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Blair Urges Unity Against Iran As IAEA Considers UN Referral

2 February 2006 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on the international community to send a united "signal of strength" to Iran to make clear that Tehran could not continue to "flout" its international obligations.

"Given what Iran is doing, not just in respect of the breach of its obligations in respect of nuclear weapons, but also in exporting terrorism around the region, in what it's doing in human rights, it is important surely at this moment above all else that we say they have to come back into compliance with their international obligations, and we, all of us, support the action necessary to do so," he said.

Blair was speaking at the British Parliament's House of Commons in London following a meeting yesterday between British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki.

IAEA Meeting Today

Before the talks, Straw said the international community had given Iran a "final opportunity" to meet its nuclear obligations.

On 30 January, the five permanent UN Security Council members agreed that the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, should report Iran to the council over its nuclear program, a move that could eventually lead to sanctions. The IAEA board of governors is meeting in Vienna today.

President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said today Iran will resist Western pressures and complete its nuclear program. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, reiterated threats that Iran would start large-scale uranium enrichment and stop UN inspections of its facilities.

(Reuters, AFP)

Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org