they say Iran must first reverse its move to resume atomic research and small-scale enrichment of uranium, announced on January 9.

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