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September 17, 2007

IAEA Chief Criticizes Talk of War with Iran
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19884DE:A6F02AD83191E1607F7529BA7E12AB4B9574F7DCC14957C0 Mohamed ElBaradei
says use of force should only be considered after all other options
are exhausted





International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei
listens to a speech during the General Conference of the IAEA, in
Vienna, Austria, 17 Sep 2007The head of the U.N nuclear agency has
criticized talk of attacking Iran over its nuclear program, saying the
use of force should only be considered after all other options are
exhausted.

Mohamed ElBaradei says he does not believe the international community
has reached a point where it should be discussing attacking Iran.

He called talk of war "hype" Monday, one day after French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner warned the world should brace for the
possibility of war if negotiations with Iran fail.

Iran reacted to Kouchner's warning by accusing France of pandering to
the United States.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is meeting in Vienna for talks
expected to focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The United States and its allies are urging the U.N. Security Council
to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran for refusing to stop
sensitive nuclear activities.

The United States and other western nations accuse Iran of trying to
develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian energy program.
Tehran denies the charges and says it will not give up its nuclear
program.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.




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