IAEA Inspectors Depart For Iran Site Visit
- By Linton Levy -
The United States, Russia and France have indicated their positive response to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's proposal on a draft agreement to supply Iran with nuclear fuel for its research reactor, which amongst other things produces radioisotopes for medical purposes.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have already departed Vienna International Airport and arrived in Tehran.
The inspectors will be visiting a site recently disclosed by Iranian officials, located near Qum, Iran.
Iran informed the Director General that it is considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light, but it needs time to provide a response.
The Director General hopes that Iran's response will equally be positive, since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) serves as the world's foremost intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Established as an autonomous organization under the United Nations (UN) in 1957, the IAEA carries out programmes to maximize the useful contribution of nuclear technology to society while verifying its peaceful use.
Noting that the arrangement to convert Iranian low-enriched uranium into fuel is a very important confidence-building measure, Director General ElBaradei remarked that an agreed arrangement could defuse a long-standing crisis and open space for negotiation. The draft agreement he had circulated, reflected a balanced approach in the way forward, stated Dr. ElBaradei. Since the parties had been making progress in considering both technical and legal issues, as well as seeking to build trust and confidence, Director General ElBaradei expressed cautious optimism that the draft agreement would be approved by the deadline he had specified, Friday, 22 October, 2009.
Director General ElBaradei informed the press that the technical meeting was unique since it had been followed by heads of state, and hoped for positive action from the capitals considering the draft document, leading to the agreement´s approval by all the parties. In conclusion, he urged the parties to consider the big picture in which this agreement could lead the way towards a complete normalization of relations between Iran and the international community.
The representatives from France, Iran, Russia and the United States began their discussions at the Agency´s Headquarters in Vienna on Monday, 19 October 2009. The talks focused on proposals to provision nuclear fuel needed for the sustained operation of the Tehran Research Reactor. The reactor produces medical radioisotopes for therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. The Agency had been requested by Iran to facilitate talks with possible suppliers of nuclear fuel for the reactor as part of the Agency´s statutory functions.