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Iran Agrees To Tougher U.N. Nuclear Inspections
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"We are on the right track," de Villepin (c) (AFP)
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TEHRAN,
October 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Iran agreed
Tuesday, October 21, to allow tougher U.N. inspections of its nuclear
facilities, provide full cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog
and suspend uranium enrichment, said French Foreign Minister Dominique
de Villepin.
"This
is a very important day," de Villepin announced after he, British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer emerged from talks with Iranian officials in Tehran, reported
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We
were facing a major issue. Proliferation is a major challenge to the
world, and today we found a solution to the pending issues," he
asserted.
De
Villepin said "Iran is to sign the additional protocol" to
the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and provide "full
cooperation with the IAEA" while agreeing to the "suspension
of enrichment and reprocessing."
"We
are on the right track," he noted.
Earlier
Tuesday, Britain, France and Germany told Iran to show "full
transparency" over its suspect nuclear program, warning of a
"serious problem" if their foreign ministers ended their
unprecedented visit to Tehran without a deal on the crisis.
But
the signs were that the dramatic convergence on the Iranian capital by
the European Union's big three would secure Iran's cooperation with
the International Atomic Energy Agency, with Iran's top diplomat Kamal
Kharazi saying the Islamic republic was ready to ease international
alarm, according to AFP.
"We
share the worries of the international community," de Villepin
told reporters after talks with Kharazi.
"We
would like to have full transparency," he added, sounding
"optimistic" Iran would comply with an IAEA resolution that
leaves the country just 10 more days to prove it is not developing
nuclear weapons.
But
describing the visit as "a crucial moment", Fischer warned:
"If we can agree today it would be a step forward, if not we have
a very serious problem."
Straw,
for his part, has said that while the three "all respect the
right of any nation to have a civilian nuclear program", they
would not accept Iran being "involved in any kind of
proliferation activity."
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Rowhani, left, receiving the three E.U. FMs (AFP)
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Kharazi
then stepped in to promise "total transparency", and
asserted the Islamic regime "is not pursuing any illegal
activity".
"I
emphasized the transparency of our activities, both in the past and in
the future. We are ready for full transparency," he said after
meeting the three in Saadabad palace, a leafy former imperial complex
in the north of the capital now used to receive foreign dignitaries.
"But
our rights, our security and our prestige must be respected,"
Kharazi maintained.
The
lightning visit of the three ministers - during which they will also
meet President Mohammad Khatami and National Security Council
Secretary Hassan Rowhani - is a climax to months of intense and
secretive diplomacy by the E.U. trio.
It
also comes amid mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington as
well as speculation that the U.S. or Israel might be considering
pre-emptive strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
In
return for Iran's step to ending the bitter stand-off, the three
European countries have made a general offer of technical assistance.
This,
diplomats say, could include guaranteeing supplies of nuclear fuel in
order to satisfy Iran's desire for nuclear power while keeping the
sensitive nuclear fuel cycle out of the country.
Last
month, the IAEA gave Iran until October 31 to turn over a raft of
information on its nuclear program after the discovery by its
inspectors of traces of highly enriched uranium at two sites set alarm
bells ringing.
The
agency also called on Iran to sign an additional protocol to the NPT,
thereby giving the U.N. nuclear watchdog more powers to probe suspect
sites. IAEA inspectors can currently only make pre-arranged visits.
Iran
has already pledged to answer the IAEA's "outstanding
questions".
It
says the uranium traces came into the country on equipment bought on
the black market, and a Foreign Ministry spokesman said documents
supporting Iran's position could now be passed to the IAEA after Iran
was assured of total confidentiality.
And
after talks with IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei in Tehran last week and
subsequent discussions with IAEA experts, Iran announced that it is
ready to sign the additional protocol.
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