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ElBaradei: IAEA has clarified scope, nature of Iran's enrichment program

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Vienna, March 3, IRNA
Iran-Nuclear-ElBaradei
The International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Mohamed ElBaradei said on Monday that the IAEA has managed to clarify scope and nature of Iran's enrichment program, i.e. the P1 and P2 centrifuges.

"As a result, the Agency was able, as I reported to you in November, to clarify important outstanding issues regarding the scope and nature of Iran's declared enrichment program -- the acquisition of P-1 and P-2 centrifuge technologies," said ElBaradei in an address to the IAEA Board of Governors quarterly meeting in Vienna on Monday.

"As you can see from the present report, the Agency has since then been able to clarify all but one of the remaining outstanding issues, as identified in the work plan, relevant to Iran's past activities... The Agency's technical judgement is that these issues are no longer outstanding at this stage. This is obviously encouraging," said ElBaradei.

He said, "However, the one outstanding issue that is relevant to Iran's past activities is the so-called alleged studies involving possible weaponization activities. These alleged studies, which are among the issues which the Security Council directed the Agency to clarify, came to the Agency's attention in 2005."

He added, "Iran continues to maintain that these alleged studies are either related to conventional weapons, or are fabricated.

However, a full-fledged examination of this issue has yet to take place."

The 35-member Board of Governors began its meeting to discuss a variety of issues including Iran's nuclear program following the report delivered by ElBaradei on February 22.

ElBaradei stressed in his 11-page February 22 report that the agency has verified non-diversion of Iran's nuclear program.

He said the UN nuclear watchdog has made good progress in clarifying the outstanding issues relating to Iran's past nuclear activities.

"We have managed to clarify all the remaining outstanding issues, which is the scope and nature of Iran's enrichment program," the IAEA chief said.

ElBaradei stressed in his report that the agency has "not seen any indication that these studies were linked to nuclear material." Elbaradei also called on Iran to accept Additional Protocol to Non-Proliferation Treaty to make easy monitoring of Iranian nuclear activities in future.

Iran said that it would accept implementation of the Additional Protocol should the country's nuclear case was returned to the IAEA from the UN Security Council.

Iran had voluntarily implemented the Additional Protocol to NPT which grants intrusive inspection to the IAEA, but, suspended it later in protest at the referral of its nuclear case to the United Nations Security Council.

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