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Council of Europe to debate Iran's nuclear programme

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Brussels, April 17, IRNA
Council of Europe-Iran
The Council of Europe (CoE) is to debate Iran's nuclear programme and adopt a resolution in the session of its Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg .

Initially the debate was to be held on Friday April 29, but CoE sources told IRNA in Brussels by phone from Strasbourg that the debate most probably would take place on Tuesday April 26.

Originally, the title of the debate was ''Iran's nuclear threat'' but it has now been changed to ''Iran's nuclear programme: need for international response.''
However, nobody from the Iranian side has been invited to take part in the debate which puts the fairness and the objectivity of the debate into question mark.

Rapporteur of the draft resolution is Abdelkadir Ates from Turkey.

In the draft resolution, the CeO welcomes ongoing diplomatic efforts by France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3/EU) aimed at achieving, through negotiations, that Iran proves its full compliance with its obligations under the NPT and clears international community's worries that its nuclear programme is aimed at building nuclear weapons.

The Assembly notes with satisfaction that the United States has recently announced its readiness to provide support to European diplomatic efforts.

The draft resolution also calls on the CoE members and observer states to provide full support to the E3/EU diplomatic efforts with Iran; - through bilateral contacts, to encourage the Iranian authorities to show good will and restore the confidence of the international community by opening its nuclear programmes, in particular those which raise suspicion, to international control; -to envisage economic incentives that would compensate Iran's readiness to go beyond its commitments under the NPT; - to give appropriate consideration to Iran's security concerns, and to consider ways of ensuring peace, enhancing stability and promoting co-operation in the Middle East and Persian Gulf, including the promotion of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the region as recommended by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Assembly calls on the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran: -to fully co-operate with the IAEA; - to strictly abide by the NPT and Safeguards Agreement hereto - to ratify the Additional Protocol to the NPT which provides a more efficient verification framework and to continue to comply with its provisions pending ratification; - to take further steps towards meeting the
international community's concerns over its nuclear programme and re-building a lasting confidence in its peaceful nature.

The CoE groups together 46 European countries. It has granted observer status to 5 more countries (the Holy See, the United States, Canada, Japan and Mexico).

The CeO is separate from the 25-nation European Union, but no country has ever joined the EU without first belonging to the Council of Europe.

It has its headquarters in Strasbourg, in north-eastern France.

The goals of the Council are to defend human rights, parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and promote awareness of a European identity based on shared values and cutting across different cultures.

260/1394/1432
::IRNA No.030 17/04/2005 14:31 --End