Iran's president says to continue cooperation with IAEA

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, October 03, 2003

Iran's president says to continue cooperation with IAEA

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said on Thursday Iran will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its nuclear program,the ISNA student news agency reported.

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Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said on Thursday Iran will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its nuclear program,the ISNA student news agency reported.

Khatami said "Tehran will continue its cooperation with the agency although the International Atomic Energy Agency issued an inappropriate resolution because Iran doesn't have any worries regarding the transparency of its peaceful nuclear program.

"The IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, has set Oct. 31 as the deadline for Iran to prove that it is not secretly developing nuclear weapons.

The IAEA is expected to convene a governing board meeting in November on the issue. If Iran fails to prove that its program is only for civilian use, the board would have to report Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

An IAEA delegation began talks with Iranian officials in Tehran earlier Thursday on Iran's nuclear program. IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei called this week for Iran to give his team full cooperation.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi told the ABC television in the United States that "we are trying and we are determined to cooperate" with the IAEA.

But "the problem is that United States administration asked us to stop enrichment activities in Iran. While it is legal ... and nothing is wrong as long as it is under the auspices of the IAEA and the inspection regime," he added.

The United States has branded Iran part of an "axis of evil,"accusing it of using a nuclear plant near the capital to test centrifuges used to make highly enriched uranium, which can be usedto make atomic bombs.

Iran has denied the charges and insisted that its program ispurely for civilian energy purposes while bristling at IAEA demands for greater access to its sites.

The Iranian government said that it would not accept any restrictions on its bid to generate nuclear power, reserving the right to enrich uranium for fuel, and rejected international demands for tougher safeguards.

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