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Iran Receives Praise for Signing Additional Protocol
International Atomic Energy Agency officials praised Iran for signing the Additional Protocol to its nuclear safeguards agreement yesterday. The protocol allows the IAEA to conduct more intrusive monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities (see GSN, Dec. 18). “We think that it’s a big step forward. We’ll never be able to detect small activities that might take place in a laboratory, but to mount a full nuclear weapons program is a much different thing, and the protocol gives us a much higher probability of detecting such a thing,” said IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky. “It gives the IAEA additional authority, additional rights and additional information on the entirety of Iran’s nuclear activities, and gives the inspectors broader inspection rights,” he added (Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL, Dec. 19). IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, who also signed the agreement yesterday, said it is “an important building block toward establishing confidence that Iran’s program is exclusively for peaceful purposes” (Vanessa Gera, Associated Press/Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 19). Although the agreement still faces several legal checkpoints in the Iranian government, ElBaradei said it will effectively come into force immediately. “I was assured that Iran, until the protocol is ratified, will act as if the protocol is in force,” he said. Iran’s outgoing representative to the IAEA, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iran would strive “to reveal its full transparency and establish the confidence that is needed.” “I ardently hope the new age is set and my country shall no more be subject to unfair and politically motivated accusations and allegations,” he added, in a reference to U.S. pressure on Tehran (Pakistan Dawn, Dec. 19). Moscow is helping Tehran build a nuclear power plant and Russian officials applauded the signing. “We welcome this crucial step taken by the Iranian leadership, which points to Tehran’s commitment to consistently moving along the road toward complete transparency of its nuclear program,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, whose negotiations helped arrange the protocol signing, also praised the “access already being granted to IAEA inspectors” (Xinhua News Agency, Dec. 19).
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