Iran's Larijani to meet IAEA head before key report

VIENNA, Feb 19 (Reuters) Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani will meet International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed ElBaradei tomorrow, shortly before a critical IAEA report on Tehran's disputed nuclear activity, officials said.

''I can confirm a meeting has been requested by Iran and the meeting will go ahead tomorrow afternoon in Vienna,'' an official with the UN nuclear watchdog agency said.

Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) earlier reported the talks were planned but did not say what would be discussed. IAEA officials also declined to elaborate.

ElBaradei was due to report later this week on whether Iran has met a 60-day deadline set by the UN Security Council to stop enriching uranium for nuclear fuel or risk a widening of sanctions the Council imposed on Tehran two months ago.

Tehran has said it will not heed the deadline, vowing to press ahead with enrichment activity the West suspects is geared to assembling atomic bombs in secret. Iran insists it is a legal programme to generate electricity.

Iran has often sought last-minute talks with top IAEA officials to try and soften the impact of imminent reports on investigations into its nuclear activity.

The two men could also address ElBaradei's proposal for Iran and the West to take a mutual ''timeout'' from an escalating confrontation that has raised fears of a US-Iran war.

This would entail simultaneous suspensions of enrichment activity and sanctions in order to rekindle talks on a diplomatic solution.

REUTERS AKJ BD1848