Another UN failure in the making

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=586&e=1&u=/nm/20040921/wl_nm/nuclear_iran_dc

Iran Defies UN, Says Will Go on Converting Uranium

By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran defied the United Nations (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22United%20Nations%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw) - web sites (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=United%20Nations)) on Tuesday by announcing it would go on converting a large amount of raw uranium to prepare it for enrichment, a process that can be used to develop atomic bombs.

The announcement was likely to provoke an angry reaction from Washington and increase suspicion in Israel, which plans to buy 500 "bunker buster" bombs from the United States that could take out Iran's underground atomic facilities.

Gholamreza Aghazadeh, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told reporters Iran had begun converting 37 tons of raw "yellowcake" uranium to process it for use in nuclear centrifuges -- the machines that enrich uranium.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, unanimously adopted a resolution on Saturday calling on Iran to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment. The United States, Russia and the European Union (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22European%20Union%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw) - web sites (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=European%20Union)) reinforced the message on Monday by urging Tehran to comply.

Some of the amount of the 37 tons has been used. The tests have been successful but these tests have to be continued using the rest of the material," said Aghazadeh, one of Iran's vice presidents, who is attending a general conference of the Vienna-based IAEA.

One nuclear expert has said that once converted from yellowcake into uranium hexafluoride, the feed material for enrichment centrifuges, Iran would eventually be able to enrich enough uranium for up to five nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Mohammad%20Khatami%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw) - web sites (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=Mohammad%20Khatami)) said Iran was determined to press ahead with its atomic program even if it brought an end to U.N. checks of the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites.

"We are determined to obtain peaceful atomic technology even if it causes the stop of international supervision," Khatami said. "We have never wanted nuclear weapons. We want peaceful technology."

Iran had told the IAEA this summer that it intended to run what it described as tests of its uranium conversion facility.

However, Tuesday's announcement came after the IAEA board of governors passed the resolution on Saturday calling on Iran to halt all activities linked to uranium enrichment.

Iran had promised France, Britain and Germany last October it would freeze all activities related to uranium enrichment in exchange for improved economic ties.

But Tehran angered the EU's "big three" by announcing earlier this year that the production of feed material for centrifuges would not be included in the freeze.

The resolution said the IAEA board would consider whether "further steps" would be necessary if Iran failed to implement the suspension -- which diplomats said would mean a referral to the U.N. Security Council and possibly economic sanctions.

The United States and some other nations believe Tehran intends to use fissile material for weapons. Iran denies that and says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Israel has made it clear it will never permit Iran, which does not recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist, to become a nuclear power. Diplomats and analysts say Israel would prefer diplomacy to war and a coalition to solo strikes if military action were needed against Iran. But it is ready to act alone if needed, they say.

In June, the Pentagon (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Pentagon%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw) - web sites (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=Pentagon)) said it was considering the sale to Israel of 500 BLU-109 bombs, designed to destroy reinforced targets, as part of a munitions package meant "to contribute significantly to U.S. strategic and tactical objectives."

Israeli security sources said the sale would go through and one told Reuters: "This is not the sort of ordnance needed for the Palestinian front. Bunker busters could serve Israel against Iran, or possibly Syria."

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We can argue over wether Iran should have those weapons or not and debate the reasons they want them. However, this situation is another in a long list of failures by the UN. Tens of thousands dead and dieing in the Sudan. Nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea. The UN keeps passing pieces of feel good drafts but isn't even a paper tiger.

We are witness the the continued implosion of the UN. Its taking longer then I like to fold in on itself, but its well on its way.
















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Glad that we have a president who doesn't feel that he has to run all of his military decisions through the UN

Now if he would just take the next step and exit the UN completely.













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you've really got it out for the UN dont you?

oh well, cant blame you

Now if he would just take the next step and exit the UN completely.
Hmmm as flawed as the UN is I dont think that it would be wise to exit it completely. At least for the time being.