Iran FM says he has "very good" meeting with IAEA leader

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Despite Western suspicions about Tehran's upbeat remarks about a deal on its nuclear issue, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday that he had a "very good meeting" with Yukiya Amano, new chief of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on nuclear fuel swap.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki (R) attends the press conference of the 46th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Feb. 5, 2010. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

"Today I had a very good meeting with Mr. Amano. We discussed and exchanged views on a wide range of issues and the proposal that is on the table," Mottaki told a news conference on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. At issue is a possible scheme on shipping Tehran's low-enriched uranium abroad in exchange for higher-grade fuel it could use in a civil-purpose reactor.

Mottaki stressed that there is a political will for the swap while modalities and mechanisms to enrich uranium abroad still need to be clarified.

U.S. and German officials, however, remain suspicious. While noting "the door for diplomacy with Iran remains open," U.S. National Security Adviser James Jones told the Munich conference that Iran's "puzzling defiance" compels Washington and its allies to a second track of increased pressure.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said at the conference: "Our hand is still reaching out towards Iran. But so far, it's reaching out into the void."

"If there is really a new approach to cooperation, then it has to be followed by Iran's concrete actions," he said. "An agreement with the IAEA over Tehran's research reactor would be a confidence- building step. But it would not be a substitute for negotiations to ensure the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear program."