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Iran, IAEA should make progress by Sept over NPT protocol
Tehran, Aug 13: Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should reach `positive` results by September over Tehran signing a protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the chief of the country`s atomic energy agency said today.
Tehran, Aug 13: Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should reach "positive" results by September over Tehran signing a protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the chief of the country's atomic energy agency said today.
"We have had good negotiations with (IAEA chief) Mohamed Elbaradei and I believe it is possible that, before September, we will have positive results on this matter," Gholamreza Aghazadeh said after a cabinet meeting here.
"I think we will assuage international fears and in return, we expect (the international community) to stand by its commitments," he added. He said discussions with IAEA experts had eased "some of Iran's uncertainties," on the implementation of the protocol, particularly with regard to military secrets and strategy.
The Islamic Republic is under strong international pressure to prove it is not secretly developing atomic weapons by signing the additional protocol, which would allow UN inspectors to descend on suspect sites without warning.
The Iranian nuclear case will be reviewed by the IAEA's board of governors on September 8, with the threat that the case might be forwarded to the UN Security Council. IAEA inspectors arrived in Iran yesterday to carry out final checks before September 8.
Aghazadeh said the inspectors finished their work today.
Bureau Report
"I think we will assuage international fears and in return, we expect (the international community) to stand by its commitments," he added. He said discussions with IAEA experts had eased "some of Iran's uncertainties," on the implementation of the protocol, particularly with regard to military secrets and strategy.
The Islamic Republic is under strong international pressure to prove it is not secretly developing atomic weapons by signing the additional protocol, which would allow UN inspectors to descend on suspect sites without warning.
The Iranian nuclear case will be reviewed by the IAEA's board of governors on September 8, with the threat that the case might be forwarded to the UN Security Council. IAEA inspectors arrived in Iran yesterday to carry out final checks before September 8.
Aghazadeh said the inspectors finished their work today.
Bureau Report