Asia

Asia

Iran hopes to agree on new modality with IAEA

19 May 2012 21:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi has expressed hope that Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could reach an agreement on a new modality to resolve remaining issues concerning Iran’s nuclear activities, APA reports.

Salehi said Iran and the IAEA would discuss the issue of modality and a new framework to remove the IAEA’s ambiguities and questions over some aspects of Iran’s nuclear program during Sunday’s visit of IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday.

On Friday, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a brief statement that Amano would visit Tehran for nuclear talks with Iranian officials.

Amano would start the trip on Sunday to discuss issues of mutual interest with high-level Iranian officials, the IAEA said in the statement.

During his one-day working visit, Amano would meet Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili and other senior representatives of the Iranian government, the statement said.

IAEA Deputy Director General for Safeguards Herman Nackaerts and Assistant Director General for Policy Rafael Mariano Grossi would accompany Amano on the trip.

Amano’s move comes after the IAEA and Iranian representatives ended this week in Vienna their two-day talks meant to clarify issues related to possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program.

The talks are aimed at pushing Iran to allow IAEA experts access to sites, people and documents the agency seeks to address concerns that the country might have been working on nuclear weapons.

One priority issue for the IAEA in the recent talks is the agency’s demand for access to Iran’s Parchin military site in southeast of Tehran.

Media said the IAEA has received reports that Iran had tested explosives which could be used to set off a nuclear charge.

Iran denied such reports, and insisted that access to Parchin would only be granted if Iran and the IAEA agree on certain conditions and steps.

Though neither side has revealed progress in the recent talks, analysts said a positive signal has been released as they agreed to continue negotiations.

The IAEA said its previous two rounds of talks in January and February in Tehran failed to achieve concrete results.

However, talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as Germany (P5+1) in Turkey’s Istanbul in April raised new hope for a negotiated settlement of the long-standing Iranian nuclear issue.

According to ISNA, Salehi said that "the IAEA delegation does not seek inspections (into the country’s nuclear sites) in the trip" to Tehran, adding that "the trip of the IAEA director general to Iran occurs due to his interest."

Iran has already invited the IAEA chief to visit the country, but he preferred to travel to Tehran ahead of Baghdad talks, said Salehi.

The world powers and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear talks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on May 23.

A senior advisor to Iran’s supreme leader said there is hope that talks between Tehran and the world powers in Baghdad will be successful, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Saturday.

Ali-Akbar Velayati, who formerly served as Iran’s foreign minister, said that "The Islamic Republic of Iran, for its part, has decided that the talks would be held within the framework of international regulations and Iran’s rights," according to the report.

"If the P5+1 member states act in good faith, adhere to international regulations, and have no intention of imposing their illegal views, there is hope for the Baghdad talks," Velayati was quoted as saying.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not tolerate any pressure and it decides about its destiny in nuclear issue with full authority," Velayati added.

Also on Saturday, Deputy Speaker of Iran’s Majlis (parliament) Mohammad-Reza Bahonar said the first positive step that the six major powers can take in the upcoming nuclear talks in Baghdad is that they lift sanctions imposed against the Islamic republic for its nuclear program, according to Mehr.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday that the Group of Eight (G8) leaders are hopeful of the upcoming talks in Baghdad on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

Speaking at Camp David in Maryland, the venue for the two-day G8 summit, Obama, flanked by other G8 leaders, said they agreed that Iran has the right for a peaceful nuclear program, but the weaponization of nuclear power is of "grave concern to all of us."

"All of us are firmly committed to continuing with the approach of sanctions and pressure in combination with diplomatic discussions," Obama said, "We are unified on our approach to Iran. "

"Our hope is that we can resolve this issue in a peaceful fashion that respects Iran’s sovereignty and its rights in the international community, but also recognizes its responsibilities, " he said.