BRUSSELS, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Belgium has agreed to refer the Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council and supported the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on Feb. 2 and 3.

    Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht conveyed the above message here on Tuesday in a written statement, who said he also "fully aligns himself with the statement on the Iran nuclear issue" released by the European Union (EU) on Jan. 12.

    "Foreign Minister De Gucht agrees with the E3/EU that the time has come for the UN Security Council to become involved and to use all the potential of its diplomacy, and he fully supports the calling, by the E3/EU of an extraordinary IAEA Board of Governors on 2 and 3 February 2006," said the statement.

    According to the foreign minister, Belgium has, as a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), carefully been following the development of the Iranian nuclear file.

    Minister De Gucht said he regrets that Iran seems unwilling to comply with the IAEA resolutions calling for full transparency and cooperation with the IAEA and the numerous appeals to remedy the confidence deficit stemming from its past clandestine nuclear activities.

    De Gucht stressed that the resolution adopted by the IAEA Board in September 2005 found Iran to be in non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement and declared that the Iranian nuclear file gave rise to questions that were within the competence of the UN Security Council.

    "Since Iran continues to challenge the authority of the IAEA and its Board resolutions, Iran knows what it has to do to revert this situation," said the statement.

    Belgium calls on the Iranian leadership to take immediate and positive action, concluded De Gucht. Enditem