The nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea took heavy criticism yesterday on the opening day of the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference in Vienna, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 29).
Speaking for European Union member states, France blasted Tehran's refusal to cooperate fully with the U.N. nuclear watchdog (see GSN, Sept. 29).
"The international community cannot accept the prospect of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons," said Luc Chatel, a French government spokesman.
Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh later said the United States had manipulated the agency to its own advantage and stressed that international economic penalties would have "no effect on (Iran's) determination to pursue peaceful nuclear activities, including [uranium] enrichment."
The enrichment process can produce a key nuclear bomb ingredient, but Iran insists it only wants to produce fuel for civilian nuclear power plants.
The European Union is also "concerned" that Syria rejected agency advances to inspect several sites that could be linked to the nations' alleged nuclear activities, Chatel said. Damascus has allowed IAEA inspectors to once visit the site of a purported nuclear reactor that was destroyed last year in an Israeli air strike (see GSN, Sept. 19). The French representative called on the Middle Eastern state "to provide all the access requested and reply to all the agency's questions."
The United Kingdom expressed concern about North Korea, which last week barred IAEA officials from a primary nuclear facility and has made moves toward resumption of nuclear weapons production (see related GSN story, today). The facility was in the process of being dismantled under a six-nation denuclearization agreement reached last year
"We look to the North Korean authorities to take the earliest opportunities to resume cooperation with the agency and to implement its commitment to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear program," said British Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks.
Matsuda Iwao, a special representative for Japan, said: "The nuclear development undertaken by the D.P.R.K. is a threat to peace and security of not only Japan, but also of East Asia and the entire international community" (Agence France-Presse I/ChannelNewsAsia, Sept. 30).
IAEA Chief
Iwao encouraged the 145-nation conference to support Japan's candidate to lead the U.N. nuclear watchdog after current IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei retires next year.
The Japanese delegate called on other representatives "to support Ambassador Yukiya Amano for the post of the next director general of the agency. ... I truly believe that Ambassador Amano is best suited to take on the role and responsibilities of the director general, as he has accomplished remarkable achievements and proven his competence in the areas of the peaceful use of nuclear energy and nonproliferation."
The agency plans to accept applications for the position through the end of this year and to nominate its new leader by next June "at the latest." The 2009 general conference would then endorse the appointee.
The only other official candidate for the job is South African Ambassador Abdul Minty (Agence France-Presse II/Google News, Sept. 30).