Mohammed El-Baradei, the IAEA chief, has made his opinion regarding the Iranian issue known to the world, particularly the United States. He is against any sort of military attack against Tehran at the current moment. He has labelled the current hard US stance against Iran similar to the one followed in 2003 prior to the invasion of Iraq.
It seems Mr.El-Baradei is frustrated by the fact that the diplomatic work of the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, is getting undermined by the increasing American war rhetoric on the Iranian nuclear standoff. The Egyptian nuclear diplomat fears that if any attack is carried out against the Iranians, the IAEA would be considered as a puppet organisation under the direct jurisdiction of the super powers rather than a neutral world body. After the invasion of Iraq, both the UN and the IAEA came under heavy criticism for not showing enough leadership and responsibility to prevent the war.
The tough words used by the IAEA chief against some of the White House policymakers would definitely be welcomed by the Iranian leadership, which is busy putting up its case in front of the world. The latest country that Iran is trying to woo is Turkey. With Ankara determined to defy American calls not to enter the Iraqi territory to pursue PKK rebels, Tehran has put its money behind any future Turkish invasion. The Iranians know that this blunt support towards the Turks may lead to an anti-US rhetoric among the Turkish people and politicians regarding any future attack on Tehran. Some reports have even suggested of a collaboration between the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Turkish special forces in dealing with the Kurdish problem.
It will be interesting to see what effect does the comment of Mohammed El-Baradei have on both the Iranian and American attitudes. It is clear that being an Egyptian and a leader of a world body, the IAEA chief does not want any more bloodshed in the middle-east. But at the same time he knows that the current US government would try everything to launch attacks on Iran before the American elections in 2009. Therefore, the time has come for the IAEA to prove its worth as a neutral world body.
Link:USATODAY
Image Link:Trinity College Dublin
