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Board of Governors meet unlikely to issue anti-Iran statement

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Vienna, Nov 24, IRNA
Nuclear-IAEA-Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors started its session here on Thursday while representatives of the EU3 announced on Wednesday that the present meeting would not issue any statement against Iran.

The first day of the board's meeting is predicted to discuss a report by the agency's technical committee, nuclear verification and the way to use over one-million-euro Nobel Peace prize won by the IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and the agency.

According to the meeting's agenda, Iran's nuclear activities will be studied under section of nuclear verification of safeguards by the participant delegations.

A Western diplomat told IRNA correspondent in Vienna that the European Union (EU) will not table any draft against the Islamic Republic.

In such a way, it is expected that the present meeting, contrary to the previous ones, would be held in a calm atmosphere free from tension.

Iran's Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international agencies, Mohammad-Mehdi Akhoundzadeh told IRNA on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for unconditional talks and is also prepared to face whatever condition.

He said Iran is ready to deal with and face any decision the Board of Governors will adopt.

The diplomat confirmed that consultations have been going on with the EU, hoping that the IAEA Board meeting on Thursday will be free from any tension and would meet the expectations of all related parties.

"We believe that the a calm atmosphere free from any political pressures, will help the IAEA Board settle remaining issues and ambiguities surrounding the case of Iran's nuclear activities," said Akhundzadeh.

Meanwhile, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has called for urgent normalization of Iran's nuclear case, a senior NAM diplomat said here Wednesday.

The call has also been included in the NAM statement which will be read during the IAEA Board of Governors' meeting on Thursday, he said.

Based on pertinent documents of a report of IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei released last week, Iran has had good and broad cooperation with the agency to remove ambiguities in its nuclear activities, he said, adding that the Board of Governors would have no reason not to immediately normalize the case.

The NAM member states, in their statement, upheld Iran's cooperation with the IAEA, he added.

Representatives of the governing board's 35 member states are attending the meeting chaired by the Japanese chairman of the board, Yukiya Amano.

Contrary to previous meetings, the current session does not have many items in its agenda, the axis of talks being on Iran's nuclear program.

The meeting will discuss the five-page report of ElBaradei published last Friday assessing Iran's cooperation with the agency which is deemed crucial to clarifying issues and resolving the nuclear problem.

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