IAEA chief meets with Iran's FM on nuclear issues

VIENNA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on Sunday met with visiting Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to discuss a stalled nuclear fuel proposal.

"The meeting was held in a business-like atmosphere," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement. But the statement did not provide more details.

IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor said the two sides "discussed the issue of the provision of fuels for the Tehran Research Reactor and exchanged views on the possible modalities for its realization."

Mottaki is now in Vienna to drum up Austria's support to reject any new UN sanctions. Austria serves as a non-permanent member of the Security Council until the end of this year.

In another development, Austria's Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said Iran must cooperate with the West if its wants to avoid sanctions.

"I hope it will not have to come to this sanctions and that Iran is ready to cooperate with the international community," Spindelegger said at a joint news conference with Iran's Mottaki.

In October, Iran agreed in principle to send low-enriched uranium abroad for more processing. But later it said the fuel swap should take place inside its territory and simultaneously.

The West believes Iran's nuclear program is aimed at making atomic bombs while Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes only.