IRAN: International Atomic Energy Agency chief Dr Mohammed ElBaradei will accept an invitation to visit Iran, a UN official has said. Pressure is being piled on Tehran to submit its nuclear facilities to tougher inspections.
The UN's nuclear watchdog earlier this month reprimanded Iran for repeated failure to report on nuclear material, facilities and activities and called on it to sign a document allowing more intrusive, short-notice inspections of nuclear sites.
Mr Hassan Rohani, secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council, told the visiting British Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, that Iran would invite Dr ElBaradei for "talks to remove technical problems", the official IRNA news agency reported.
In Vienna, the IAEA said Dr ElBaradei would accept the invitation, although no date had yet been set.
Washington has accused Tehran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear ambitions are limited to generating electricity to meet growing demand for its 65 million people.
Russia, a key atomic energy partner of Iran, yesterday joined western powers in urging Tehran to submit its nuclear facilities to tougher inspections.Russia's stand on Iran's nuclear programme is significant in view of its huge assistance to Tehran in helping build its first nuclear power plant at Bushehr in the south of the country.
Russian co-operation on the project has raised hackles in Washington which suspects Tehran of pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons development programme, denied by Iran.
In Tehran, Mr Straw also urged Iran to sign the so-called Additional Protocol, permitting tougher inspections, immediately and unconditionally. Failure to do so would damage international confidence in Iran and could jeopardise a possible trade agreement between Tehran and the European Union, he said.
Iranian officials appeared unmoved by Mr Straw's warnings. While saying they had not ruled out signing the protocol, they insisted Iran should also be allowed access to western technology to develop nuclear energy.
"Iran accepts co-operation with the IAEA but raises the question of why the members [of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty\] have not helped Iran in this respect," President Mohammad Khatami told Mr Straw.
Iran argues that as a signatory of the treaty, it is entitled to assistance from other members for developing a peaceful nuclear power programme. - (Reuters)