IAEA's ElBaradei-Diplomacy only way forward on Iran

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 25: The only way to tackle the conflict with Iran over its nuclear programme is to use diplomacy, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency today said. ''I am convinced that the only way forward in Iran is engagement,'' ElBaradei said at a panel discussion on nuclear proliferation here at the World Economic Forum.

''We have to invest in peace,'' he said and added that if the international community fails to do that ''the consequence will be 10 times worse.'' ''I hope we will stop speaking about a military option and focus on finding a solution,'' ElBaradei said.

He said that he would not completely rule out the use of force but stressed that fully pursuing the diplomatic path is essential. Threatening force would only inflame the situation in Iran and encourage the government to pursue a nuclear weapons programme, which would take it five to 10 years. Currently, there is no evidence it has nuclear weapons, he said.

Tehran and Washington have collided head-on over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's decision last February to resume the country's uranium enrichment programme, reversing a more than two-year pause under former president Mohammad Khatami's government.

Iran says it needs nuclear power to generate electricity but the West is concerned it is secretly seeking an atom bomb.

In December, the United Nations voted to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology to try and stop enrichment work that could produce bomb material.

This week, Iran banned 38 IAEA inspectors from working in the country. On Tuesday it said it was still cooperating with the U N watchdog.

But escalating tensions with Washington have stirred concerns among some political leaders here and military analysts, gathering in Davos for the annual discussions of the world's rich and powerful, that the Bush administration was planning an attack on Iran.

Asked whether a nuclear strike in Iran would be a preferred option and whether it would work, ElBaradei said: ''It would be absolutely counterproductive, and it would be catastrophic.'' Speaking on the same panel, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also warned of fallout from any kind of force against Iran. ''If there is military action, it will have catastrophic results, not only in the region, but the whole world,'' Aziz said.

Reuters