UN nuclear watchdog calls for assurances from Iran about undeclared activities

The United Nations agency entrusted with preventing the spread of nuclear weapons today welcomed Iran's decision to suspend all uranium enrichment activities and called on it to grant the access needed to provide "credible assurances" that is has not engaged in any undeclared nuclear activities.

The resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna was the latest act in the saga that began last year when it became clear that Iran had for many years concealed its nuclear activities in breach of its legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei has said the Agency has no proof that Iran's activities are linked to a nuclear weapons programme and Tehran consistently denies any such intent. But he said last week at the start of the Board's meeting that the Agency "is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran."

Today's vote came after Mr. ElBaradei informed the Board that a last stumbling block had been removed with Iran's withdrawal of a request to use up to 20 sets of centrifuge components for research and development. Uranium enriched by use of centrifuges can be used in making nuclear weapons, as well as for producing energy.

He said he had received a letter from Tehran permitting the IAEA to place the 20 sets under Agency surveillance and pledging not to conduct any testing of them, and Agency inspectors had today put surveillance cameras in place to monitor them.

Stressing the need for effective safeguards to prevent nuclear material being used for prohibited purposes, the resolution reasserted the IAEA's strong concern that Iran's policy of concealment up to October 2003 had led to many breaches of its obligations to comply with its NPT Safeguards Agreement, but noted that good progress had been made since then to correct those violations.

It welcomed Mr. ElBaradei's intention to pursue his investigations "with a view to providing credible assurances regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran" and "underlines the continuing importance of Iran extending full and prompt cooperation to the Director-General in the above pursuit."

In an earlier statement, the IAEA voiced "serious concern" over the production of a tiny amount of enriched uranium in the Republic of Korea (ROK), but also welcomed the corrective actions taken in the matter. The Seoul government informed the Agency in August of the production without its knowledge four years ago of milligram quantities of enriched uranium during vapour laser isotope separation experiments.

"The failure of the Republic of Korea to report these activities in accordance with its safeguards agreements is of serious concern," the statement said.

"At the same time, the Board noted that the quantities of nuclear material involved have not been significant, and that to date there is no indication that the undeclared experiments have continued," it added, urging the Seoul Government to continue its active cooperation with the Agency, in accordance with its treaty obligations.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the ROK's northern neighbour, withdrew from the NPT nearly two years ago and the IAEA has been unable to draw any conclusions about Pyongyang's nuclear activities since then. Mr. ElBaradei has called this withdrawal a dangerous precedent threatening the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.