Former Iran atomic negotiator freed on bail

Tehran, May 9: A former senior Iranian nuclear negotiatordetained last week for ''security reasons'' was released on bail ofabout 217,000 dollars today, Iranian news agencies reported.

Hossein Mousavian, once a member of Iran's nuclear negotiatingteam with the European Union, is seen as a moderate conservative withties to the political camp of influential former President AkbarHashemi Rafsanjani.

He also headed the foreign policy committee of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

When he was arrested, a news agency said he was detained for ''security reasons'' but did not give details.

The semi-official Fars news agency said the prosecutor's officesigned the release order after bail was posted but that investigationsinto the case would continue.

''He was released at 1500 hrs IST today,'' Fars quoted a source assaying. The student news agency ISNA also said he had been released.

Officials were not immediately available for comment.

Iran's Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei confirmedyesterday that charges against Mousavian were related to ''securityissues'' and said two other people had been summoned in relation to thecase.

''One of them was released on bail yesterday,'' Fars quoted itssource as saying, indicating that at least one of them worked at theSupreme National Security Council.

He and other members of Iran's nuclear negotiating team with theEU were replaced by more hardline officials when President MahmoudAhmadinejad took office in 2005.

During the 2005 presidential race, Ahmadinejad said Iran'snegotiators had been too timid, although after his election win Irancontinued talks with the EU to try to find a diplomatic solution to itsnuclear dispute.

Iran denies the West's accusations that it wants to use itsnuclear programme to make bombs and says its atomic ambitions arelimited to generating electricity.

The United Nations has imposed two sets of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to stop its sensitive uranium enrichment work.

Reuters>