Pressure builds to report Iran to UN

VIENNA -- The 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency began debate yesterday on a resolution to report Iran to the UN Security Council for nuclear treaty violations, amid signs that a solid majority would back the measure.

During closed-door meetings of the governing board of the UN's nuclear monitoring body, only two countries -- Syria and Cuba -- said they would vote against reporting Iran to the council, according to a diplomat who attended the sessions. A third country, Venezuela, indicated it also might oppose the measure, he said. He would not be quoted by name because the board meetings are officially confidential.

The main question hanging over yesterday's deliberations was how the 16 members of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group dating from the Cold War, would vote. Diplomats said it had not reached a consensus and would meet this morning to continue discussions. A vote by the full board on whether to report Iran could come in the afternoon, they said.

Diplomats said that the sentiment in favor of reporting Iran had gained broader backing because of an agreement reached Monday between the five permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- and Germany. That deal calls for reporting Iran but deferring any council action until at least March 6, when the head of the IAEA is to deliver a status report on Iran's nuclear program and the country's cooperation with the agency.

That grace period will offer Iran ''a window of opportunity" during which it can change tactics, stop uranium enrichment activities, and demonstrate that it will be more forthcoming with information about its nuclear programs, according to IAEA director General Mohamed ElBaradei.

''Iran still has a month to move forward and show full transparency," ElBaradei said outside the board room yesterday. But, he added, ''a majority of the board are making it clear that Iran needs to go back into full suspension" of its uranium enrichment activities.

As a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has the right to enrich uranium, and says it wants to do so for peaceful nuclear energy. But highly enriched uranium can also be used to build nuclear bombs, which the United States and Europe say is Iran's real intention.

Iran's decision to resume enrichment research and development last month -- after a two-year, voluntary suspension of such activities -- prompted Britain, Germany, and France to call for yesterday's session of the IAEA board. According to statements distributed to reporters, numerous ambassadors highlighted their concern about Iran's resumption of enrichment research, saying it was provocative and had undermined their confidence in Iran's intentions.

Although the big powers have agreed that the Security Council will delay action on the Iran case until at least March, the resolution is vague about whether the IAEA board will have to vote on the issue again before the council can act. Some countries -- including the United States -- contend that once the matter has been reported, the council can act.

But the Non-Aligned Movement said the Security Council referral under debate was premature and therefore could not be considered the same as the referral mandated by the IAEA board last September when it found Iran in violation of its nuclear treaty obligations. The Security Council referral could only come after ElBaradei's report in March, Hussain said.

The difference suggests that the nonaligned countries believe the current referral is something less than the one that ultimately will be required for Security Council action, a fig leaf that could perhaps allow its members to support the US and European position.