IAEA chief: no broad Iran report for February meeting (refuses US request)

[UpInArms]

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-01-23T173039Z_01_L23122543_RTRUKOC_0_US-NUCLEAR-IRAN-IAEA.xml

VIENNA (Reuters) - The International Atomic Energy Agency chief on Monday refused EU and U.S. requests for a broad report on Iran's disputed atomic work in time for a February 2 IAEA crisis meeting, saying he needed more time to prepare one.

Mohamed ElBaradei's response, whose text was obtained by Reuters, said he had given Iran until a regularly scheduled March 6 board session to answer questions about its nuclear program, which the West suspects aims to make nuclear bombs.

"Due process, therefore, must take its course before (we) are able to submit a detailed report," ElBaradei wrote.

Western leaders want a broad accounting of Iran's activities for the February 2 meeting to help them persuade skeptical Russia, China and developing states on the 35-nation board to agree to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

After ElBaradei turned down verbal requests from European Union powers and Washington to move up a full report, the U.S., British, French as well as Australian ambassadors to the IAEA pressed their case in letters sent to him at the weekend.

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[C_U_L8R]

1. El Baradei's been down this road before

fortunately it looks like he won't be fooled twice

[Joanne98]

2. HAHAHAHAHA!

[leftchick]

3. I can hear bolton's hissy fit already....

[gratuitous]

4. Due process? Evidence?

Doesn't El Baradei know that the rule of law for the corrupt Bush administration is "verdict first, then trial"? Unless, of course, we're talking about GOP malfeasance, in which case you can't even call a GOP convict a felon because it might upset his little girl.

[cantstandbush]

5. Saddam gave a 12,000 page report which the Bushbots dismissed

out of hand. In Saddams report was all kinds of info giving evidence of no WMDs or the destruction of WMDs. Instead of using that report to avert conflict, the Bushbots censored 8,000 pages and dismissed the rest as propaganda. So who thinks a report from Iran would make any difference? Have people forgotten recent history?