IAEA team back from Iran, but "a lot of work" remains

Feb 1, 2012, 13:10 GMT

Vienna - A senior nuclear inspector said Wednesday that Iran is committed to cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but made clear that much work is still required to establish the nature of Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons programme.

'We had three days of intensive discussions about all our priorities,' IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts said upon his arrival at Vienna airport, following his visit to Iran.

His assessment was more muted than that of Iran, where local nuclear officials were quoted by Fars news agency as saying that 'the negotiations between the two sides were held in a positive and constructive atmosphere.'

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Iran's authorities to prove their claim that their nuclear program is genuinely for peaceful purposes.

'I think they have not yet convinced the international community,' he said during a visit to Israel, adding that dialogue was the only solution to the nuclear stand-off.

The senior IAEA delegation had gone on the three-day visit to Tehran with the aim of working out an agreement with Iran on verifying extensive intelligence information that points to nuclear weapons development projects.

Nackaerts did not say whether such a work plan had been concluded.

'We are committed to resolve all outstanding issues, and the Iranian said they are committed too,' he told reporters.

'Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done, and so we have planned another trip in the very near future,' he added.

The IAEA officials did not inspect any nuclear sites in Iran, but had discussions with relevant Iranian officials.

Nackaerts and his team were reported to have met Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saedi Jalili, and atomic chief Fereydoun Abbasi.

It was the first time since August 2008 that Iran had engaged with the Vienna-based IAEA on the nuclear weapons allegations.

Tehran says the intelligence information received by the nuclear agency was fabricated.

The IAEA's assessment of its mission is expected to clarify whether the nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers - Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States - can now resume.

Jalili will reportedly send European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads the nuclear talks, a letter offering a date and venue for a next round of talks.

Iran has said it is ready to resume the talks, but the world powers are demanding a clear agenda and want Iran to temporarily suspend uranium enrichment until it can prove that it is not developing a nuclear bomb.

Those conditions have been rejected by Iran.

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