Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs spokesman Mikhail Kamynin’s Remarks Regarding International Atomic Energy Agency Director General ElBaradei's Report on the Iranian Nuclear Program
RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
November 19, 2007
Question: Does Russia believe that the IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear program, released on November 15, removes the grounds for imposing new sanctions?
Answer: We are studying this document. It has yet to be discussed in the IAEA Board of Governors, meeting on November 22.
Preliminarily we would like to note that Mohamed ElBaradei’s report attests to some progress in carrying the earlier reached understandings between Iran and the Agency on clarifying the questions IAEA still has about Teheran’s past nuclear activities. This isn’t a “final positive diagnosis” yet. IAEA still cannot confirm the absence of undeclared nuclear activities in Iran. For this to happen Iran will have yet to do a lot in cooperation with the Agency. In his report ElBaradei underscores the importance of Iran’s going back to the implementation of the provisions of the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA and the suspension by Teheran of all its enrichment work. These measures, as formulated earlier in the decisions of the IAEA Board of Governors and then confirmed in the UN Security Council resolutions, are essentially important for the restoration of confidence in the solely peaceful character of the Iranian nuclear program.
Therefore we consider that in all the circumstances it is necessary to ensure the further ongoing realization of the above understandings between Teheran and the IAEA and expand the Agency’s verification activities in Iran. As to the UNSC decisions, we have always felt that they must be directed at assisting the IAEA work in Iran and supporting the demands formulated by the Agency for restoring confidence in the Iranian nuclear program. All these demands remain in effect and Iran has to comply with them.