Iran to continue nuke work ahead of IAEA talks

Tehran, Aug 20: Iran's atomic work is continuing ''non-stop'', an Iranian official said today, on the eve of a new round of talks with the UN nuclear watchdog aimed at defusing Western suspicions about Tehran's intentions.

Iran, under UN pressure to suspend activities the West suspects is aimed at making nuclear bombs, agreed in June to draw up an ''action plan'' to give the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) more access to its nuclear facilities.

Having repeatedly rejected demands to halt uranium enrichment, diplomats say Iran is showing signs of cooperation with the agency to avert a third round of UN sanctions.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the Vienna-based IAEA, was speaking ahead of discussions between senior agency and Iranian officials due to start in Tehran tomorrow, following talks at the same level in July in the Iranian capital.

''In this round, the issue will be discussed from the legal, technical and political aspects,'' he told the Mehr News Agency.

''The goal of the negotiations is to solve the remaining issues.'' Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran's right to obtain peaceful nuclear energy should be accepted, saying the country was moving forward in a transparent and legal way, the ISNA news agency reported from the northeastern city of Mashhad.

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.

''Constructive talks''

But the United States, leading efforts to isolate Iran, has made clear Tehran must halt uranium enrichment as a precondition for broader talks on economic and trade incentives.

Enriched uranium can be used as fuel in power plants or, if refined to a much higher degree, provide material for bombs. Iran says it solely wants to generate electricity so that OPEC's number 2 producer can sell more of its valuable oil and gas.

''Iran's enrichment activities are continuing non-stop and under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,'' Soltanieh said.

The talks starting tomorrow between Olli Heinonen, IAEA deputy director in charge of nuclear safeguards, and Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator Javad Vaeedi are expected to tackle the thorniest questions about Tehran's nuclear 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.

''So far there have been useful and constructive talks,'' Vaeedi told the IRNA news agency. Asked whether Iran had agreed to install more surveillance cameras at its Natanz enrichment plant, he said: ''There has been no final agreement yet.'' After initial discussions between Heinonen and Vaeedi last month, Tehran allowed IAEA inspectors to revisit the Arak heavy-water site. Tehran had cut off access in April to protest against sanctions imposed over its refusal to halt atom work.

Reuters>