Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (104659)	7/11/2003 5:12:15 AM
From: Jacob Snyder	Respond to of 281500

Israel demanding halt to Iran's enriched uranium production By Aluf Benn, Haaretz 11/07/2003 Israel has hardened its position on Iran's nuclear program and is now demanding that the international community bring the enriched uranium production in Iran to a complete halt. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will present this position in his meetings with European leaders in the coming days. Previously Israel supported the demand that Iran sign the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accept tighter nuclear inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran is now under massive international pressure to increase the transparency of its nuclear program and accept international supervision, to ensure the project is used for peaceful purposes - as the Iranians say - rather than for the development of nuclear weapons. Tehran has indicated, under pressure, that it would accept the Additional Protocol, which was introduced after the 1991 discovery of Iraq's secret atomic weapons program. The Additional Protocol would give the IAEA access to more information about Iran's nuclear activities and the right to carry out more intrusive inspections on short notice. Iranian President Mohammed Khatami hosted IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei on Wednesday and told him Iran views the Additional rotocol "positively," but wants further clarifications. ElBaradei said the two had agreed to the dispatch of an IAEA team next week to clarify Iranian concerns over tighter nuclear inspections. Israeli experts believe that tightening international nuclear inspection without imposing restrictions on the Iranian project is dangerous. First, the Iranians can "play for time" in the talks on joining the Additional Protocol and even after signing, the tighter inspection may not be enacted automatically. Thus the Iranians could produce a nuclear bomb under cover of the extended talks with the IAEA. Secondly, the experts said, Iran will demand in exchange for signing the Additional Protocol an international agreement to continue producing enriched uranium, thus continuing the nuclear project under seeming transparency. The European Union adopted a tougher stand toward Iran in recent weeks and decided to condition their negotiations over a new trade agreement on increasing the openness and transparency of the Iranian nuclear program. Officials in Jerusalem expressed satisfaction with the plan presented about three weeks ago by EU foreign policy and security chief Javier Solana to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Solana's plan, which was also sent to Prime Minsiter Ariel Sharon, proposes several ways to enforce the regulations. These include international agreements, inspection mechanisms, political and economic sanctions and as a last resort the use of force. Solana underscores the need for a universal approach in dealing with weapons of mass destruction (a possible veiled reference to Israel's nuclear program), but states that the main problem is keeping agreements and this is what the EU must concentrate its efforts on. haaretzdaily.com