By Peter Spiegel
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, continued yesterday to embrace a Russian proposal to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran, despite a recent French government signal that the plan may already be dead.
Mr ElBaradei said the overture by Moscow, whereby Russia would oversee any enrichment of uranium inside its borders to ensure Iran does not develop the capability on its own, appeared to solve Tehran's stated need to have access to the material for a civilian nuclear programme.
At the same time, he said, it should reassure the international community by ensuring Iran did not have control of the entire fuel process, which could allow it to enrich uranium to weapons grade. "I think it's a good proposal," Mr ElBaradei said during an address at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. "It's a good starting point."
Mr ElBaradei's support came despite the assertion on Monday by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, that Iran appeared to have already rejected the Russian proposal by insisting it would continue to pursue uranium enrichment domestically.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said yesterday he believed the IAEA could still resolve the issue diplomatically.
Privately, European diplomats, who are hoping to restart talks with Iran this month, said while they were unsure whether the Russian plan would eventually work, they believed an outright rejection of the proposal by Tehran was likely to solidify international opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Russia in particular has been reluctant to refer the Iranian case to the United Nations Security Council, which could impose sanctions on the Iranian government.
Mr ElBaradei said the IAEA was continuing to put pressure on Iran to open up its nuclear programme to international scrutiny, adding that it could take until the end of next year to have a complete picture of Iran's capabilities. He noted that while there has yet to be a "smoking gun" proving a clandestine weapons programme - such as an underground enrichment facility - the IAEA did not have all the data it needed.
"Most of the pieces of the puzzle are there, but there still are big pieces missing," he said. "If you want to clear your past, you have to be as transparent as possible."
Additional reporting by Daniel Dombey in Brussels
By Peter Spiegel
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, continued yesterday to embrace a Russian proposal to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran, despite a recent French government signal that the plan may already be dead.
Mr ElBaradei said the overture by Moscow, whereby Russia would oversee any enrichment of uranium inside its borders to ensure Iran does not develop the capability on its own, appeared to solve Tehran's stated need to have access to the material for a civilian nuclear programme.
At the same time, he said, it should reassure the international community by ensuring Iran did not have control of the entire fuel process, which could allow it to enrich uranium to weapons grade. "I think it's a good proposal," Mr ElBaradei said during an address at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. "It's a good starting point."
Mr ElBaradei's support came despite the assertion on Monday by Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, that Iran appeared to have already rejected the Russian proposal by insisting it would continue to pursue uranium enrichment domestically.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said yesterday he believed the IAEA could still resolve the issue diplomatically.
Privately, European diplomats, who are hoping to restart talks with Iran this month, said while they were unsure whether the Russian plan would eventually work, they believed an outright rejection of the proposal by Tehran was likely to solidify international opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Russia in particular has been reluctant to refer the Iranian case to the United Nations Security Council, which could impose sanctions on the Iranian government.
Mr ElBaradei said the IAEA was continuing to put pressure on Iran to open up its nuclear programme to international scrutiny, adding that it could take until the end of next year to have a complete picture of Iran's capabilities. He noted that while there has yet to be a "smoking gun" proving a clandestine weapons programme - such as an underground enrichment facility - the IAEA did not have all the data it needed.
"Most of the pieces of the puzzle are there, but there still are big pieces missing," he said. "If you want to clear your past, you have to be as transparent as possible."
Additional reporting by Daniel Dombey in Brussels
