By DPA
Vienna : The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors Thursday started its year-end meeting here, with talks focusing on the Iranian nuclear standoff.
The dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme will dominate the meeting, with diplomats split over whether the country’s cooperation on its nuclear activities is sufficient to stave off new UN sanctions.
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told board members in his opening statement that the “good progress” made over the past months in resolving questions about Iran’s nuclear past had been made possible with increased cooperation by Iran.
A work plan agreed by the IAEA and Iran in August, in which Iran committed itself to answer outstanding questions, was proceeding “according to schedule,” he told the meeting.
Deflecting western criticism that the work plan left open too many questions about Iran’s present activities, he stressed that the “Agency needs to have maximum clarity not only about Iran’s past programme, but, equally or more importantly, about the present.”
Knowledge about Iran’s current programme diminished since 2006, when Iran stopped implementing transparency measures as a reaction to UN sanctions, the IAEA chief said.
The IAEA’s report, together with the assessment of political talks between Iran and EU foreign policy head Javier Solana will factor in the UN Security Council’s decision on a third round of sanctions against Tehran.
Tehran is still defying the UN Security Council’s demands for suspension of uranium enrichment and is forging ahead with its programme, now operating 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment plant, the IAEA said.
Talks on further UN sanctions will by rekindled as Solana’s report gives a fuller picture of Iranian cooperation, European diplomats said. Russia and China, which in the past reluctantly supported sanctions, are hoped to be on board for the third round of sanctions.
Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili announced Thursday he would present a “new idea” for settling the nuclear dispute in his next meeting with the EU.