IAEA Can Pass North Korean Nuclear Issue to UN Security Council

Wednesday afternoon will see a special meeting of the IAEA /the International Atomic Energy Agency/ board of governors who can take a decision to pass "the North Korean nuclear issue" to the UN Security Council for consideration, Vienna's IAEA headquarters told RIA Novosti the day before.

At the IAEA meeting, with Russia being represented by an IAEA governor, international organisations' permanent representative in Vienna, Ambassador Grigori Berdennikov, IAEA Head Mohamed El Baradei will make an important report on Pyongyang's resumption of its previously frozen nuclear programmes and North Korea's withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons /NPT/.

In the light of the special meeting of the IAEA board of governors El Baradei stated that he had exhausted all his resources concerning the so-called North Korean nuclear programme and persuasion of Pyongyang to return to the NPT. Accordingly, on February 12th, he intends to suggest that the board of governors should pass this issue over to the UN Security Council entitled to decide on measures against North Korea violating its liabilities to the international community.

El Baradei, who had arrived in Vienna to chair the IAEA meeting of the board of governors, also expressed confidence that the IAEA government would agree "to pass the issue to the UN Security Council" taking into account the fact the Pyongyang had insisted on negotiations with the USA alone ignoring other countries concerned like Russia, South Korea, Japan and China.

On the other hand, the IAEA Director General believes that the UN Security Council is unlikely to impose any sanctions on North Korea or support any military operations against Pyongyang. El Baradei thinks that the UN Security Council is most likely to make diplomatic efforts to secure Pyongyang back in the NPT and resume UN inspections in North Korea, including the Yongbyon Nuclear Power Plant.