UN team in Iran for nuclear transparency talks

TEHRAN, Aug 6 (Reuters) A technical team from the United Nations nuclear watchdog arrived in Tehran today to discuss an ''action plan'' to give the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) more access to Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran's offer of greater transparency aims to defuse Western suspicions that it is concealing plans to make atomic bombs behind a civilian nuclear programme, a charge Tehran denies.

Having failed to convince world powers about its peaceful intentions, Tehran faces a possible third round of UN sanctions for not halting uranium enrichment, a process that could have both civilian and military applications.

The four-member IAEA team, headed by Michio Hosoya, will hold several days of talks with officials from Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation led by its deputy head Mohammad Saeedi, the official IRNA news agency said.

''The talks, due to be continued until Thursday, would focus on drawing up the guidelines for inspection of Natanz nuclear facilities in central Iran,'' IRNA reported, citing an unnamed source. Natanz is home to Iran's nuclear enrichment work.

After initial talks last month, Tehran allowed IAEA inspectors to revisit the Arak heavy-water site. Tehran had cut off access in April to protest at UN sanctions imposed over its refusal to halt atom work.

IAEA officials have said the focus of the talks starting today would be steps to improve IAEA surveillance at the Natanz plant as Iran seeks to shift from a small research-level programme to ''industrial scale'' production.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said Iran's pledge to work out an action plan by late August has raised hope of resolving the standoff between Iran and the West. World powers have put off efforts to toughen sanctions at least until September.

The IAEA and Iran are to have higher-level talks on Aug. 20 in Tehran to tackle the thorniest questions about its programme.

They include the origin of traces of highly enriched -- or bomb-grade -- uranium found on some equipment, experiments with plutonium, and the status of research into advanced centrifuges that can enrich three times as fast as the model Iran now uses.

Reuters RC GC1751