Current Bulletin Issue - Volume 17, Bulletin 4, December 2004

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Western Sahara Mauritania Jordan

Saudi Arabia Turkmenistan

E.U. LUKEWARM ON PREVENTING A NUCLEAR IRAN

Iran and the European Union (represented by Germany, France and Britain) reached an agreement on Iran's nuclear development. Iran's nuclear spokesman said that this agreement permits Iran not to seal the 20 centrifuges Iran demanded for research and development, though they will remain under the surveillance of the UN atomic agency. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed about Iran's position. The testing of these 20 centrifuges will accord with the suspension of uranium enrichment activities Iran has voluntarily agreed to. A significant number of modifications Iran desired were taken into account in the European draft resolution.

South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed his support for the talks between Tehran and the three EU members and called on Tehran to reach a compromise, adding that he supports Iran's nuclear activities within the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). South Africa is an active member of the IAEA's Board of Governors.

The Iranian government spokesman Abdullah Ramazan Zada said that the draft resolution of the EU delegation safeguards Iran's future interests. It will strengthen trust between the two parties. He claimed that Iran had realized its main goal: getting nuclear technology for peaceful purposes within the framework of the IAEA. ώ Meanwhile, the IAEA adopted unanimously a European resolution freezing all uranium enrichment in Iran but with no safeguards against Iran's lying about its activities or concealing them. There is no stipulation for referring the issue to the UN Security Council or for international sanctions on Iran if it does so.

Whatever the intentions of the European Union, the likely result of this Franco-German-British diplomacy - unless the agreement reached is thoroughly revised - will be an Iran with nuclear weapons within three years at most. The new balance of power in the Middle East thus created not only constitutes an existential threat to Israel but may well help Iran to subvert pro-American Arab regimes in the Middle East - a very high price to pay for EU trade with Iran and tweaking the nose of the United States.