Iran Needs Transparency On Nuclear Activities, Cheney Says

(Vice president also discusses elections in Iraq)

By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

  Washington -- Vice President Cheney says Iran needs to assure the world
that it is not trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

  Interviewed February 6 on the Fox News Sunday television program, Cheney
said the Iranians should do the "right thing" and agree to "transparency"
to show that they are not trying to build a nuclear weapons arsenal.

  Cheney said the Iranians are fully aware that the rest of the world does
not want them to acquire nuclear weapons.

  "I can't think of anybody who's eager to see the Iranians develop that
kind of capability," he said.

  Cheney said the United States supports the "good faith" efforts by
France, Germany and Great Britain to resolve the Iranian issue
diplomatically.

  But the vice president said that if the diplomatic process breaks down,
the probable next step concerning Iran would be to go to the board of
governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.� From there, it would
be up to the U.N. Security Council to decide whether or not to impose
international sanctions on the Iranians.

  "We have not eliminated any alternatives" regarding Iran, Cheney said,
but he added that "at this point, we obviously are seriously pursuing
diplomatic resolution" to persuade Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons.

  Cheney expressed skepticism regarding Iran's claims that it has stopped
its uranium-enrichment program, with its potential to produce nuclear
weapons material, and that such a program would be used only for peaceful
purposes.

  The vice president said he could not say "with absolute certainty" that
the enrichment program has been stopped, and said there is "some evidence"
to suggest that the program would support a nuclear weapons capability.

  Regarding progress toward democracy in Iran, Cheney said the Iranians
have held a number of elections, but "unfortunately the most recent series
of elections have been tainted by the ruling power" in Iran.

  The ruling mullahs in Iran, the vice president said, "control who can
get on the [election] ballot" and "they've kept a lot of serious reformers
off the ballot to put a crimp" on the potential for the younger generation
in Iran to express itself freely.

  According to Cheney, President Bush wanted to make it clear during his
State of the Union address February 2 that the United States supports the
aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy.� He also
wanted to encourage the "reformers" inside Iran "to work to build a true
democracy -- one that doesn't vest enormous power as this one does in the
unelected mullahs who we believe are a threat to peace and stability" in
the entire Middle East, he said.

  Assessing the January 30 elections in Iraq, Cheney said there is a "lot
of evidence" that the Shi段te coalition is very interested in talking to
the Sunni minority in the country to get the Sunnis involved in the
electoral process, even though the latter group did not participate in
great numbers in the election.

  Asked about the influence of the Islamic religion vis-・vis the secular
"side of the house" in Iraq, Cheney said that "I think we have to be very
careful here.� We're trying to forecast what an as yet unformed government
is going to do based on partial election returns without really having
heard or [letting] the debate unfold."

  The Iraqi election represented the "first step" in electing an Iraqi
national assembly that will create a new government, Cheney said.� This
government "will be the first democratically elected government in a very
long time, and it's now up to Iraqis to take the next step," he continued.

  The important thing to remember about the new Iraqi constitution, the
vice president said, is that "this is not going to be an Iraqi version of
America.� This is going to be Iraqi, written by the Iraqis, for the
Iraqis, implemented and executed by them, and it is absolutely essential
that it be allowed to happen and that we preserve the integrity of that
process."

  Asked how long U.S. forces would remain in Iraq, Cheney said the leading
figures on the Shi段te election ticket have said they are opposed to
setting any deadline.

  Cheney said the "responsible Iraqis, the ones we've been working with,
understand, just as do we, the ultimate test here is when do we complete
the mission" in Iraq.

  "Once we've completed the mission, stood up an effective Iraqi
government, and they have the security forces in place to be able to take
care of their own, then we're out of there," said Cheney.� "We have no
desire to stay a day longer [in Iraq] than is necessary."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.  Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
NNNN