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Bush says IAEA must hold Iran to non-proliferation obligations
London, Nov 19: US President George W Bush said today the United Nations nuclear watchdog must ensure Iran respected its nuclear non-proliferation commitments.
London, Nov 19: US President George W Bush said
today the United Nations nuclear watchdog must ensure Iran
respected its nuclear non-proliferation commitments.
"America believes the IAEA (International Atomic
Energy Agency) must be true to its purpose and hold Iran to
its obligations," Bush said in a speech in London, on the eve
of a crucial meeting of the IAEA governing board on the issue.
Bush's comments, though brief, were a new US broadside in a growing transatlantic battle over Iran's nuclear energy program, which Washington alleges Tehran is using as a cover for secretly developing atomic weapons.
The United States wants the IAEA to take tough diplomatic action against Iran but is strongly opposed by key European states - including France, Germany and staunch US ally Britain - who say Washington is going too far. Washington wants to Iran to be declared in non-compliance of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including secretly making small amounts of plutonium and enriched uranium, while the European big three think this could lead Tehran to pull out of working with the IAEA.
A non-compliance ruling would bring the issue before the UN Security Council, which could then impose sanctions on Iran, a move Tehran has warned would cause an international crisis. Bureau Report
Bush's comments, though brief, were a new US broadside in a growing transatlantic battle over Iran's nuclear energy program, which Washington alleges Tehran is using as a cover for secretly developing atomic weapons.
The United States wants the IAEA to take tough diplomatic action against Iran but is strongly opposed by key European states - including France, Germany and staunch US ally Britain - who say Washington is going too far. Washington wants to Iran to be declared in non-compliance of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including secretly making small amounts of plutonium and enriched uranium, while the European big three think this could lead Tehran to pull out of working with the IAEA.
A non-compliance ruling would bring the issue before the UN Security Council, which could then impose sanctions on Iran, a move Tehran has warned would cause an international crisis. Bureau Report