VIENNA, 13 March 2004 — Washington and its allies faced tough resistance yesterday as nonaligned members of the UN atomic watchdog rejected a resolution that sharply criticizes Iran’s nuclear secrecy and keeps the door open for sanctions.

In backroom meetings at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Canadian, Australian and European diplomats on the IAEA’s Board of Governors negotiated with diplomats from the Non-Aligned Movement to revise a draft IAEA resolution.

The United States, France, Britain and Germany agreed this week on an Australian-Canadian draft text that “deplores” Tehran’s withholding of sensitive information from the IAEA and highlights a military link to Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Pirooz Hosseini, told Reuters the draft was unacceptable and “consultations are going on to ... reach an agreed language.” Iran is not on the board but is involved in the talks as a key NAM member.

NAM states have 13 out of 35 seats on the IAEA board and proposed a series of amendments to tone down the draft resolution. For example, NAM wants the word “deplores” changed to “strongly regrets”, but NAM diplomats complained the U.-led camp were not being very accommodating.

Russia, which is helping Tehran build an $800 million nuclear power station in Iran, has objected and tried to soften every US-backed IAEA resolution or statement on Iran in the past year.

Russian UN delegates in Vienna declined to comment. “Russia doesn’t like this reference to the military and would like to see it out,” said one diplomat. He said Moscow may fear Washington would point to the military link as a reason for Russia to end its lucrative atomic cooperation with Iran.

The draft resolution cites IAEA chief Mohamed El-Baradei’s finding in his Feb. 24 report on Iran that “most of the workshops used in Iran’s centrifuge enrichment program are owned by military industrial organizations”.

Iran has put off an inspection mission from the IAEA that was due to arrive in the Islamic republic this week, Hosseini told AFP. He said that “due to the approaching of the Iranian New Year we asked them to come later.”

IAEA officials refused to comment on the inspection mission. Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi had threatened in Iran this week for the Islamic republic to end cooperation with the IAEA unless it stopped being “influenced by the Americans”. Hosseini said the delay in the inspection mission was not politically motivated.

He said that people will be out of their offices, since when the Iranian new year begins next week “there are five or six days of official holiday and then schools are closed for 15 days and parents take off to be with their children.”

But a diplomat close to the IAEA said “of course it’s political”, and added that “the delay in inspections will definitely slow down what the IAEA is trying to do.”

Baradei, meanwhile, will fly to Washington next week for talks with US officials, “likely including US President (George W). Bush”, on strengthening non-proliferation measures, an IAEA spokeswoman said yesterday. “The director general will fly to Washington next week for working meetings with senior US government officials likely including US President Bush,” IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said.

“The purpose of the trip is to discuss current efforts to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime.”