Rice: Iran leaders not trusted

2006-01-19 11:19

Washington - Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice condemned Iran's decision to resume its nuclear programme, saying the Islamic republic and its leaders were not trusted with such technology.

She said: "I think we have a good deal of coherence in the view of the major powers about the fact that Iran stepped over a line" after it resumed reprocessing nuclear fuel.

On January 10, Iran removed some United Nations seals from its main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz in central Iran and resumed research on nuclear fuel - including small-scale enrichment - after a two-year freeze.

Rice said: "Nobody wants Iran to have that capability."

Nuclear material

Iran claimed its purpose in processing was peaceful. The process also could produce weapons-grade nuclear material.

Rice said Iran had a history of covering up its activities from oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would decide in early February whether to refer Tehran's activities to the UN security council.

Despite Iran's stated objectives of developing more civilian energy, Rice said, "no one does trust them with those technologies".

She said: "The Iranians want to make this about their rights. It's not about their rights. It's about the ability of the international system to trust them with the capabilities and technologies that could lead to a nuclear weapon."

Emergency meeting held

The US, France, Britain and Germany wanted the Board of Governors of the UN nuclear watchdog agency to convene an emergency meeting on February 2 to refer Iran to the security council.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said President George W Bush called German chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday to discuss recent developments in Iran. He said the world's patience with Iran had worn thin.

McClellan said: "I think we're long passed the point of talk. We expect action from the regime in Iran. And the only action they have shown has run contrary to the demands of the international community."

Earlier on Wednesday, Rice brushed aside suggestions about a possible resumption of negotiations with Iran. France kept up the pressure, saying Iran must first suspend its nuclear activities.

EU foreign policy

Rice said: "There's not much to talk about." Rice was speaking with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana.

Solana agreed "there is not much point" in resuming talks if there is "nothing new on the table".

Later, after seeing Rice and national security adviser Stephen Hadley, Solana said Russia had proposed having the security council host a debate on Iran's nuclear activities.

Solana said Russia made the proposal at a meeting on Monday in London with senior US, European, Russian and Chinese diplomats. Such a debate would postpone a possible IAEA referral at least until the agency's March meeting.

Solana said "we have the votes" now to refer the dispute to the security council.

- AP