Khatami Warns UN Nuclear Agency On Tough Resolution

16 June 2004 -- Iranian President Mohammad Khatami today warned that Tehran would have no moral obligation to maintain a suspension of uranium enrichment and allow tougher UN inspections if a harsh, European-drafted resolution is adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Khatami, speaking to reporters in Tehran, described the draft resolution prepared by Britain, Germany, and France as "very bad" and beyond "the legal framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

But Khatami said Tehran had no intention of following North Korea's example and withdrawing from the NPT. The draft resolution calls for a probe into Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program to be toughened and wrapped up in months.

(Reuters/AFP/AP)