Atomic agency to censure Iran over nuclear program

VIENNA, Austria -- Closing the books on Libya, a key U.N. atomic agency meeting turned to Iran Thursday as it debated how harshly to censure Tehran, Iran for failing to fully expose its nuclear activities and dispel suspicions it wanted to make weapons.\nThe United States has compromised with Britain, France and Germany on a draft resolution that toned down criticism of Iran's continued nuclear secrecy and offered some praise of Tehran's record in opening activities to outside perusal.\nBut European diplomats said they were hopeful the final version to be adopted by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency would be even less critical.\n"We think the Americans are putting a lot of pressure on Europe," a European diplomat said on condition of anonymity.\nPirouz Hosseini, Iran's chief delegate, said most of the board -- "including probably Russia and China" -- opposes the "tough language" in the draft. He did not elaborate, and delegates from those countries would not comment.\nOrganizers said the next full session of the conference was postponed until Friday to give delegates time to meet informally and shape a resolution all could agree on.\nThe current draft is not as tough as Washington, D.C. would have liked, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.\n"But it deplores Iran's behavior, and it notes with serious concern that what Iran said ... did not amount to the correct and full picture of their past and present nuclear program," the official said.\nThe United States, which insists the Islamic republic has a nuclear arms program, has held up the example of Libya as a nation whose openness has reaped international rewards. The IAEA board passed a resolution Wednesday praising Tripoli, Libya for scrapping its nuclear weapons.\n"A country that truly comes clean with the agency and truly cooperates ... gets a constructive response," chief U.S. delegate Kenneth Brill said Wednesday. "Countries that seek to avoid providing the kind of cooperation that Libya has continue to be the subjects of intensified ... scrutiny."\nIran asserts its nuclear programs are peaceful and has promised to cooperate with IAEA inspectors to dispel suspicions prompted by revelations last year that traces of uranium enriched to 90 percent, or weapons grade, had been found in the country.\nHowever, new discoveries by IAEA inspectors of undeclared items and programs have cast doubt on Tehran's assertions it has no more nuclear secrets. Inspectors found Tehran had plans to enrich uranium and had secretly conducted other tests with possible weapons applications.\nThe United States, along with Canada and Australia, wants strong condemnation of Iran. But the Europeans and nonaligned nations at the meeting seek to focus more on Tehran's cooperation with the U.N. atomic agency.\nAn IAEA report last month accused Tehran of hiding evidence of nuclear experiments and noted the discovery of traces of radioactive polonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons. The report also expressed concern about the discovery of a previously undisclosed advanced P-2 centrifuge system for processing uranium.\nIran asserts its now-suspended enrichment plans are geared only toward generating power. But Wednesday, Iran announced plans to resume enrichment.