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Technical IAEA Meetings Imminent

Technical IAEA Meetings  Imminent
Technical IAEA Meetings  Imminent

Meetings will be held in the coming days with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Tehran to clarify technical questions recently posed by the agency about the data Iran provided on its nuclear past on Aug. 15.

Following the receipt of information and explanations from Iran in compliance with a roadmap agreement with the IAEA, the UN body issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that it had sent Iran questions to clear up ambiguities in the Aug. 15 data.

The statement said, "The IAEA submitted on September 8 questions to Iran on ambiguities regarding the information Iran provided to the IAEA on  August 15, 2015, as agreed between the IAEA and Iran in the roadmap for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear program."

"As also agreed in the roadmap, technical-expert meetings, technical measures and discussions will be organized in Tehran prior to October 15, 2015 to remove the ambiguities identified by the IAEA," according to the statement posted on the agency's website.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the agency's 35-nation board of governors on Thursday, the envoy to the UN watchdog confirmed the news of imminent technical talks.

"We are working on the questions. Technical meetings (with the IAEA) will be held shortly in Tehran," Reza Najafi was quoted by IRNA as saying.

The roadmap, signed alongside the July 14 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, commits Iran to clarifying any further questions by Oct. 15 to enable IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to submit the final assessment over the following two months for action by the board.

  Stockpile Reduction   

Najafi also said Iran has not yet decided how to reduce its enriched uranium stockpile, a measure it is bound to take by the accord, adding that there are two courses of action Tehran is considering in this regard.

He said one option would be to export it to Russia or other countries and the other would be to convert it to non-enriched form, the AP reported.

Referring to the new allegations the IAEA made against Iran concerning the Parchin military site in its latest report, Najafi said any construction at military sites falls outside the UN body's purview.

In its report on August 27, the Vienna-based agency said, "Since (our) previous report (in May), at a particular location at the Parchin site, the agency has continued to observe, through satellite imagery, the presence of vehicles, equipment and probable construction materials."

"In addition, a small extension to an existing building" appeared to have been built, the report said.

 Confidentiality Matters

Expressing regret that in the past some classified details of Iran's cooperation with the IAEA were leaked to the public, Najafi urged the agency to take stricter precautions to ensure the security of confidential information.

"Given the attempts by some intelligence services to infiltrate into the IAEA, it should intensify efforts to safeguard confidential information."

"In addition, as stressed in the roadmap agreement, the agency should take account of Iran's security considerations," the envoy added.

The text of the agreement says, "In accordance with the Framework for Cooperation, the agency will continue to take into account Iran's security concerns."

The Framework for Cooperation, which was agreed between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog in late 2013, provided for practical measures on the part of Iran to resolve questions about its nuclear program.

Financialtribune.com