12 December 2003, Tokyo – Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople today welcomed the decision of the Iranian Government to sign the additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying that Iran’s decision reinforces international legal regime and the efforts of the international community to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.  The Secretary made this statement from Tokyo where he is attending the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit.

“We welcome this decision of Iran and look forward to the signing of the Protocol.  Iran’s decision renews our faith in their commitment to adhere to their obligation to use nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes, something that Iran has been saying all along. This decision reinforces the international non-proliferation regime and strengthens the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the primary international institution responsible for monitoring the peaceful use of nuclear energy,” Secretary Ople said.

“Once the Protocol is signed, we will eagerly await the completion by Iran of its internal processes to make the Protocol fully and legally binding,” Secretary Ople added.

The Secretary said that he understood that after signing, the Protocol would have to go through an internal ratification process. An Iranian official was quoted as saying that “after the signing, it (the  Protocol) will return to the government for ratification. Then the government will submit it to the parliament as a bill for approval. At the final stage, it has to be ratified by the Guardian's Council into law.”

“Under existing agreements, IAEA inspectors have to obtain prior permission to enter certain suspected nuclear sites in Iran. The additional protocol will remove that restriction,” Secretary Ople said. “With this decision, the possibility that the UN Security Council will have to act on this has been reduced.  Although we would be prepared to deal with this issue in the Security Council, we prefer that this matter be resolved through regular diplomacy and in the context of the IAEA,” Secretary Ople added. END.