Tehran - In initial reaction to the latest report by the
United Nations nuclear watchdog on Iran's nuclear activities, Tehran
said Wednesday it had no problems with International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) inspection of its nuclear sites as long as they are made
within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
'We have enabled the IAEA access to our nuclear sites in line with
NPT and the accord with the IAEA and the same trend will also be
continued in the future,' Mohammad Saeidi, the deputy head of the
Iranian Atomic Organization, told the official news agency IRNA.
In his latest report on Iran to IAEA member states, Director
General Mohamed ElBaradei said that 'regrettably, as a result of the
lack of cooperation by Iran in connection with the alleged studies and
other associated key remaining issues of serious concern, the Agency
has not been able to make substantive progress on these issues.'
While officials close to the IAEA had said in September that the
agency and Tehran were in a 'gridlock', the current situation was
worse, the official said Wednesday, because there was no substantial
communication between the two sides.
According to Saeidi, Iran's cooperation with the IAE was only
within the NPT, indicating that as Iran stopped implementation of the
IAEA Additional Protocol, inspections could no longer be effected
without prior notice but after coordination with Tehran.
'We will continue our constructive cooperation with the IAEA on NPT
basis and it seems that the IAEA should gradually adopt its
cooperation on the same basis,' Saeidi said.
The IAEA has received documents from a number of member states
indicating that past Iranian projects on missiles, high explosives and
uranium conversion could have been related to nuclear weapons work.
Tehran has stated that some of the documents were forged, and that
some of the alleged research activities were not related to the
nuclear field.
Iran needed to provide the IAEA with substantial information 'to
support its statements and provide access to relevant documentation
and individuals on this regard,' ElBaradei wrote.
'There are some demands coming from the UN Security Council (and
not from the IAEA) and considering the fact that all modalities have
already been implemented, there are de facto no remaining issues
left.' Saeidi said, indicating that charges made outside the direct
IAEA framework would be regarded by Iran as irrelevant.
Iran says that numerous inspections by the IAEA have proved Iran's
claim that its nuclear projects were solely for peaceful and civil
purposes and demands therefore the return of its nuclear dossier from
the UN Security Council to the IAEA in Vienna and be dealt with as a
normal case.
The 35 countries represented on the IAEA's governing board are set
to discuss the lack of progress on the Iranian nuclear issue at a
regular meeting on November 27 and 28 in Vienna.
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