ElBaradei Plans to Visit Iran
VOA News
30 Jun 2003, 20:19 UTC
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency plans to accept an invitation to visit Iran to discuss its compliance with international regulations.
But U.N. officials say no date has been set for Mohammed ElBaradei to make the trip.
Iran's national security council chief, Hassan Rohani, says he wants Mr. ElBaradei to visit Iran to discuss technical problems noted in a recent IAEA report. That report said Iran had failed to disclose information on its importation, processing and storage of nuclear materials. It also called on Tehran to allow more intrusive inspections of nuclear facilities on short notice.
But on Sunday, Iranian officials told visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that Iran would not sign the additional protocol before fully studying its implications.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov joined the United States and Britain in urging Iran to allow tougher inspections. Mr. Ivanov told Iranian nuclear energy chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh that doing so would confirm that Iran's nuclear ambitions are limited to energy production.
The United States accuses Iran of using its nuclear power program to try to secretly develop nuclear weapons. Washington is also pressuring Russia to stop helping Iran build a nuclear power plant in the Iranian city of Bushehr.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
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