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Iran and the IAEA "want the dossier of Iran to be closed as soon as possible," said Aghazadeh (R)
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TEHRAN,
April 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Iran pledged Tuesday,
April 6, to accelerate cooperation with the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) to close this file as soon as possible,
announcing it would "voluntarily" suspend centrifuge work
from 9 April.
"We
have decided to accelerate the work and to respond to the problems and
questions that the agency has," Iran's atomic energy chief Gholam
Reza Aghazadeh told reporters after talks with IAEA chief Mohamed
ElBaradei, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He
asserted that the two sides "want the dossier of Iran to be
closed as soon as possible," adding that a fresh round of IAEA
inspections would start next week.
Aghazadeh
pledged Iran would stop the construction and assembly of centrifuges
used to enrich uranium as of April 9.
He,
however, had shrugged off a call from ElBaradei to delay its
resumption of uranium conversion work at a facility in the central
city of Isfahan that produces the precursors for the enrichment
process.
Iran
insists such work does not violate its suspension of
enrichment-related activities, but the move has been criticized by
Britain, France and Germany -- who stepped in last year to secure
Iranian cooperation with the IAEA -- as likely to further damage
confidence.
"Impatient"
ElBaradei
acknowledged that Tehran "agreed on the need to accelerate the
progress of our work," but stressed that a detailed work plan and
timeline for investigations had yet to be worked out.
He
earlier warned that the U.N. body's 35-member board of governors was
becoming "impatient with Iran" after it reportedly failed to
give a comprehensive declaration of its nuclear activities and has
delayed crucial inspections.
ElBaradei
said a team of IAEA inspectors would arrive in Iran on April 12 for a
new inspection round.
Iran
agreed last October to allow snap IAEA inspections, provide a full
account of its nuclear activities and suspend uranium enrichment.
Inspectors
have found undeclared designs for advanced P-2 centrifuges -- which
can enrich uranium to weapons-grade.
After
meeting with Aghazadeh, he then went into key talks with Hassan
Rowhani -- the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and
the regime's point-man on the nuclear issue.
The
U.N. official was due to meet later with President Mohammad Khatami
before giving a press conference.
If
Iran is judged to have failed to meet IAEA demands, the U.N. watch-dog
could declare the country in breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) and refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council, which
in turn could choose to impose punishing sanctions.
The
United States accuses Iran of using its atomic energy program as a
cover for the secret development of nuclear weapons, a claim
repudiated by Tehran which insists it is only interested
in producing electricity.
Washington
is turning a blind eye to the undeclared
nuclear arsenal of its closest ally Israel, although
ElBaradei asked Tel Aviv to
give up its secret arsenal of nuclear weapons to head
off an arms race in the Middle East.
