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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation 'Iran has not met other requirements of the November 26th resolution from the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors', US State Department Spokesperson Richard Boucher, February 13'State Department Briefing', February 13, 2004. QUESTION: Can we talk about Iran and the new revelations that the IAEA has made that Iran -- they found plans Iran did not willingly disclose? And could you also share with us the reasons that you have two high officials, Deputy Secretary Armitage and Secretary Bolton saying that they believe that Iran is currently continuing to pursue its nuclear weapons program? MR. BOUCHER: The reason they are saying that is because they're being asked by the press, and they're telling the truth in response to the question. That's what the facts are. There has been -- QUESTION: But I asked you to share their evidence. MR. BOUCHER: Oh, I see. What lies below those things -- QUESTION: Yeah, I know. I know why they're saying it. I know why they're saying it. MR. BOUCHER: -- other than the truth? QUESTION: I meant their -- MR. BOUCHER: Well, let's look back a little bit. There were three reports last year by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General ElBaradei in which he confirmed that Iran had carried out clandestine nuclear activities, including conducting undeclared uranium enrichment activities and undeclared plutonium separation for nearly two decades. Iran did so in violation of its International Atomic Energy safeguards, obligations and of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In fact, Iran willfully and systematically hid those activities from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the world. It's our assessment, and we've shared this with you before, that those activities were in support of a nuclear weapons program. We do not believe that Iran has made a strategic decision to abandon its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Furthermore, we don't believe that Iran has been fully transparent in its October declaration to the International Atomic Energy Agency despite the Board of Governors having determined it to be essential that the declaration reflect a correct, complete and final picture of Iran's past and present program. In fact, it's our judgment, as those officials said, that Iran has continued to hide information from the International Atomic Energy Agency related to its ongoing efforts to develop nuclear weapons capability. As the President said in his speech on Wednesday, A.Q. Khan and his associates provided Iran with designs not only for the older centrifuges, but for more advanced models as well. So we're concerned that the pattern of Iranian behavior that was documented last year by Dr. ElBaradei, that it is a partial cooperation only after others such as the International Atomic Energy Agency obtained evidence of its undeclared program, that that pattern is continuing. We also remain concerned that Iran has not met other requirements of the November 26th resolution from the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, including its failure now to move swiftly to ratify the additional protocol, which it did sign, which is good. And even more troubling, I think, is their failure to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency. You remember that was a commitment that they gave when the European foreign ministers were visiting. So we're looking forward to the next report from the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. That report is expected soon. We expect he'll tell the Board fully what the inspectors have found in their ongoing investigation in Iran. The Board meets again on March 8 to 10, and at that time, the Board can judge whether at that moment, Iran is meeting its pledges. It's very important to us that Iran be required to meet all the elements of the Board of Governors' decisions on this. We know that others share this concern. The Europeans have continued to be involved in trying to ensure full compliance by Iran with the promises that they made when the European ministers visited, and also as members of the Board of Governors, full compliance with Iran -- by Iran to the requirements to the Board of Governors. QUESTION: Just to be clear, the documents that were uncovered by the IAEA, that's one concern, not full disclosure. But is that also -- and are you also saying that there's evidence that although they said they would, they would stop uranium enrichment or suspend uranium enrichment, you have -- the U.S. has evidence that they have not done that? MR. BOUCHER: Well, it's not just the U.S. has evidence. I think there has been public disclosure and public discussion where the Iranians have questioned their commitment in that regard -- QUESTION: Right. MR. BOUCHER: -- and tried to define suspension as not meaning suspension. QUESTION: Yes. MR. BOUCHER: And I think there have even been reports they were continuing to acquire equipment -- QUESTION: Right. MR. BOUCHER: -- for that activity, whereas the IAEA and, I think, the European ministers have made clear they felt suspension actually meant suspension. It meant stopping it. QUESTION: Do you think it could be enough to bring the case