13 April 2006
Rice Warns of Stronger U.N. Action on Iranian Nuclear Program
Secretary of state calls for U.N. blue-hatted force in Darfur region of Sudan
By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – If Iran does not respect the U.N. Security Council’s presidential statement calling for it to cease uranium enrichment activities by the end of the month, the council will have to consider stronger measures, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Speaking to reporters at the State Department April 13, Rice said Iran continues to act in defiance of the international community’s demands. “[W]hen the Security Council reconvenes, there will have to be some consequence for that action and that defiance, and we will look at the full range of options available to the Security Council,” she added.
“One thing that the Security Council has that the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] does not have is the ability to compel, through Chapter 7 resolutions, member states of the U.N. to obey the will of the international system, Rice said. “And I'm certain that we'll look at measures that could be taken to ensure that Iran knows that they really have no choice but to comply.”
The IAEA board of governors referred the Iranian nuclear issue to the Security Council in early March after determining that Tehran was not cooperating with IAEA efforts to verify the nature of Iran’s nuclear program. The Security Council issued a unanimous presidential statement March 29 calling on Iran to meet the demands of the IAEA within 30 days. (See related article.)
Rice indicated that the council would consider issuing a Chapter 7 resolution, which could include provisions for sanctions and the use of military force if Iran fails to comply with the council’s demands.
The secretary dismissed Iran’s efforts to frame the issue in terms of a right to develop civil nuclear power.
“No one questions the right of Iran to have civil nuclear power to increase its energy supply. But any civil nuclear technology would have to be one without the kind of proliferation risk,” she said.
Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay, who met with Rice prior to the press availability, affirmed his government’s commitment to the international effort to bring Iran into compliance with IAEA demands.
“Canada is in the position that we do support the international need to respond with one voice, the need to demonstrate to Iran that we very clearly want them to comply, upon pain of sanctions. If sanctions are necessary, we do believe, and I think the important message is, that there will be progressive response and progressive consequences,” he said.
Rice also spoke about the need to deploy a U.N. blue-hatted force in place of the African Union forces in the Darfur region of Sudan. She acknowledged that the government of Sudan is not in favor of a U.N. force, but she said “they have failed in their obligation to protect the people of Darfur, and they clearly need international help to do it.”
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick also addressed Darfur April 13 in a separate speech. Outlining the situation in Sudan for a Washington audience, he said that although there has been "some progress" in reducing mortality rates in Darfur, the danger levels there have started to rise. (See related article.)
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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