Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA) UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei expressed the hope that continued cooperation between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency would lead to the normalization of Iran’s nuclear issue by the next meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in March.
Speaking in a meeting with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili here in Tehran on Saturday, the IAEA head said he was hopeful that the two sides could resolve all remaining issues before the next meeting of the governing board.
He further praised Tehran for showing intimate cooperation with the IAEA, saying, “Iran’s active and constructive cooperation with the Agency has resulted in a very good progress in resolving the remaining issues.”
Also during the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, the two sides stressed the need for a proper solution to normalize Tehran’s issue, and reiterated, “This logical principle that Iran is not an exception should be the basis” when dealing with Iran’s case.
For his part, the Iranian chief nuclear negotiator viewed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the IAEA’s articles of association as the best paradigm for nuclear activity and mutual cooperation.
“While insisting on its inalienable rights to access and utilize peaceful nuclear energy and technology, Iran is committed to its undertakings within the framework of the NPT and the IAEA,” Saeed Jalili reiterated.
He further said that Iran attaches much importance and credit to the IAEA as it believes that the agency, as an international body, can play a constructive role in creating balance between the nuclear rights and assignments of countries.
Iran’s nuclear issue was a good test for all parties and the Iranian nation passed this test honorably as it showed a legal and logical attitude and fulfilled all its undertakings within the framework of the NPT and took confidence building measures on one hand, and showed resistance in restoring and practicing its nuclear rights on the other hand, Jalili said.
He also welcomed ElBaradei’s positive role, and said that strengthening professional and impartial performance and non-political approach of the IAEA would help restore credibility of the agency and reinvigorate IAEA’s constructive role in Iran’s case.
“Some powers try to create obstacles in IAEA’s non-biased and professional methods in verifying Iran’s nuclear activities and to downgrade the agency from its international status,” Jalili, who is also Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) added.
Meantime, he said that verification of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities will be, in fact, a test to examine behavioral honesty of certain powers as well, which “will show whether or not transparency of Iran’s nuclear program and substantiation of the baselessness of allegations about (Iran’s nuclear) activities would lead to a change in their political and illegal behavior.”
