Tehran - The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
has cancelled a scheduled trip to Vienna to attend the general
assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), local
media reported Sunday.
Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh, who is also Iran's vice-president, was to
address the assembly Monday and was also expected to meet with IAEA
Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
ISNA news agency however quoted an unnamed nuclear official as
saying that Aqazadeh would not attend the assembly.
According to ISNA, Aqazadeh's deputy Mohammad Saeidi and Iran's
IAEA envoy Ali-Asghar Soltanieh would attend the IAEA general
assembly instead.
No reason was given for the sudden cancellation but is widely
believed that the decision was due to the United Nations Security
Council's resolution on Saturday calling on Iran to 'comply fully'
with past UN demands to halt its uranium-enrichment programmes.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili dismissed the
resolution as 'not constructive and will not help solve the problem
either.'
Aqazadeh is in charge of the technical aspects of Iran's nuclear
programmes while Jalili is in charge of political talks with the
world powers through European Union foreign policy chief Javier
Solana.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated at the United Nations in
New York that Iran was ready to hold talks with the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council plus Germany to settle the dispute
over its controversial programmes.
But he said Iran would not accept pre-conditions nor give in to
demands to suspend enrichment of uranium.
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