MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
8.2.2006
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Michael Gahler and Charles Tannock
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on the confrontation between Iran and the international community
B6‑0103/2006
European Parliament resolution on the confrontation between Iran and the international community
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, and notably those of 13 October 2005 and 17 November 2005,
– having regard to the Conclusions of the External Relations Council meeting of 30 January 2006,
– having regard to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) of 22 April 1970, and notably Article IV thereof which states that 'Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty',
– having regard to the resolutions adopted by the Board of Governors of the IAEA on 24 September 2005 and, notably, on 4 February 2006,
– having regard to the IAEA Board reports of 2 September 2005 and 18 November 2005,
– having regard to the E3/EU statement of 13 January 2006 and the statement by the UK Foreign Minister Jack Straw following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union in London on 30 January 2006,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Iran is a signatory to the NPT and has conceded to the EU-3 (Germany, France and the United Kingdom) that it will implement the Additional Protocol to the NPT which it signed on 18 December 2003 but has not yet ratified,
B. whereas Iran decided on 1 August 2005 to resume uranium conversion activities in contravention of the Paris Agreement obligations, and whereas on 10 August 2005 Iran removed the seals from its uranium tetrafluoride production lines at its uranium conversion facility near Isfahan and has since resumed nuclear fuel cycle activities,
C. whereas the IAEA confirmed on 10 January 2006 that Iran had also removed seals on enrichment-related equipment and material at Natanz,
D. whereas President Ahmadinejad's public statements denying Israel´s right to exist and the reality of the Holocaust as well as Iran's unilateral steps in past months in defiance of its obligations under the NPT and the Additional Protocol have destroyed the indispensable political trust vis-à-vis Iran,
E. while emphasizing that, by all estimates, limited time is available to prevent the Iranian regime from possessing nuclear weapons,
F. whereas the Director General of the IAEA, Mohammed El Baradei, has expressed his serious concern on numerous occasions and has reported that, after two and a half years of intensive inspections and investigation, the IAEA is not yet in a position to clarify some important issues, but that it is only a matter of time before nuclear weapons can be produced,
G. whereas the IAEA has repeatedly requested Iran's cooperation in following up on reports and has offered different solutions, including that of enriching uranium in Russia, but Iran has failed to make clear its position on those proposals,
H. whereas in November 2005 the Director General of the IAEA reported that Iran was in possession of a document related to the procedural requirements for the reduction of UF6 to metal in small quantities, and on the casting and machining of enriched, natural and depleted uranium metal into hemispherical forms, which, as reported by IAEA, is a process related to the fabrication of nuclear weapons components,
I. whereas on 30 January 2006 the Council announced that EU Member States would closely coordinate on this matter and work with the IAEA Board of Governors to involve the UN Security Council in order to reinforce the authority of the IAEA,
J. whereas on 30 January 2006 the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, the US and the High Representative of the EU agreed that the extraordinary IAEA Board meeting should report to the UN Security Council, while deferring any action until after 6 March and another report by the Director General of the IAEA,
K. whereas the Iranian government announced on 5 February 2006 the cessation of all voluntary cooperation with the IAEA and that it would not allow any further unannounced IAEA inspections on Iranian nuclear premises, as are permitted by the Additional Protocol to the NPT, and further announced on 6 February 2006 that it would remove IAEA surveillance cameras and agency seals from sites and nuclear equipment,
L. whereas EU relations with Iran in recent years have been based on a threefold approach characterised by negotiations on a trade and cooperation agreement, political dialogue and a human rights dialogue, and whereas those three aspects cannot be separated,
M. whereas this is not a dispute between Iran and Europe, but between Iran and the international community,
1. Expresses its serious concern over Iran's nuclear programme, especially when taking into account the increase in Iranian missile capacity in the past year, and stresses its determination to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons;
2. Calls on Iran to ratify and fully implement the Additional Protocol to the NPT, which Iran signed on 18 December 2003, and to act in accordance with the provisions thereof;
3. Calls also on Iran to reinstate the seals and re-establish full, sustained and verifiable suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities including research and development, as repeatedly called for in the resolutions adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors, in order to build the necessary confidence as to the exclusively peaceful nature of the nuclear programme;
4. Urges Iran to grant the IAEA full access to all premises and to fully implement all transparency measures, as requested by the IAEA, so that the IAEA can clarify all the issues relating to Iran's nuclear program; expresses its concern at the evidence that Iran is in possession of a document on the production of uranium metal hemispheres, and requests that Iran keep this document under IAEA seal and provide a full copy of it to the IAEA;
5. Emphasizes the need for Iran to refrain from all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities until international confidence is restored, and stresses that full transparency on the part of Iran is indispensable and overdue;
6. Points out that it does not question in principle Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in conformity with its obligations under the NPT, and that this has been reaffirmed consistently by the international community;
7. Supports the IAEA Board of Governors' decision to ask the Director General of the IAEA to report to the UN Security Council and elaborate on all the reports and resolutions adopted by the IAEA in relation to this issue;
8. Hopes that this issue can be resolved through diplomatic negotiations and good will, but points out that this will require a cooperative and transparent approach towards the IAEA on the part of the Iranian government; supports, in this context, the EU-3's commitment to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and calls on all the parties involved to do their utmost to find a negotiated solution to the nuclear dispute prior to the next report by the IAEA General Director on 6 March 2006;
9. Commends the Director General and Secretariat of the IAEA for their professional and impartial efforts to implement the Safeguards Agreement in Iran, stresses that the involvement of the Security Council does not end the IAEA's current responsibilities and urges Iran to allow it to continue to harness control and inspection capacities to the full;
10. Welcomes the announcement on 5 February 2006 by the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hamid Reza Asefi, that Iran will still hold talks with Russia, on 16 February 2006, on a proposal to enrich uranium in Russia, and strongly urges Iran to consider this option;
11. Considers that a comprehensive agreement of that type should help to achieve a sustainable regional security system comprising other nuclear powers in the region, and also believes that Iran should assume its responsibilities as a regional player and contribute to stability in the Middle East;
12. Welcomes the Council's decision on European Union Member States closely co‑ordinating and working with a view to the negotiations with Iran;
13. Expresses its deep concern at the systematic and continuing suppression of human rights in Iran, and asks the Commission and Council to support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people by offering assistance to legitimate democratic opposition and civil society forces;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, the Director General of the IAEA and the UN Secretary-General.