PRETORIA (IRNA) -- South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the only specialized body eligible to ensure that Iranian nuclear program is for civilian purpose. "At the board of governors we consistently argued that we have not exhausted the IAEA processes. Indeed, they sent the issue to the Security Council before even Mr. ElBaradei presented his report. We were arguing that this is an unnecessary haste. "Our argument was that we should give more time for the Iranians to comply with the remaining issues, since they had complied already. We cannot say that the remaining two issues cannot be resolved. We think that they can be resolved," he told IRNA. "Of course, we defend the right of all the signatories to NPT to have the right to use nuclear power for peacefully means. We ourselves are working on that program, but, at the same time we understand that a climate of mistrust has been created and so we should now try to see what we can do within the rights of Iran's sovereignty and its right to have civilian nuclear technology to build confidence and I believe this is a big challenge for Iran to build that confidence, so that we don't allow the Security Council process to escalate. "We have to wait and see if the Russians and the Chinese are going to allow the Security Council to pass the latest resolution on that issue."
"At the board of governors we consistently argued that we have not exhausted the IAEA processes. Indeed, they sent the issue to the Security Council before even Mr. ElBaradei presented his report. We were arguing that this is an unnecessary haste.
"Our argument was that we should give more time for the Iranians to comply with the remaining issues, since they had complied already. We cannot say that the remaining two issues cannot be resolved. We think that they can be resolved," he told IRNA.
"Of course, we defend the right of all the signatories to NPT to have the right to use nuclear power for peacefully means. We ourselves are working on that program, but, at the same time we understand that a climate of mistrust has been created and so we should now try to see what we can do within the rights of Iran's sovereignty and its right to have civilian nuclear technology to build confidence and I believe this is a big challenge for Iran to build that confidence, so that we don't allow the Security Council process to escalate.
"We have to wait and see if the Russians and the Chinese are going to allow the Security Council to pass the latest resolution on that issue."
VIENNA, May 8: The United States has outlined a strategy for Iran to be `shunned by the international financial community' over its nuclear programme, Western officials said in recent interviews. "The objective of this strategy is for the United States government and key overseas partners to pressure and isolate the Iranian regime by creating a dynamic in which the government of Iran, or key elements thereof, is shunned by the international financial community," said one official. The financial front is clearly a key one in this drive, especially as it has a `relatively small cost' for Western nations and avoids `using oil or trade embargoes', the official said. Non-proliferation analyst Mark Fitzpatrick said: "It's important for the West to have other sanctions options outside the United Nations and employing the United States' leverage on the international banking system is one that is very appealing to Washington." "Financial measures are seen as the perfect sanctions that can directly impact the leadership and not the general public," Mr Fitzpatrick said at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank in London. He said the US administration had already last year authorised the Treasury and State departments to freeze the assets of companies or individuals `involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction' and three Iranian entities were named, including the Atomic Energy Organisation.
"The objective of this strategy is for the United States government and key overseas partners to pressure and isolate the Iranian regime by creating a dynamic in which the government of Iran, or key elements thereof, is shunned by the international financial community," said one official.
The financial front is clearly a key one in this drive, especially as it has a `relatively small cost' for Western nations and avoids `using oil or trade embargoes', the official said.
Non-proliferation analyst Mark Fitzpatrick said: "It's important for the West to have other sanctions options outside the United Nations and employing the United States' leverage on the international banking system is one that is very appealing to Washington."
"Financial measures are seen as the perfect sanctions that can directly impact the leadership and not the general public," Mr Fitzpatrick said at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank in London.
He said the US administration had already last year authorised the Treasury and State departments to freeze the assets of companies or individuals `involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction' and three Iranian entities were named, including the Atomic Energy Organisation.
