Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA said on Wednesday that Tehran had dropped its bid for a seat on the board of the UN atomic watchdog in favor of a place for regional ally Syria.
“The Islamic republic has officially refrained from pursuing its right to be nominated to the board to pave the way for the membership of Syria,” Ali Asghar Soltanieh was quoted on the website of the Arabic-language television al-Alam as saying.
The Iran-Syria alliance, stretching back more than three decades, was strengthened in 2006 with the signing of a military cooperation agreement.
Iran and Syria were seeking a seat on the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The 35 members of the IAEA board are elected each year by the body’s highest policy-making body, the General Conference, which comprises all 144 member states.
