EUR: Iran agrees 'new framework of cooperation' with IAEA
Wed Sep 16 03:05:32 EST 2009
Tue Sep 15 17:05:32 UTC 2009
VIENNA, Sept 15 AFP - Iran has agreed new terms of cooperation with the UN atomic watchdog regarding the agency's investigation into Tehran's nuclear activities, a top Iranian official says.
But the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, declined to say what the new cooperation would entail and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) refused to comment on the remarks.
"We managed to come to an agreement to set a new framework for deeper cooperation for the future," Salehi told reporters after meeting with IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Tuesday.
"Details will be revealed at the proper time. We hope we will be witnessing in the future improved cooperation. We think the international environment is also very conducive vis-a-vis this issue," Salehi said.
Nevertheless, the official said the cooperation would not cover allegations that Iran conducted studies in the past into weaponisation.
The so-called "alleged studies" are one of the main bones of contention in the IAEA's six-year investigation into Iran's atomic programme.
The watchdog insists that Tehran must respond to the allegations in order to ascertain the true nature of the activities.
But Iran has dismissed the allegations outright as "baseless" and "fabricated", but done nothing further to disprove them.
"The alleged studies is from our point of view a dead issue. This is just like a movie which is very consistent and comprehensive but at the end it is a fiction," Salehi said.
