Iran Ready To Fulfill IAEA Demands

Mohamad Noun     Al-Hayat     2003/10/21

Tehran 

Iran announced yesterday that it has reached a draft agreement with the IAEA, according to which it will sign the protocol related to nuclear inspections. This was announced on the eve of important talks about this matter, between Foreign Ministers Dominique De Villepin, Jack Straw and Joshka Fischer with President Mohamad Khatami in Tehran today.

The three ministers decided to visit Tehran upon Iran's invitation, in an indication that a European initiative could settle the crisis between Washington and Tehran. According to such an initiative, Iran will be given assurances that it will be supplied with nuclear technology towards peaceful ends, if it meets the demands of IAEA and freezes the uranium-enrichment activities.

In parallel, Ali Akbar Salihi, Iran's representative at the IAEA, announced that a delegation of the international agency was scheduled to carry out a new visit, in view of completing the mission of obtaining lists from Tehran of the material used in the nuclear program and the remaining details needed by the agency, as well as to pursue the negotiations regarding the inspections protocol.

Salihi said that Iran presented its remarks, mainly concerning the respect of its sovereignty, interests and security, during the useful talks between the two parties. This statement signals the possibility that the negotiations will reach their goal before October 31, which is the deadline the agency set for Iran to accept signing the protocol, ending the enrichment activities and disclosing all the details regarding its nuclear program.

In an indication of its willingness to settle this issue rapidly, the Iranian authorities gave the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for National Security, Hasan Rouhani, the mission to direct follow up developments. Rouhani expressed his optimism after receiving Mohamad El Baradei, IAEA's general director, in Tehran last Thursday. The latter assured that the protocol did not aim to hinder the sovereignty, security or dignity of Iran or any other country.

Sources in Iran have confirmed that Iran was moving towards fulfilling the international community's demands, but that to that end, this should be compensated by clear international guarantees to the effect that Iran would be able to pursue its nuclear program for power supply, and Washington would stop using this file as a source of pressure on Iran. 

Berlin announced yesterday that the aim of the European delegation is to find a solution to the international fears regarding Iran's nuclear program, while the French Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that "the Iranian authorities seem to be determined to take a number of confidence-building measures regarding the international community." London considered that it was extremely important for the EU and the international community to clear the doubts regarding the Iranian program.