Iran pledges to end uranium conversion from next Monday
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Nov 15, Kyodo/OANA/IRNA -- Iran will suspend uranium conversion activities from next Monday as part of a deal struck with the Europeans to dispel fears Tehran is seeking atomic arms, Iran`s chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani said Monday. Rowhani told a news conference, broadcast live on state television, that Iran is planning to suspend centrifuge component making and assembly, along with activities related to uranium conversion, from Monday. But Rowhani said Iran still wants a full nuclear fuel cycle, which would include uranium enrichment. He said negotiators from Britain, France and Germany have assented to this goal in an agreement struck to dispel fears Tehran is pursuing nuclear arms. "It is no problem if Iran wants to start uranium enrichment," Rowhani was quoted as saying by Reuters. "Based on the agreement, it is said the Europeans will support Iran to become a member of the fuel-cycle club." Rowhani also said he hoped the deal struck with the Europeans would mean the governing board of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency would start to discuss dropping Tehran`s dossier from its agenda, according to Reuters. He made the remarks just three days before the IAEA governing board meets to decide what to do about Iran`s nuclear activities. The agreement is widely expected to avert a possible IAEA decision to refer the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council. Experts from Iran and Europe reached a provisional agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue during two days of talks in Paris on Nov. 5-6. A formal agreement was reached after the two sides ironed out differences on the scope of the nuclear freeze and on how long the freeze would last. According to a confidential IAEA report obtained by some news agencies, Iran has not diverted any of the nuclear materials it declared to the UN nuclear watchdog to any prohibited activities, though the existence of covert nuclear work cannot be ruled out. According to the Associated Press, the report says all nuclear material Iran had declared to the agency in the past year has been accounted for `and therefore we can say that such material is not diverted to prohibited (weapons) activities`. But the report also says the IAEA is `not yet in the position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials` that could have been used for a weapons program. Britain, France and Germany have promised to help Iran build light-water nuclear reactors for power generation in exchange for a total freeze of Iran`s nuclear development program. The official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as referring to the agreement reached with the European Union on Iran`s nuclear programs as the best decision ever made on the issue. "In the past, Europe and other countries insisted on Iran halting its enrichment program, while the new agreement discusses how Iran can continue its program without worrying other countries. This is a very important and qualitative difference," he was quoted as telling reporters. He said that the agreement signed by the two sides stresses that suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran is a voluntary decision on the basis of a confidence-building gesture and not a legal obligation. /2322/1432
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