UN atomic watchdog voices 'concern' over Iran's disclosure gaps

The UN's atomic watchdog agency has today voiced "serious concern" over gaps in Tehran’s declaration of nuclear activities and called on it to take the “vital” initiative to provide all relevant information "fully and promptly" in the coming months.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) has been engaged in verifying Iran’s programme since early last year and in November strongly deplored Tehran’s past breaches of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). At the time Mr ElBaradei said that the agency had no proof that Iran's activities were linked to a nuclear weapons programme and Tehran consistently denied any such intention.

In his first briefing to the IAEA Governing Board since Iran signed additional safeguards aimed at preventing the development of nuclear weapons, Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said: “I am seriously concerned that Iran’s October declaration did not include any reference to its possession of P-2 centrifuge designs and related R&D (research and development), which in my view was a setback to Iran’s stated policy of transparency. This is particularly the case since the October declaration was characterized as providing ‘the full scope of Iranian nuclear activities,’ including a ‘complete centrifuge R&D chronology.’”

Since October, Iran has granted IAEA inspectors access to sites, documentation and personnel, and suspended reprocessing and uranium enrichment related activities as a confidence building measure.

But, according to Mr ElBaradei Iran must ensure "full transparency" with respect to all of its nuclear activities.

Mr ElBaradei said: “Hopefully, with no new revelations, and with satisfactory resolution of these and other remaining questions, we can look forward to a time when the confidence of the international community has been restored.”

In November the Board warned that if further serious Iranian failures came to light, it would consider all options at its disposal. These options include referring the matter to the Security Council, which can impose sanctions.

Mr ElBaradei went on to welcome the “active cooperation and openness” shown by Libya, which renounced internationally proscribed weapons in December, and called the withdrawal by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the NPT a "dangerous precedent" threatening the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.

(gmcg)