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India may abstain if resolution on Iran N-issue put to a vote

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Jan 28, IRNA
India-Iran-IAEA meeting
US ambassador David C Mulford's open "intimidation" of India, as Left parties described it, at a meeting on Friday has made it extremely difficult for the Manmohan Singh government to vote in support of a resolution sponsored by the United States and the EU-3 (Britain, France and Germany) referring Iran to the UN Security Council at the February 2 meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna.

If a resolution is brought to vote, the government will now have to seriously explore the option of abstention if it wants to retain credibility at home.

Hectic diplomacy is afoot with the Prime Minister's Office and the US embassy here working hard to mould Indian public opinion in favor of a supportive vote on the EU-3 resolution through select meetings.

Ambassador Mulford, on the night of the controversial interview, met select opinion makers to explain the US position on the civilian nuclear agreement with India and, of course, on the Iran nuclear issue which has been linked by the Bush administration, the US Congress, as well as key advisers on strategic and foreign policy issues to the Indian government, a leading English daily, Asian Age, reported here today.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in an interview with Reuters, has not made matters any easier for the government by maintaining that "India has to make some difficult choices." She did not refer directly to Iran but made it apparent that the nuclear agreement between the US and India could not work in isolation. She said it presented "a difficult set of issues." "But it's very important to understand that in order to satisfy the American Congress and our laws and the concerns of the (44-nation) Nuclear Suppliers Group that there will have to be some steps taken to make sure that the proliferation risks are not enhanced by this deal," Secretary of State Rice further said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself is reported to be worried about the obstacles that have suddenly appeared in his path and is now personally monitoring both fronts, that is, Iran and the nuclear deal with the US.

Despite claims from the government that it is being consulted by Iran, sources said that this was not so, with the Iranian government preferring to conduct direct consultations with Russia and China.

In fact, there has been little high-level contact between the two governments in recent weeks, particularly after India decided to vote for the EU-3 resolution at the last IAEA meeting in September in what Iranians have been privately describing as a "breach of trust." The role of the Left parties and "how far will they go" is a question being posed by European and US diplomats these days to all people they meet.

The Left parties, at a meeting on Friday, decided to write to the Prime Minister asking him to clarify the stand that India would take at the IAEA meeting in February.

Senior leaders, including Prakash Karat and A B Bardhan, were unanimous that India should not support any resolution referring Iran to the UN Security Council.

"Strong resentment" against Mulford's "arrogant effort to influence India's stand on the Iran issue" was also expressed at the meeting.

The government was also asked to make public the proposals handed over to the US about the separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities.

It was made clear by Prakash Karat that a vote against Iran by New Delhi would lead to domestic turmoil with the Left parties, to begin with, following a clearcut policy of non-cooperation with the Manmohan Singh government within parliament.

Sources said that while this would not immediately bring down the government, it would lead to instability, particularly now that the Congress Party is losing support amongst its other allies as well.

The Left leaders are categorical that a vote against Iran will not be "tolerated" and, as Karat said recently, it would lead to direct "confrontation" with the UPA-led government.

Meanwhile, negotiations between Iran, Russia and China have gathered momentum. China has come out in support of the Russian proposal to enrich Iranian uranium on its soil with its foreign office spokesperson Hong Quan being quoted in media reports from Beijing as saying "We oppose impulsive using of sanctions or threats of sanctions to solve problems."
Dr Rice, however, said that Iran was just using stalling tactics by discussing the proposal with Russia.

"They are trying to throw up chaff," she said, in order to ensure that the issue was not referred to the Security Council. But in her opinion, "the time (for referral) has come."
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