New IAEA inspectors arrive in Iran
TEHRAN, Feb. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- A new team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived here on Saturday ahead of a key report concerning Iran's nuclear program, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
Mehr said that investigation by this group of inspectors would contribute considerably to the IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei's report on the Iranian nuclear issue, which would be submitted to the agency's board of governors ahead of its meeting on March 6.
The report noted that the inspectors would just carry out theirwork within the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Safeguards Agreement because Iran had announced an end to voluntary cooperative measures.
Earlier in the day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that Iran would revise its policy of cooperation on the nuclear issue if its legal rights on the peaceful nuclear technology could not be secured.
"If the Islamic Republic's legal nuclear rights were violated under the current cooperative policy, the Iranian people will revise it, " Ahmadinejad told a huge rally marking the 27th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
On Feb. 6, the IAEA's board of governors adopted a resolution, which urges Iran to re-suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and requires the agency to report Iran's file to the UN Security Council.
However, the resolution called on the UN Security Council not to take actions on Iran until the IAEA's March meeting.
In response, Iran announced a downgrade of its cooperation with the IAEA, ending voluntary cooperative measures including the implementation of the additional protocol of the NPT, which requires its signatories to admit snap inspections of nuclear sites.
Tehran has also said that it will resume uranium enrichment in mid-February.
The current tension over the Iranian nuclear issue has heightened since Iran resumed nuclear fuel research work on Jan. 10 regardless of hard-worded warnings of the European Union (EU).
The EU, which long held negotiations with Iran over its nuclear issue, holds that Iran's full mastery of nuclear fuel cycle technology would possibly lead to military usage.
The United States has also accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under a civilian front.
But Iran insists that its nuclear program is fully peaceful and aimed at meeting rising domestic demand for electricity.
Mehr said that investigation by this group of inspectors would contribute considerably to the IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei's report on the Iranian nuclear issue, which would be submitted to the agency's board of governors ahead of its meeting on March 6.
The report noted that the inspectors would just carry out theirwork within the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Safeguards Agreement because Iran had announced an end to voluntary cooperative measures.
Earlier in the day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that Iran would revise its policy of cooperation on the nuclear issue if its legal rights on the peaceful nuclear technology could not be secured.
"If the Islamic Republic's legal nuclear rights were violated under the current cooperative policy, the Iranian people will revise it, " Ahmadinejad told a huge rally marking the 27th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
On Feb. 6, the IAEA's board of governors adopted a resolution, which urges Iran to re-suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and requires the agency to report Iran's file to the UN Security Council.
However, the resolution called on the UN Security Council not to take actions on Iran until the IAEA's March meeting.
In response, Iran announced a downgrade of its cooperation with the IAEA, ending voluntary cooperative measures including the implementation of the additional protocol of the NPT, which requires its signatories to admit snap inspections of nuclear sites.
Tehran has also said that it will resume uranium enrichment in mid-February.
The current tension over the Iranian nuclear issue has heightened since Iran resumed nuclear fuel research work on Jan. 10 regardless of hard-worded warnings of the European Union (EU).
The EU, which long held negotiations with Iran over its nuclear issue, holds that Iran's full mastery of nuclear fuel cycle technology would possibly lead to military usage.
The United States has also accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under a civilian front.
But Iran insists that its nuclear program is fully peaceful and aimed at meeting rising domestic demand for electricity.
posted by Marko at 2/11/2006 05:04:00 PM
<< Home