Insecurity Drives WMD Proliferation – ElBaradei

The chief United Nations nuclear weapons inspector yesterday called on Iran to launch a "peace offensive" and suggested that parts of the Iranian government were already in favour of approving tighter inspections.

But in an interview with the FT, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also warned that ending the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East required addressing the root causes of insecurity in the region, including the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"There is support inside Iran - in some parts of the government - for an additional protocol," he said, referring to extra rights under the Nuclear non-Proliferation Agreement, which would allow for tighter inspections. "The longer there are negative doubts, the worse it is for Iran. If I were in their shoes I'd take a peace offensive."

Mr ElBaradei's comments, at an extraordinary World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan, suggest that greater access for the IAEA is now part of the power struggle in Iran between reformists and hardliners.

The head of the IAEA was speaking after a day of confusing signals from Tehran over whether it would allow IAEA inspectors to take environmental samples from the Kalaye electric company in Tehran, where the agency wants to find out whether Iran has tested its centrifuges with nuclear material.

Last week, the IAEA board of governors pressed Iran to allow tighter inspections after criticising it for failing to declare all material and facilities, as demanded by its Safeguards Agreement. US president George W. Bush also warned that the US "will not tolerate" an Iranian nuclear programme.

John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, said the military option for dealing with Iran was open but "that is not only not our preference. It is far, far from our minds."

Diplomats predict the US will wait until the IAEA's next report in September before seriously considering military attacks on nuclear sites, which Tehran vehemently insists are for an energy programme.

Ghoamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's atomic energy programme, told reporters on Saturday that Iran would "definitely try to co-operate more than before with the IAEA and give them the necessary assurances about Iran's activities". Earlier, however, he repeated Iran's opposition to IAEA requests for permission to take samples from Kalaye.

Mr ElBaradei said continued resistance by Iran over environmental sampling would be "unhelpful". He reassured the Iranian regime that the request would not lead to a flood of other demands but also warned that failure to comply could lead him to invoke extraordinary legal rights that would further raise the pressure on Iran.

"We do not request to go to facilities willy nilly. We request specific places based on information we have - it's not that if we go we will then ask for another 100 sites," he said. "It would be helpful for Iran to show transparency."

Although under current agreements with the IAEA Iran is not required to provide access to a facility like Kalaye, Mr ElBaradei has argued that Tehran should allow sampling to provide necessary assurances over its intentions.

The chief UN nuclear inspector said that despite the recent Iranian statements, there was "a good chance" that Iran would agree to sign an additional protocol to the NPT.

Hardliners in Tehran insist an additional protocol should be accompanied by a lifting of the ban on nuclear technology exports to Iran. But Mr ElBaradei said Tehran had to take the first step. If it can build confidence that its programme is indeed for peaceful use, then "in a number of years" it might get access to new technology.

He stressed that WMD proliferation in the Middle East had to be looked at in a broader context because it was a symptom of the persistent state of insecurity.

"We can continue to act as a fire brigade. But we need to look at the big picture. This [proliferation] is very much tied to the security situation," he said. "It's the feeling of insecurity that drives proliferation, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict. And what drives terrorism is a lack of respect for human rights, for democracy."

Israel's proliferation and its refusal to allow verification of its nuclear programme is often cited by other states as a justification for the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

Mr ElBaradei said that a regional dialogue on non-proliferation should be held in parallel with efforts to achieve a Middle Eastern peace. "My view is that we need to work on both

in tandem. We need to sit down and discuss security," he said.