U.K. FOREIGN SECRETARY JACK STRAW COMMENTS ON NEXT STEPS FOR E3 TO CONSIDER REGARDING IRAN
U.K. FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
January 10, 2006
Jack Straw: We have sought to bring Iran into compliance with
its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. We've had to
do this because in 2003 it became clear that Iran had been secretly
constructing a big facility to create enriched uranium at a plant
in Natanz and had also failed to declare other nuclear activities
in breach of its obligations.
We know too that Iran has been in close touch with A Q Khan, the Pakistan nuclear weapons expert, who in turn has admitted supplying technology and expertise to the Libyans and others, North Koreans, for their covert nuclear weapons programmes. Iran could have been referred to the Security Council in 2003 under the Safeguards Agreement of the Non-Proliferation Treaty because of its then admitted breaches of its obligations. We suspended doing so in return for Iran agreeing to suspend its uranium enrichment and other related activities.
I regret to say that earlier today the International
Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna informed us that Iran had decided to
break the seals on its enrichment related facilities at Natanz and
to restart or to start research and development of uranium enrichment.
But through the introduction of uranium hexafluoride into the centrifuges,
this is enrichment. This creates a serious situation for the international
community. As President Chirac has said, this is a serious error by
Iran and it's one which we internationally have to consider. I am therefore
hoping to meet my three colleagues - Javier Solana, Philippe Douste-Blasy
and Frank Walter Steinmeier - on Thursday to discuss the next steps
which we in the so-called E3 should be taking. Thank you.
Question: Foreign Secretary, how confident are you that this serious
diplomatic crisis won't ultimately escalate into some kind of military
action like we saw in Iraq?
Jack Straw: I'm as confident as I can be. I made that clear to
the British House of Commons earlier this afternoon. This is a matter
which has to be resolved by peaceful means but it will involve a good
deal of diplomatic and other pressure on Iran. We have shown our good
faith in Europe over the last 2½ years.
I do not believe we could have done more to reach out
to the Iranians and I may say in doing so we've had good backing from
the United States Administration and a very constructive engagement
too from Russia and China and from other partners. So it's a matter
of huge regret that the Iranians have chosen to take this step today.
I hope that they will pull back from it even at this stage, as President
Chirac himself has asked as well, but it is serious and it requires
a serious response. I'd just add this, that on 24th September Iran
was formally declared in breach of its Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations
by the IAEA Board of Governors. So that finding has already been made.
Question: Foreign Secretary, will you now support reference
to the UN Security Council and possible economic sanctions against
Iran and how do you feel personally about nuclear weapons material
possibly falling into the hands of a leader who has said he wants Israel
erased from the map?
Jack Straw: The issue of referral to the Security Council will
be top of the agenda at the discussions with my colleagues and Javier
Solana, which we are about to finalise, which should take place on
Thursday. We will make a decision then. We have worked collectively
in the E3 and it's for that group, of which I am a member, to make
the decisions. I don't want to make a decision unilaterally but I think
it's clear the direction which we are thinking. As I say, we successfully
ensured that the Board of Governors in September declared Iran non-compliant
and by a bigger majority with only one voting against, Russia and China
abstaining, than people had anticipated.
I have never said....we have never said that Iran is definitely seeking a nuclear weapons programme. What we have said - and this is not a matter of intelligence, it's a matter of record from the reports of Dr El Baradei, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency - is that Iran is in clear breach of its obligations. Iran is also seeking to develop a so-called fuel cycle, to manufacture fuel, nuclear fuel when it's got no obvious use for this fuel. It has one nuclear power plant under construction. That's at a place called Bushehr It's a Russian power plant.
The technology is Russian and the fuel will be Russian. When we've pressed the Iranians as to where they're going to use whatever fuel they make, they say rather errantly they may build 10 power stations. Okay but there's no....none of these are in prospect. And let me say, Iran has an absolute right to develop nuclear power plants. It has no right...indeed obligations not to do anything towards developing nuclear weapons facilities and that's what is at issue. And of course the fact that President Ahmadinejad has said, and I quote, that he wishes to see Israel wiped off the face of the map, does not increase international confidence in the statesmanship of the Iranian government. Thank you very much.