VIENNA, 26 November 2004 — Inspections of Iran’s nuclear program will take longer than usual owing to the country’s former policy of concealment, said IAEA chief Mohamed El Baradei yesterday.
In his opening speech to an IAEA Council of Governors meeting, he said: “The IAEA is presently not in a position to say that in Iran there are no undeclared nuclear materials and relevant activities.”
However, also according to the present stand of information, no declared nuclear materials had been rerouted for banned activities, said the general director, according to the text of his speech.
El Baradei said progress had been made in two key areas, but they still had to be clarified. They were the origin of traces of enriched uranium which had been found in some installations, and the extent of Iranian efforts to import and use centrifuges of the P1 and P2 types.
ElBaradei also commented on the previously announced suspension of all nuclear activities by Iran. He said Teheran had told his agency it would continue all the same to use 20 centrifuges for research and development. The IAEA would have access to the centrifuges and their serial numbers.
He said that the IAEA was presently discussing the application to use the centrifuges with the Iranian authorities. Earlier he had said he hoped this problem would be solved in the next 24 hours. He did not give any indication of what the solution might be.
Yetserday and today the 35-nation Council of Governors’ talks are expected to include implementation of Iran’s halt to uranium enrichment, recently negotiated with the EU.
On Nov. 14 Iran, in negotiations with France, Germany and Britain on behalf of the EU, reached an agreement under which it would voluntarily suspend all activities connected with uranium enrichment as a “confidence building measure”.
Specifically named were the manufacture, import, installation, testing and operating of gas centrifuges, as well as activities leading to the splitting of plutonium.
The IAEA was invited to monitor the suspension. The agreement said the suspension would remain in force until an acceptable long-term solution had been worked out.
In return, the EU would not support the Iranian nuclear program being taken before the United Nations Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions. Also, the Europeans would offer Teheran technical cooperation.
Throughout the controversy the United States has taken a far tougher line against Iran. Last week, Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed his country had information that Teheran was working on combining nuclear warheads with missiles.
