Iran's objection to ratifying the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol of the IAEA is said to be the main obstacle to dispelling fears that it is not building a nuclear weapon. Iranian and EU officials meet April 10 to try to resolve a stalemate in their negotiations over this issue. If they fail, the EU will likely support the US and refer the case to the UN Security Council.
At the moment, Iran is unwilling to ratify the Additional Protocol because of agreement between the EU and the US on its interpretation; none of the two settle for anything less than that inspectors see Iran destroy a wide arsenal of nuclear fuel-cycle capabilities that it has been building on and off since the Shah was driven out in 1979. It would also have to abandon all its projects to enrichment, reprocess and convert uranium as well as its heavy-water production.
One option that Iran might be willing to buy into -even if only partially- would be to compensate Iran for giving up the right to produce reactor fuel. Under this construction, major nuclear suppliers including Russia, the United States, and certain European countries would provide a binding guarantee for Iran to receive fuel-cycle services-the supply of fresh reactor fuel as well as retrieval and storage of spent fuel-on a commercial basis for any nuclear power reactors that it builds as long as it meets its commitments.
This option is disfavored by the US, which wants Iran to cease all nuclear operations full stop. Earlier negotiations between Europe and Iran stalled. The EU countries conducting them indicated that they might support the U.S. intention to hand the issue over to the UN Security Council. This means that military force is not excluded if Tehran does not accept the demand to make its current nuclear halt permanent.
Observers say that the best hopes to avoid this during the negotiations starting 10 April will be a focus on strengthening rather than discarding the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to which Iran is a signatory. This is very much in line with traditional 'soft' EU foreign policy. Some observers fear that the US cooperation with the EU on the issue means that the EU is alienated from its earlier standpoint.
The Additional Protocol allows for intrusive inspections by the IAEA on a no-notice basis. Iran no doubt will argue here that this means reconfirming and beginning implementation of the obligations the NPT imposes on nuclear weapons states such as the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia to move towards full nuclear disarmament.
Angelique van Engelen is a freelance writer. She has lived for over three years in the Middle East. She runs http://www.contentclix.com and also contributes to a weblog http://www.contentclix.com She can be emailed via http://www.contentclix.com
Culver prom limo ..Peace in the Middle East - whoa that is a... Read More
Many environmentalists are against roads through the forest because it... Read More
I. The FactsJust days before a much-awaited donor conference, the... Read More
I am an incurably ill American male forced to leave... Read More
We are destroying our freedoms and slowing innovation, due to... Read More
Why did FDR say Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Count... Read More
Richard Nixon was by far a most fascinating and colorful... Read More
Recently the FTC, Federal Trade Commission put forth a report... Read More
Death may not be dignified in any light but the... Read More
"Those who sacrifice essential liberty for temporary safety are not... Read More
It is a law that we register deadly weapons with... Read More
Mexican has tariffs on goods, which come into its country... Read More
Our trade deficit is directly proportional to our attacks on... Read More
An idea to defend oil infrastructure in the Middle East... Read More
Recent international wars and the often spectacular ways in which... Read More
I. WARS ARE BASIC CONFLICTS OVER LAND. II. BOUNDARIES. THE... Read More
Well having studying the need for decreasing America's dependence on... Read More
A War on Terrorism? Conventional war being brought on an... Read More
Many non-profit groups are feeling upset that they are allowed... Read More
The resignation from cabinet yesterday, Sunday, by the Israeli minister... Read More
"Similar to Medieval Inquisitions, judges have been given the authority,... Read More
Legislation is getting legs to further curtail your use of... Read More
Reform Social Security has been talked of Capital Hill for... Read More
Publicity is correlative to your position in the community. Seldom... Read More
The North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented on January... Read More
Wood Dale limo ..In discussing the OODA Loop theory on Limited War by... Read More
The United States is losing its industrial capacity quite rapidly.... Read More
There is a lot of debate about who made the... Read More
In an age of terrorism, guerilla and total warfare the... Read More
Recently the Los Angeles Transit workers are on Strike and... Read More
Last year a Maryland State Legislator whom I presume never... Read More
Handing over power to Vladimir Putin in 1999, Boris Yeltsin... Read More
We need more oversight and transparency in government. We need... Read More
Thought of the day; Questions about the judicial system. If... Read More
"Similar to Medieval Inquisitions, judges have been given the authority,... Read More
In response to Douglas Bower's article; Logic Class 101 Applied... Read More
For anyone who wishes to become an armchair General in... Read More
The recent scathing remarks by High Court Judge Richard Mawrey... Read More
The recent Jakarta summit of Asia and Africa brought remembrance... Read More
Each day the present geo-political reality confirms what The Tribulation... Read More
Everyone knows the United States Government often falls down in... Read More
Today we have a new franchise report from the Federal... Read More
It is amazing how the Federal Trade Commission has destroyed... Read More
Former Senator, Daniel Moynihan, accurately summed up the situation when... Read More
The Right's defense of John Thune in the Dan Nelson/MetaBank... Read More
An American soldier is taken behind enemy lines and brainwashed... Read More
We are having a problem in America with Public Notaries,... Read More
Yes, Bush is two-faced. The two sides of the faces... Read More
Are you happy with all this so-called security after 9-11?... Read More
Michael Moore asserts the following in his political film Fahrenheit... Read More
Political |