to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions? MR. BOUCHER: I think we'll have to see what the Board of Governors decide. The goal here is to bring Iran into compliance with its commitments, with the requests from the Board of Governors and with the commitments and promises that Iran has made in public. But that's the context in which the Board will look at the report and decide what the appropriate steps are to try to get Iran to meet its commitments and obligations. QUESTION: Richard, given the rather long litany that you described of an absence of transparency, of a failure to fully disclose, of a failure to keep to agreements that it made, and of continued pursuit, I wonder why you're not willing to say that the United States Government believes that this should be reported to the UN Security Council and argue for that with (inaudible). MR. BOUCHER: Well, I mean, I think the first, the first point to make is that the meeting is several weeks away. At this stage in the process, I think it's important for us to keep the emphasis on the need for Iran to meet its commitments and its obligations, that we are not going into this meeting on March 8 to 10 based on the promises that Iran made in the past or even some of the steps that it took like signing the additional protocol, but rather going into this meeting with the full knowledge of all the obligations and commitments, and that we expect Iran to meet those commitments, take the steps to meet those commitments. So at this point, I think that the major emphasis is on encouraging Iran to live up to its obligations so that when the Secretary -- Director General of the agency reports to the Board in March, we can see whether or not Iran has lived up to its obligations and commitments. QUESTION: So they have another chance? MR. BOUCHER: The Board will discuss this in March, and it's that point where we'll have to decide what the appropriate steps are. QUESTION: Well, so, Richard, you're not saying at this point that you've pretty much made up your mind that Iran is not making good on its pledges, and you're not going into this -- you're not going to this meeting with a kind of judgment already that Iran has not complied? MR. BOUCHER: Let's put it this way. I'm telling you what the facts are today, that Iran has not lived up to its obligations, that that's been a pattern established in multiple reports and we see it continuing. But on -- when we get together with the rest of the Board members and hear from the Director General, that's when we'll have to make decisions about what the appropriate actions are, based on the facts at that point. QUESTION: Why the lenience in his case, why giving them more time? Iraq was held to a very stringent standard. And when it failed to, you know, meet its obligations to further disclose -- MR. BOUCHER: You mean why did we let Iraq have 12 years to come into compliance, and we're only giving the Iranians another couple of weeks? QUESTION: Well, you could -- MR. BOUCHER: Oh, I'm sorry. I got the question wrong. Sorry. I might have misunderstood. QUESTION: So they have 12 years, is that what you're saying? MR. BOUCHER: No, I'm not saying they have 12 years. QUESTION: 2026 is cool with you? MR. BOUCHER: We're not going to go through 16 resolutions or anything like that. The point -- first of all, I don't think the two cases -- QUESTION: So 12 years is the standard? I mean -- MR. BOUCHER: No, it's not. The two cases are not directly comparable, first of all. You have, I think, in this matter, action that the Board of Governors is taking to try to get compliance with the requirements of the Board of Governors. That's where the action is centered. The effort needs to be to get that sort of compliance with the IAEA requirements. I don't want to speculate on what might happen beyond that if Iran doesn't meet those standards. QUESTION: Does the specific fact of what this new technology that's now been discovered is and how critical it is, does that lend weight to -- also to possibly moving it to the Security Council, or does it add weight to the concerns that you have, not just that they lied about something else, but what they actually lied about is quite significant also, isn't it? MR. BOUCHER: I think -- QUESTION: This huge technology. MR. BOUCHER: -- that's been true about many of the items that -- the examples that have been revealed over time in the International Atomic Energy Agency's report. That's why last fall the Board of Governors had such a long list of requirements. But Iran did make commitments that it was going to meet those requirements and take other steps, so that's the judgment the Board will have to make in March: What's the best way to ensure that Iran complies if, at that moment, they still have not? Sonni. QUESTION: Does the U.S. believe that Iran had intent to deceive? In other words, these documents were described as "concealed." Are you alleging that there's a kind of concealment program in Iran? MR. BOUCHER: I described the pattern as being one where Iran willfully and systematically hid its activities from the International Atomic Energy Agency. I think that's been quite clear in the previous reports done by the Director General. Source: US State Department, Washington File, http://usinfo.state.gov. © 2003 The Acronym Institute. |