BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen comments on Iran’s nuclear program and the stance of both Turkey and the international community on the issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
It’s still unclear whether Iran is working to produce nuclear weapons, but clearly the international community is putting pressure on Tehran concerning this issue. After the US and the European Union, now the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has indicated that it has concerns and doubts about Iran’s nuclear program and so has openly warned the administrators in Tehran. Clearly Washington has been accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Although the Bush administration lacks evidence, it’s using these claims in its campaign against Iran.
Interestingly, the EU took a stance echoing these concerns earlier this week. Now the Union is also warning Tehran and what’s more, it stated, ‘If diplomacy isn’t enough, force may be necessary’ against countries which produce weapons of mass destruction. Finally this week in Vienna, IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei presented a report accusing Iran of not giving full disclosure on its nuclear activities and stating that stricter international controls were necessary. The IAEA Board of Governors is still discussing this report and preparing for a decision.
Turkey is one of 35 members of the IAEA Board of Directors. Turkish representative Ambassador Aydin Sahinbas recently expressed Ankara’s support for this report. ElBaradei’s report claims that Iran is keeping certain activities about its nuclear program secret and secretly storing some imported nuclear material. The report advises that Iran should sign the additional protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and open its doors up to international inspectors. Turkey shares the West’s suspicions and concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and so wants Tehran to cooperate with the international community to convince them of its claims the program has only peaceful objectives. The IAEA’s decision yesterday establishes a legal basis for strict inspections of the nuclear program.
Turkey’s stance on the IAEA issue underlines Foreign Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal’s pledge in Washington earlier this week that Ankara is standing with the US on the Iran issue. However, Turkey’s stance accords not only with the US’, but also with that of the IAEA, which is the relevant institution for both the EU and the UN.”
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION