ElBaradei Warns Against Attack on Iran Over Nuclear Dispute

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, today warned against an attack on Iran over allegations the nation is trying to develop an atomic bomb.

``I don't believe there is a military solution to the problem'' at this stage, ElBaradei told reporters in Oslo, where he will receive the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize tomorrow. ``A military solution could be counterproductive.''

ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, urged Iran to provide the IAEA with more details of its nuclear program. The U.S. claims Iran is trying to make a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear program is intended only for the production of electricity.

The Peace Prize was awarded jointly to ElBaradei and the IAEA for their work to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevent the spread of atomic weapons and their use by terrorists.

ElBaradei said he hopes Iran will provide UN inspectors with missing information about its atomic program in the next few months to prevent the conflict from accelerating. The 63- year-old Egyptian said he hasn't seen any evidence Iran is developing nuclear arms.

``Iran is cooperating with us but the pace is slow,'' ElBaradei said. ``They are inching forward, but we are asking them to lean forward. We are getting impatient.''

Talks between the European Union and Iran, aimed at ending the standoff over the nuclear program, broke down in August after Iran resumed uranium conversion, an initial step to increase the concentration of the U-235 isotope that starts and sustains a nuclear reaction.

The IAEA board voted in September to refer the dispute over Iran's nuclear program to the 15-nation UN Security Council, without setting a date. The U.S. and its European allies decided last month not to press for such referral immediately, in order to allow more time for an agreement that would permit Iran's uranium enrichment to take place in Russia.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Bunny Nooryani in Oslo at bnooryani@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: December 9, 2005 10:12 EST

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