20 June 2003
IAEA Releases Report on Iran's Nuclear Program
(Asks Iran to rectify safeguards failures related to its nuclear program) (590) The International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna made public June 19, its report on "Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran." The IAEA report is available at www.iaea.org/worldatom. At the outset of the report, which was first issued June 6, the IAEA Board of Governors Chairwoman called on Iran to co-operate fully with the Agency in its on-going work. Specifically, she said the report calls on Iran to permit the IAEA to take environmental samples. She said the report also urged Iran to "promptly and unconditionally conclude and implement an additional protocol to its Safeguards Agreement, in order to enhance the Agency's ability to provide credible assurances regarding the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities, particularly the absence of undeclared material and activities." In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on June 19 that President Bush welcomes the IAEA report, and views it as "international reinforcement of the President's message yesterday that the world, broadly speaking, joins together in fighting proliferation and making certain that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons." Following is the text of the IAEA Board of Governors Chairwoman's statement, issued June 19: (begin transcript) IAEA Board of Governors Meeting Chairwoman's Summing Up Statement Vienna, 19 June 2003 -- On the basis of our discussions, I am confident that I express the broad sense of the Board in stating the following points: The Board expressed its appreciation for the 6 June report of the Director General, which provides and factual and objective description of developments since March in relation to safeguards issues in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which need to be clarified, and actions that need to be taken. The Board commended the Secretariat for the extensive verification activities which it has undertaken and expressed full support for its on-going efforts to resolve outstanding questions. The Board shared the concern expressed by the Director General in his report at the number of Iran's past failures to report material, facilities and activities as required by its safeguards obligations. Noting the Iranian actions taken thus far to correct these past failures, the Board urged Iran promptly to rectify all safeguards problems identified in the report and resolve questions that remain open. The Board welcomed Iran's reaffirmed commitment to full transparency and expected Iran to grant the Agency all access deemed necessary by the Agency in order to create the necessary confidence in the international community. Noting that the enrichment plant is under IAEA safeguards, the Board encouraged Iran, pending the resolution of related outstanding issues, not to introduce nuclear material at the pilot enrichment plant, as a confidence-building measure. The Board called on Iran to co-operate fully with the Agency in its ongoing work. Specifically, the Board took note of the Director General's 16 June introductory Statement which called on Iran to permit the Agency to take environmental samples at the particular location where allegations about enrichment activities exists. The Board welcomed Iran's readiness to look positively at signing and ratifying an additional protocol, and urged Iran to promptly and unconditionally conclude and implement an additional protocol to its Safeguards Agreement, in order to enhance the Agency's ability to provide credible assurances regarding the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities, particularly the absence of undeclared material and activities. The Board requested the Director General to provide a further report on the situation whenever appropriate. (end transcript) (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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