Iran, IAEA agree on working plan to clarify Tehran´s nuclear issue

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Source: CCTV.com | 08-22-2007 08:51

Deputy chief of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), Olli Heinonen, (L) shakes hands with deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Javad Vaeidi, following their press conference in Tehran. Iran and the UN atomic energy agency on Tuesday agreed on a timetable for Tehran to clarify outstanding concerns about its contested nuclear programme, amid Western threats of further UN sanctions.(AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

Iran and the UN International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed on a working plan. The plan aims to clarify outstanding ambiguities over Tehran's nuclear program. The deal came following two days of talks between the Iran and the IAEA-- a move a senior IAEA official has described as "constructive".

Iran and the UN watchdog drew up a timeline for answering outstanding questions about Tehran's nuclear program.

Javad Vaeedi, Iranian deputy nuclear negotiator, said, "We have a basic framework of an agreement between Iran and the IAEA. We are serious about implementing this."

IAEA Deputy Director, Olli Heinonen, said work on implementing Tuesday's agreement will begin soon. And, he said, activities will start taking place in the next few weeks.

Details of the deal will be included in a report for the IAEA board by early next month.

The IAEA delegation arrived in Tehran on Monday for the final round of nuclear talks over a working plan.

The previous two rounds of such talks were held in July.

After the July talks, Tehran allowed UN inspectors to revisit the Arak heavy water reactor, which is under construction.

In January, after the UN Security Council imposed sanctions, Tehran blocked the IAEA from inspecting the reactor.

The US and other Western countries have accused Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under a civilian cover.

But Iran denies this accusation. It says its only motive is to generate electricity.