Iran nuclear issue to test EU "unique role"

The Iran nuclear issue has again become the focal point for discussion by the countries attending the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board meeting. The meeting has been held in Vienna since September 13. After two days of discussions, the meeting has to be suspended temporarily on September 15 due to the strong stands of the United States and Iran. The three European Union countries of Germany, France and Britain are trying to play a "unique role" in the United States-Iran deadlock. Can the three European Union countries break the deadlock and make the IAEA board meeting reach common understanding of Iran nuclear issue? That will be decided by the compromise among the three parties of the US, Europe and Iran in the days to come.

It has taken some time for the IAEA to discuss the Iran nuclear issue. In recent months, US has brought pressure to bear on Iran, insists on Iranian trying to develop nuclear weapons and threatens that US will refer the issue to the UN Security Council and will apply political and economic sanctions to Iran if Iran does not give up the program for developing nuclear weapons before October 31. To achieve this aim, US representative has tried hard to persuade the three countries to agree on the US stand and to bring pressure to bear on Iran. It is learned from Vienna that the three European Union countries have still not agreed to the US suggestion up to 15 September even if their attitude towards Iran is getting stronger.

The main difference between the US and the three countries is: US advocates the Iran issue will automatically be moved to the UN Security Council for discussion if an agreement on Iranian halting nuclear program can not be reached before October 31. The three countries do not agree to the automatic moving. They advocate a comparatively "implicit threat¡± to avoid the irreversible deadlock. It is learned that the representatives from the three countries are discussing with Iranian representative so that they can persuade Iran to change its stand.

The attitude of the three European countries not only gives expression to the European and US differentiation on handling the Iran nuclear issue, but also on important and hot international issues. The US has frequently threatened to use sanctions or even force by means of its strong strength while the EU would like to choose the way of politics and dialogue for settling the issues. The Iran issue is an example.

In October last year, the foreign ministers of the three countries visited Iran one after another and they successfully persuaded Iran to promise that it would suspend the program for uranium enrichment. Through diplomatic channels the EU has achieved what the US failed to do by pressure. The media deemed it as a victory for the EU foreign policy.

The political efforts on the Iran issue show that EU is willing to play a greater role in the Middle East region. For a long time, EU has been very difficult to speak with "one voice" on important international issues due to its lack of a common foreign policy. It is the same on the Middle East issue. For all that the EU has rendered the largest economic assistance to the Middle East peace for many years, the political impact of EU has been limited. Iran is a major country in this area and is one of the oil sources for the EU oil supply. If EU can play a "unique role" in settling the issue of Iran nuclear issue, not only EU can exert more influence on Iran and guarantee its energy supply, but also EU can be more qualified to speak on the Middle East issue.

However, what the EU is angry at is: Iran does not abide by its promise it made last year completely. Starting from this summer, it has resumed the program for uranium enrichment secretly. This puts the EU in an embarrassed position. Because of this, the EU attitude towards Iran is turning more intransigent. The EU expressed its anxiety over the Iran nuclear issue at the informal ministerial meeting convened recently. In addition, Germany, France and Britain advanced a proposal to the United Nations nuclear watchdog meeting. Although the details of the proposal are not disclosed, the three countries have proposed a time limit. They hope Iran will make clear the nuclear issue at the UN nuclear watchdog meeting before November. Iran should prove its nuclear program is peaceful, not military and let the "world to be released from anxiety".

But the United States is not satisfied with the stand of the three countries. It wishes to persuade the three countries to share the United States' stand and deliver an "ultimatum" to Iran jointly. Judging from the present situation, the three countries are dissatisfied with Iran, but they are not willing to adopt US' intransigent stand and still hope to bring their "unique role" into play. They wish to persuade Iran through dialogue and expressed the hope that so long as Iran gives up the program to develop nuclear weapons, EU is willing to assist Iran in the development of nuclear power station for civilian use and to provide Iran with nuclear fuel.

It is not easy for EU to play a "unique role" in the dispute focusing on Iran nuclear weapons. On one hand, EU should withstand the pressure from the United States and try for political settlement; on the other hand, EU should further persuade Iran to change its intransigent attitude and to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog in its inspections. In the end Iran should give up the development of nuclear weapons. Iranian representative Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who is attending the UN nuclear watchdog meeting, expressed at a press conference on September 15 that Iran is not afraid of referring the nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council.

The article is carried on the People's Daily newspaper, Sept. 17, and translated by People's Daily Online