From AP, :
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday said that a preliminary agreement between Iran and the European Union's three big powers over Tehran's nuclear program was a ``step in the right direction.''Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the Vienna-based U.N. agency, said he hoped the agreement will be made official in the coming days.
The preliminary agreement was worked out in Paris with Britain, France and Germany, chief Iranian negotiator Hossein Mousavian told state-run Iranian television on Sunday.
If approved, the deal would be a major breakthrough after months of threats and negotiations. It could spare Iran from being taken before the U.N. Security Council, where the United States has warned it would seek economic sanctions unless Tehran gives up all uranium enrichment activities, a technology that can produce nuclear fuel or atomic weapons.
``I would hope that this would lead to the desired outcome, which is Iran to suspend both its enrichment and reprocessing related activities and open the way for normalization of Iran's relations with the international community,'' said ElBaradei speaking from a conference on nuclear security in Australia.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers ``are collecting support for a draft bill banning the production of nuclear weapons,'' legislator Mohmoud Mohammadi told The Associated Press.
Mohammadi said the bill could be presented to the parliament next week. He said the draft was prompted by a religious verdict by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, has said that production, stockpiling and using nuclear weapons was un-Islamic and against human interests.
``Ayatollah Khamenei's verdict is clear,'' Mohammadi said. ``So why not make the production of nuclear weapons illegal under Iranian law?''
In proposals to Iran last month, Britain, Germany and France offered a trade deal and peaceful nuclear technology - including a light-water research reactor - if Iran pledged to indefinitely suspend uranium enrichment and related activities such as reprocessing uranium and building centrifuges used to enrich it.
It will be interesting to see how those last two paragraphs play out.
I think it is largely an issue of trust.
Do the Iranians think that the IDF/US/British forces will attack them?
1) Obviously you cannot rule this out ad-infinitum so they want to protect themselves with Nukes. i.e. This makes the likely hood less likey if they can provide a strong response.
2) Can there be a settlement to thehe Pal issue. The West/Israeli stance has already squandered the chance with Mr. Arafat at the helm.
3) Will the trade links remain/increase with the West. Already there has been talk of blockading Iranian harbourers.
4) Will the West change its attitude towards Iran and Islam in general. The stance of the only good muslim is a dead one or suicuide bomber will have to change.
There must be give & take on both sides, you cannot have take take take from the West only.
"Take, take, take".... says Naseem.
Sounds a lot like what muslims have been doing in europe for decades during their demographic conquest, and throughout islamic history worldwide.
The day muslims start giving , will be the day hell has a champion ice skater.
Whenever I see names such as ElBaradei, IAEA, France, Germany and trade deals I grow suspicious. I think that I've seen this sort of construct before!!
Il Toscano
Good old gormless Naseem...
...which Middle Eastern country whose name starts with "I" did the Iranians spend 8 years at war with?
I'll give you a few hints: four letters long, the second being "r", the third being "a" and the last being "q".
The biggest threat to the rule of the ayatollahs and Islamists of Iran isn't Israel or the US -- it's the broad population who have suffered even more greatly than anyone could have imagined after the Shah was deposed.
``So why not make the production of nuclear weapons illegal under Iranian law?''
What difference would that make? The mullahs routinely violate Iranian Law - ask any dissident rotting and tortured in Evin Prison. Ask Zahra Kazemi - Oh, that's right, you CAN'T. She fell on a blunt instrument and died from brain injuries. Clumsy photo-journalists!
Who believes that story? I'm supposed to believe this one?? Naseem is right, this is a matter of trust, and the mullahs have given no one, whether it be their citizens or the West, any reason to trust them.
Consider, for a moment, the possibility that this EU-Iran treaty is the equivalent to the Soviet-Nazi pact that Hitler used to invade Poland and secure his Eastern flank before invading the Low Countries, Scandinavia and France. Hitler eventually reneged on that treaty less that two years after he signed it.
Let's face it: Iran really has nothing against the EU. It's main geopolitical enemies are the U.S. and Israel.
So what would the Iranians' purpose be? To lull the EU into sleep while they continue to build nuclear stockpiles. Remember, Ayatollah Khomeini said that the destruction of the "genocide state of Israel" should be a fundamental goal of Iranian foreign policy. Besides, who is really going to hold Iran accountable? That is the ultimate question.
As far as Ayatollah Khamenei is concerned, remember that Hitler said that the Sudetenland would be his last territorial objective in Europe.
Remember, also, that the treaties between Reagan and Gorbachev did not end the Cold War. The collapse of Communism did. We must not rest until Islam suffers the same fate.
Like Sauron in the Lord of the Rings the Mullahs in Iran NEED weapons of great power (i.e. nukes) for the great strategic power it would give them. I don't think they will feel complete and secure till they have nukes. They are deceivers. They have been and always will be. They will stall until they get what they want. Pieces of paper(i.e. treaties/ international agreements) mean as much to them as they did to Hitler or any other kind of totalitarian thug.
Obl R Us,
Nice to see another Tolkien fan on JW.
Attention Europe: You are about to repeat the mistakes of the past. And those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them. And so it goes with the Iranian government.
Why would I say this? Here are three incidents of the past which indicate that dealing with regimes such as Iran's is a non-starter (at best).
#1)- In the sixth century Muhammed signes a pact with the Qairaysh tribe of Saudi Arabia by which he was to let them alone. But as it happened, this tribe was non-muslim, kafir, or whatever you wish to term it and it Muhammed decided that this tribe was not worthy of honest dealings and he eventually attacked the Qairaysh and murdered them all--to a man. COnsidering that Muhammed is believed by the Muslim world as the founder, this example bodes poorly for negitations with Islamby non-muslims. The code word to keep in mind is: HUDAIBIYA. It will return to haunt Europe if it attempts honest negotiations with the Islamic world.
#2-)The Qur'an itself admonishes its disciples not to deal honestly with non-muslims. Deception is considered legitimate.
#3-)Does anyone recall Kim jong-il and his treaty with the United States. He violated it behind the back of the United States. I see no reason to believe the Iranian government will treat the European compact with any greater degree of honesty. Europe shoold watch its back.