JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
13.2.2006
- –Michael Gahler and Charles Tannock, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
- –Pasqualina Napoletano, on behalf of the PSE Group
- –Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, on behalf of the ALDE Group
- –Michał Tomasz Kamiński, Konrad Szymański and Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, on behalf of the UEN Group
- –ALDE (B6‑0096/2006)
- –UEN (B6‑0099/2006)
- –PSE (B6‑0102/2006)
- –PPE-DE (B6‑0103/2006)
European Parliament resolution on the confrontation between Iran and the international community
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions of 13 October 2005 on Iran and of 17 November 2005 on recent statements of the President of Iran, Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
– having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 30 January 2006,
– having regard to the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors of 24 September 2005 and 4 February 2006 on the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
– having regard to the IAEA Board of Governors reports dated 2 September 2005 and 18 November 2005,
– 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 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 the Paris Agreement of 29 November 2004 between the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) and the United Kingdom, France and Germany (E3) and to Iran’s decision of 1 August 2005 to resume uranium conversion activities in contravention of the provisions of the Paris Agreement,
– having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas President Ahmadinejad’s public statements denied Israel’s right to exist and the reality of the Holocaust,
B. 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,
C. whereas Iran decided on 1 August 2005 to resume uranium conversion activities in contravention of the Paris Agreement obligations, and whereas on 8 August 2005 Iran resumed uranium conversion activities at its Isfahan facility and took steps to resume enrichment activities on 10 January 2006,
D. whereas the IAEA resolution of 4 February 2006 states the ‘absence of confidence’ in the peaceful purposes of Iran’s nuclear programme and ‘that Iran’s full transparency is indispensable and overdue for the Agency to be able to clarify outstanding issues’,
E. whereas the IAEA has reiterated its concern about the continuing gaps in its understanding of many proliferation-sensitive aspects of Iran’s nuclear programme,
F. 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,
G. 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,
H. whereas on 30 January 2006 the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and 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,
I. 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,
J. whereas the last Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2005 failed to strengthen a multilateral initiative against the threat of nuclear proliferation and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
K. whereas EU relations with Iran 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 the political dialogue has been suspended owing to the current crisis,
1. Reiterates its condemnation of President Ahmadinejad’s threatening remarks against Israel, which are not conducive to trust in the intentions of the Iranian Government to adopt a peaceful and constructive role in the Middle East; criticises in consequence President Ahmadinejad’s recent meeting with representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad during his trip to Syria and demands that Iran immediately cease all its support for terrorist groups;
2. Expresses its deep concern regarding the present attitude of the Iranian authorities to Iran’s nuclear programme, notably to the removal of seals at several nuclear installations, and its decision to resume enrichment-related activities;
3. Endorses the conclusions of the resolution adopted on 4 February 2006 by the IAEA Board of Governors, criticising Iran for non-compliance with the IAEA’s Recommendation and underlining the resulting absence of confidence that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively meant for peaceful purposes;
4. 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;
5. Considers that, in accordance with the IAEA resolution, it is necessary for Iran to re‑establish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, to reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water, to ratify promptly and resume full implementation of the Additional Protocol and, in general terms, to implement the transparency measures requested by the IAEA Director General;
6. Reaffirms that Iran has the right to develop a nuclear programme in conformity with Article IV of the NPT and supports the initiatives and proposals of the EU 3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) and other international partners for cooperation with Iran in the nuclear field for peaceful purposes; at the same time reiterates its call on the Government of Iran to refrain from any threat against any state and to act with respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter;
7. Considers that the involvement of the UN Security Council, as proposed by the IAEA, constitutes a necessary step in order to assess the present situation and agrees with the Council’s conclusions which call for a strengthening of the role of the IAEA; takes the view that this move should prevent a further deterioration of the present situation; calls on the EU Member States to coordinate closely their initiatives in the IAEA and the UN;
8. Affirms that this issue must be resolved in accordance with the rules of international law, and takes the view 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 make progress towards a negotiated solution to the nuclear dispute prior to the next report by the IAEA General Director on 6 March 2006;
9. Stresses the importance of cooperation with the USA, Russia, China and non-aligned countries in order to consider complementary concepts with a view to achieving a comprehensive agreement with Iran on its nuclear facilities and their use which takes account of Iran’s security concerns;
10. Invites Iran to consider seriously the Russian uranium enrichment process proposal, shared by the EU-3, which would offer it the possibility of advancing in its nuclear programme in a multilateral framework; considers that such a solution must be taken into consideration as a proposed improvement to the present rules, under IAEA control, for any interested countries, and calls on the European Union to support proposals such as that of the UN High-Level Panel of Experts to achieve multilateral administration of uranium enrichment, for example for the Middle Eastern Region, with distribution placed under the control of the IAEA;
11. 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 make full use of control and inspection capacities;
12. Calls on Iran to take advantage of its enormous energy reserves and the technological know‑how which exists in the country in order to invest in the development of renewable energies and the modern and rational use of fossil energies;
13. Takes the view that negotiations on the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East could be an important step towards meeting the security concerns of the countries of that region; calls on the EU-3 to introduce this idea into the negotiations with Iran;
14. Calls on the Commission to implement all actions that are to be taken in the framework of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights in order to intensify contacts and cooperation with Iran’s civil society, independent media and democratic opposition, and furthermore to support, together with the European Parliament, democracy and respect for human rights in Iran;
15. 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 all other states referred to in this resolution, the Director General of the IAEA and the UN Secretary-General.