May 10, 2007
Iran accepted a compromise on the agenda text of a global conference meant to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, in a surprise turn dictated by pressure from other nations seeking to dislodge the meeting from a week of deadlock. Tehran's decision on Tuesday saved the meeting from near certain collapse and allowed it to move on to its main purpose -- discussion of ways to tighten the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty ahead of a conference reviewing and possibly revising the pact in three years.
Since the start of the meeting on April 30, Tehran had sought to insert "all provisions" into that part of the agenda text to reflect other commitments taken on by states observing the treaty. The South African proposal accepted on Tuesday will footnote that phrase to the agenda to reflect that all aspects of the treaty must be fully observed -- an allusion to the need for the US and other nuclear weapons states to disarm. Iranian chief delegate Ali Ashgar Soltanieh spoke of the "flexibility of my delegation" in accepting the compromise.
Still, Tehran's decision appeared driven by the frustration expressed by other delegations. A delegate from the nonaligned camp -- which normally backs Iran -- said most nations were ready to accept either its request or resistance from Western nations to reworking the agenda text, but were increasingly critical of the delay over the issue. Tehran's decision nonetheless allowed it to deflect criticism that it was prepared to see the meeting end in failure rather than be targeted for its defiance of the UN Security Council. And if Iran's stonewalling was an effort to stifle criticism over its nuclear defiance, it appeared to have gone a way in achieving its goal.
As of Tuesday, the conference had only three full days until its scheduled end to focus on anything other than the agenda dispute. Meanwhile, Iran yesterday released on bail a former nuclear official after holding him on charges related to national security for more than a week, the judiciary said. Hossein Moussavian, a close ally of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was freed after paying bail of 2 billion rials (US$215,000) at around 1pm, Iranian media reported. "A 2 billion rial bail was issued for the release of Moussavian today, Wednesday, and the suspect was released," said Hassan Hadad, the Tehran deputy prosecutor in charge of security issues, the ISNA agency reported.
Moussavian, the spokesman of a moderate negotiating team that served under reformist president Mohammad Khatami until 2005, was arrested on April 30. He also served as ambassador to Germany under Rafsanjani. Since leaving office, Moussavian has issued veiled criticism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's confrontational stance on the nuclear issue and called on Tehran to behave with pragmatism and flexibility in the standoff. Sources said to the Fars news agency that investigations would continue into Moussavian's case after his release. "He has expressed sorrow and remorse over his deeds," the Fars source said. "The initial investigation is now completed and the subsequent investigation will be done by summoning him to the prosecutors' office in person."
It said the charges agianst Moussavian "are not related to today or yesterday but have to do with [actions] many years ago," adding that the investigation had so far only focused on security issues. Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie said late on Tuesday that two other unnamed individuals had been summoned for questioning by intelligence agents in connection with the case. Fars' source said one of the individuals -- both of whom worked for security bodies -- had been released on bail.
