Disarmament Documentation

'United States Remains "Agnostic" about EU-Iran Negotiations, Powell says United States is still awaiting a permanent solution', Washington File, November 24, 2004.

The United States remains "agnostic" regarding the value of negotiations between Iran and the EU 3 -- France, Germany and the United Kingdom -- aimed at ensuring that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons capabilities, according to Secretary of State Colin Powell...

"So now the European Union has another arrangement with the Iranians, with tougher verification regime associated with it. The IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] will be going in to monitor all of this. That's good. We support it," he said. "But, keep in mind it's still just -- in the eyes of the Iranians -- a suspension. And a suspension means that they can turn it back on. We want it to be turned off permanently."

'U.S. Still Cautious About EU-Iran Nuclear Agreement, Powell Says, Secretary notes Iran's history of violating nonproliferation commitments', Washington File, November 18, 2004.

"The EU-3 has played an important role, but they know as well as we do that they got an agreement with Iran in the Fall of 2003, and then Iran violated that agreement and broke the commitments that it made..."

"We really have always been interested in more than just something that can be switched on and off. Now, with the necessary verification in place, the other assurances they may have gotten, maybe it's more than that."

"We'll be following this with a certain degree of caution -- not in opposition to what's going on, but with necessary, deserved caution, because for 20 years the Iranians have been trying to hide things from the international community..."

"You've got to make sure you've got something that gives us some confidence that they're going to meet their commitments this time."