NEWS RELEASES

September 24, 2005 (6:00 p.m. EDT)
No. 170

MINISTER PETTIGREW WELCOMES IAEA ACTION ON IRAN

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today made the following statement welcoming the adoption by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of a resolution finding Iran in non-compliance with its nuclear safeguards requirements:

“This action is long overdue and should have been taken two years ago when Iran's non-compliance was first clearly established by the IAEA. It represents confirmation that Iran has not been acting in accordance with its safeguards obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also justifies the serious concerns that have been expressed by Canada and many other countries about the nature of Iran's nuclear activities.

“It is noteworthy that the resolution also recognizes that Iran is a special case that requires measures beyond the ones normally used by the IAEA. Simply put, Iran must do more. Iran has undertaken a unilateral and unwarranted resumption of uranium conversion. Iran has also refused to cooperate fully with the IAEA, in defiance of successive IAEA resolutions.These troubling facts, together with Iran's rejection of a comprehensive offer from the U.K., France and Germany for a long-term settlement of the nuclear issue, make it difficult for the international community to have confidence in Iran's nuclear program and in Iran as a reliable partner. We urge Iran to abide by the resolution's call for it to observe its commitments fully. We also call on Iran to undertake genuine cooperation with the IAEA, suspend uranium conversion again, and return to negotiations with the U.K., France and Germany for a diplomatic solution—a process that has made good progress over the last two years.

“Given these findings, I am disappointed that the members of the Board of Governors of the IAEA did not decide to report Iran’s non-compliance immediately to the United Nations Security Council, as the Agency is required to do under its statute. Non-compliance of this nature, together with Iran’s other unhelpful actions on the nuclear issue, are a serious matter. The resolution recognizes that Iran’s nuclear program may not be exclusively for peaceful purposes. This gives rise to questions of international peace and security that are within the competence of the Security Council. To delay such a report risks harming the credibility of the IAEA and the multilateral non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament regime, of which the IAEA is a key component. Canada remains of the view that reporting the matter to the Security Council is a necessary step toward reaching a satisfactory long-term solution.”

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