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Iran nuclear resolution could change Middle East: IAEA

Thursday, November 05, 2009 NEW YORK: Many of the Middle East's most intractable problems could be solved if Iran accepts a proposed resolution for its controversial nuclear program, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday. "Iran could be the door to a stable Middle East," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei told a think tank in New York. "I think it's very clear if we succeed on that, it would open the way, finally, to a new era, when Iran and the US... can work together," ElBaradei said at the Council on Foreign Relations, listing Iraq and Afghanistan as two areas where Iran could play a hugely constructive role. He said there was "a unique opportunity. I see it (for) the first time..., a genuine desire on both sides to seriously engage." However, ElBaradei warned this optimistic scenario depended on Iran signing up to the proposed deal and on Western powers sticking to diplomatic dialogue. If Israel were to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities that would "turn the Middle East into a ball of fire," he cautioned. Israel and several Western nations suspect that Tehran aims to build a nuclear weapon. However, Iran says it seeks only civilian nuclear power.

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