Iran Willing To Share Nuke Ability

President Says Nuclear Technology Could Be Given To Islamic Nations

(AP)  Washington had been a key force in trying to marshal enough support at Monday's board meeting of the Vienna-based IAEA for referral. But in comments Wednesday, Rice indirectly acknowledged that drive was faltering.

"I am not so concerned about exactly when it happens," Rice told the Fox News Editorial Board, "because I don't think this matter is so urgent that it has to come on Sept. 19."

The European Union has taken the lead in trying to persuade Iran to halt development of nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons in exchange for economic concessions.

The European official said that — as of Thursday — any resolution in Vienna demanding immediate referral to the Security Council would have "only a slim majority of two or three countries" on the 35-member IAEA board.

Rice on Wednesday suggested the EU remained fully committed to referral, saying: "The question is how much support can you bring that is non-European support."

But officials and diplomats said that was not so.

About a half-dozen EU member nations — among them Italy, Spain and Portugal — are openly questioning the authority of France, Britain and Germany to negotiate a resolution at the board meeting on behalf of the European Union, said the official.

Iran's lobby efforts against referral "have been rather successful," said the official. "Both African countries and nonaligned countries are very keen on it not going to the Security Council."

A senior nonaligned diplomat in Vienna said informal but high-level contacts were under way between Tehran and key EU countries on what concessions Iran was prepared to make in exchange for a delay of the push to have Iran hauled before the Security Council.

Ahmadinejad is expected to reveal new Iranian proposals by the weekend at the U.N. summit, which it hopes will defuse the nuclear crisis.

Among those leaning against the idea of immediate referral in favor of a several-weeks-long deadline is IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei, said several officials and diplomats. One of them said ElBaradei "moved over to the camp" of countries opposed to referral in recent weeks as that group of countries has grown.

While an EU diplomat said ElBaradei had suggested a delay as one of several options, the European official said the IAEA chief appeared increasingly to be backing that approach over others in recent conversations with EU foreign ministers and Rice.