IAEA to meet Iran nuclear broker

BBC:

Friday, 26 August 2005

UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei is to meet Iran's new chief negotiator Ali Larijani on Friday.

It comes amid an impasse between Iran and the EU over efforts to dissuade Iran from pursuing a nuclear programme.

On Thursday, Mr Larijani urged more nations to join talks on Iran's nuclear activities, saying the EU and UN were not represented by current negotiators.

Iran resumed nuclear work at its Isfahan plant earlier this month despite US and EU opposition.

The US has accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

On Wednesday, the US criticised an independent investigation which found no evidence that Iran was working on a secret nuclear weapons programme.

Short notice

The talks between Mr Larijani and Mr ElBaradei come after the IAEA adopted a resolution calling on Iran to halt the uranium conversion work it resumed after a 10-month suspension.

The resolution asked Mr ElBaradei to report on Iran's compliance by 3 September. The Associated Press news agency says Friday's talks appear to have been decided recently as Mr ElBaradei's planned meeting in Copenhagen on Thursday was cancelled at short notice.

The two men will discuss "issues related to ... IAEA safeguards inspections and the current state of play," said IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.

By resuming its nuclear work, Tehran turned down an offer of economic incentives by the trio of negotiators, France, Britain and Germany.

The three EU countries responded by calling off talks with Iran that were scheduled for 31 August, and have threatened to bring the case before the UN Security Council to seek sanctions.

'Typical tactic'

Mr Larijani - a conservative recently appointed to the post by new hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - called for other countries to join negotiations.

He said Iran would welcome talks with all 35 members of the IAEA board of governors, whether they are European countries or members of the Non-Aligned Movement, a bloc of 116 mainly developing nations.

"There is a serious question in Iran that asks why nuclear negotiations should be limited to just three European countries," he told state-run television.

The US state department dismissed his call as a "typical tactic of the Iranian government designed to change the subject."

Britain's Foreign Office said there was "no basis for negotiation with Iran until they respond" to the IAEA resolution.