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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Richnorth who wrote (11269)	1/12/2006 9:44:39 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

TRY TO GET BACK TO THE THREAD ORIGIN; "WAR ON TERROR" Iran: Confrontation with West has reached climax By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press Confrontation with Western states over Iran's nuclear program has reached a climax and Tehran is determined to press ahead with its controversial program despite "colonial taboos," a top Iranian official told radio on Thursday. Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president and the head of the powerful Expediency Council, told state-run radio that the face-off "has become very serious and has reached its climax." He did not elaborate what a confrontation entails but reiterated Tehran's position that it will continue the program it says is for generating electricity. On Tuesday, Iran broke UN seals at a uranium enrichment plant and said it was resuming research that does not involve enrichment. The IAEA, however, said in a statement that Iran planned to carry out small-scale enrichment. Advertisement Rafsanjani said his country has decided to "ignore colonial taboos" to make use of advanced technology that is being denied to the third world by colonial powers. Rafsanjani, who heads the body that mediates between the parliament and the presidency, did not name any country in his accusations. Rafsanjani's comments come as the British, French and German foreign ministers meet Thursday in Germany to agree on a response to Iran's defiance. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Thursday that it was quite likely that Iran would be referred to the United Nations Security Council over its nuclear program, as tension heightened after Tehran removed the seals at its atomic research facilities Tuesday. Iran removed seals at three sites - Natanz, Pars Trash and Farayand Technique - bringing international patience to its tether, with the symbolic act marking the resumption of its nuclear research. When asked by Sky News what is the likelihood Iran will have to face the UN because of its recent actions, Straw said it was "highly probable." Straw also said that the EU3, Russia, China and the U.S, would hold an emergency meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog in the wake of Tehran's recent actions. Russia's foreign minister reiterated Thursday that Russia, the United States, the European Union and China will discuss Iran's nuclear program in London next week. Sergey Lavrov said that the consultations would focus on Iran's move Tuesday to break UN seals on its nuclear enrichment facility. Speaking to Ekho Moskvy radio, he added that Iran's move didn't violate international law, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. EU3 to meet on response Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Great Britain, France and Germany (known as the EU3) were set to meet Thursday in Berlin to agree on a response to Iran's resumption of nuclear activities, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair saying the West likely will push to refer a defiant Tehran to the UN Security Council. Tuesday's move triggered alarm in the West, with the United States in particular suspicious that Iran has ambitions to produce nuclear weapons - and also prompted Russia, a longtime ally of Tehran, to express concern. Russia and China, both members of the International Atomic Energy Agency board that would have to approve referring Iran to the Security Council, have previously opposed the idea - but both countries have grown increasingly critical of Iran. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said Wednesday that Russia and the U.S. share "a deep disappointment over Tehran's decision to leave behind the moratorium on all activities tied with uranium enrichment." More than two years of diplomatic efforts to defuse those worries are in the balance when the European trio's foreign ministers, along with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, meet in Berlin. Report: Iran long way away from nuclear production Iran has finished removing all seals placed by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its nuclear fuel research sites but is a long way away from being able to enrich uranium, a Western diplomat said on Thursday. "They've finished removing the seals," said the diplomat, who is close to the Vienna-based IAEA, on condition of anonymity. Iran has installed some 164 centrifuges - machines that enrich uranium by spinning at supersonic speeds - at Natanz but the diplomat said they were mostly not functional. "But [Tehran is] probably going to have to rebuild the entire [cascade of enrichment centrifuges]. There's a lot of humidity, corrosion. It's going to take a long time, "the diplomat said. Blair: Move causes 'real, serious alarm' British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament Wednesday that Iran's latest move, coupled with a string of anti-Israel remarks by the country's new president, "cause real and serious alarm right across the world." "I think the first thing to do is to secure agreement for a reference to the Security Council, if that is indeed what the allies jointly decide, as I think seems likely," Blair said. "We obviously don't rule out any measures at all," Blair said, when asked about possible sanctions that might result. "It's important Iran recognizes how seriously the international community treats it. " The Europeans have been negotiating with the backing of the United States, which has been pushing for Tehran to be reported to the Security Council. "I think the next step will be probably to go before the UN Security Council," U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney told Fox News radio Wednesday. If that happens, Cheney said, sanctions "would be probably the number one item on the agenda."