Envoy rips U.N. on nuke report

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VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- An American envoy said yesterday that the U.N. nuclear agency is going too easy on Iran, accusing Tehran of "violations and lies" and provoking an unusually sharp response from the agency's director.

Diplomats called the exchange unprecedented in the more than two decades since the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors began meeting as the agency's executive body.

It reflected tensions dividing the board as it wrestles with the language of a resolution that would balance U.S. demands for a harsh response to Iran's past nuclear cover-ups and Europe's calls for milder language in recognition of Tehran's recent pledges to cooperate.

After two days of failing to reach a consensus, the board adjourned its meeting until Wednesday in hopes of finding a compromise to bridge the trans-Atlantic divide. IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told reporters the pause would give a chance for high-level negotiations.

Addressing delegates, U.S. envoy Kenneth Brill suggested a statement in IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei's report on Iran was "questionable" in saying there was no "evidence" that Iran had tried to build nuclear weapons.

No "proof" would have been the proper phrase, Mr. Brill said.

Mr. ElBaradei dismissed the argument as "disingenuous," according to diplomats inside the meeting. "In our dictionary, evidence is the same as proof," he said.

Miss Fleming said Mr. ElBaradei "takes issue with the U.S. accusation that the agency has threatened its credibility," adding, "We believe that we are impartial and credible and that actually our credibility has been enhanced."

Earlier this week, Mr. ElBaradei appeared at one point to side with the United States in a dispute with European powers, saying a resolution proposed by Britain, France and Germany was not strong enough.