Iran says IAEA report on atomic work "not negative"

TEHRAN, Apr 28 (Reuters) Iran said today a UN nuclear watchdog report which said Tehran had flouted Security Council calls to end uranium enrichment was not damning and that it was ready to answer remaining questions about its atomic work ''The report does not contain negative points. It shows that the agency still has the capacity to review Iran's nuclear case,'' said Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, told state radio.

''The remaining issues are not major ones. We have expressed our readiness to answer the questions,'' Saeedi said.

The report by Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), prompted Western powers to urge tougher UN action to curb Tehran's atomic programme.

The UN Security Council could eventually impose sanctions on Iran, which has said it will never yield to international pressure to abandon its uranium enrichment activities.

''The most important issue is that Iran's nuclear issue should be resolved through talks,'' Saeedi said.

REUTERS AD RK0040