IAEA urges Iran to drop ban on inspectors

Vienna, Jan 26: The International Atomic Energy Agency has urged Iran to drop a ban on 38 international inspectors imposed after it was slapped with sanctions, a spokesman for the UN nuclear watchdog said.

The IAEA had said after the ban was announced on Monday that it would not undermine monitoring of Iranian nuclear sites as it had other inspectors qualified to do the job.

But the Vienna-based agency also said it would take up the issue with Tehran. Diplomats said the IAEA did not want to see a precedent set for hampering inspections and thereby escalating Iran's confrontation with Western powers.

''We sent a letter to Iran on Wednesday asking the Iranian authorities to reconsider their decision,'' an IAEA spokesman said yesterday.

The Islamic Republic said on Tuesday it was still cooperating with the IAEA despite barring the 38 inspectors, all nationals of Western states which sponsored the U.N. sanctions or backed them, from working in the country.

Iran is accused by the West of secretly trying to assemble atom bombs behind the cover of a professed civilian programme to produce nuclear power plant fuel. Tehran insists its plans are peaceful.

Iran has brushed off the U N Security Council's decision to prohibit transfers of sensitive materials and know-how to Iran's nuclear and missile programmes because Tehran refuses to stop enriching uranium.

The United States urged Iran this week to suspend enrichment in order to sit down for talks on its nuclear programme or face tougher sanctions if IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei tells the Security Council in a report due on February 21 that Tehran is not complying with U.N. demands.

Iran, the world's No. 4 exporter of oil, says it needs atomic energy only to generate electricity.

Iran's parliament responded to sanctions by passing a bill obliging the government to ''revise'' its level of cooperation with the IAEA. Barring 38 inspectors was called a ''first step''.

France called Iran's move ''not a sign of good faith''.

Iran has a legal right to reject any inspector it wants.

Some diplomats said that by blocking some inspectors, the Iranian government had shown it was acting on parliament's demand, while staying within legal boundaries.

The IAEA has a pool of 200 inspectors for assignments in Iran aimed at verifying it is not diverting materials into bomb production.

REUTERS

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