MOSCOW, August 10 (RIA Novosti political commentator) - Experts say the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is likely to decide at an emergency session that talks with Tehran on the Iranian nuclear problem be continued within the framework of the "EU troika" (Britain, France, and Germany).
"There are good chances to reach a compromise to continue the talks," Roland Timerbayev, a former Russian representative in the IAEA and chairman of the Center for Political Research in Russia (PIR-Center), said. His PIR-Center colleagues agreed, saying a compromise with Iran would be sought until the end.
Timerbayev is sure that Iran's "nuclear dossier" will not be transferred to the UN Security Council. "[During a session of the IAEA Board of Governors], nobody urged the transfer of the Iranian problem to the UN," he said. "On the contrary, they were looking for ways to continue the talks between the troika and Iran."
Moreover, a spokesman for the PIR-Center said the transfer of the issue to the UN Security Council was not desired by most members of the council. "This may cause serious international problems," retired Lieutenant General Gennady Yevstafyev, senior counsel at the PIR-Center, said. "It is hard to imagine that all the members of the Security Council will elaborate a common approach to this problem. Consequently, they will fail to adopt any resolution on the matter."
According to Yevstafyev, it is clear to everyone that the Security Council adopting a resolution condemning Iran would provide for the use of force against this country, as was the case in Iraq. "No one will consent to it given the current political conditions," he said. "Besides, nobody wants Iran to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. If it does, it will completely discredit the treaty."
Yevstafyev said it was evident that any Iranian government, whether reformist or fundamentalist, would not abandon Iran's right to develop a peaceful nuclear program.
Yevstafyev said there should be no reason to deny Iran the right to develop such programs if Pakistan had one, for example. He agreed that all the provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty should be complied with and work in the nuclear sector should be strictly controlled by the IAEA. Russia meets these conditions while it is continuing the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Deputy Director of the PIR-Center Anton Khlopkov emphasized the West's determination to continue talks with Iran. He said he noticed criticism of Iran by "EU troika" representatives and American politicians had softened from a couple of weeks ago, when Tehran announced its decision to resume work at the Isfahan nuclear facility.
Recent statements made by new Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad imply that the country is ready for dialogue. Although the search for compromise is not going to be easy, there is no other way.
