Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis

    VIENNA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The chief of Iran's nuclear agency Gholam Reza Aghazadeh held a two-hour last-ditch meeting on Wednesday with a senior official of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here ahead of a UN deadline for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

    Aghazadeh and a group of senior Iranian officials held talks with IAEA Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen. The main topic of the meeting was "how to accelerate the solution of suspension issues," Iranian officials told the media after the meeting.

    The meeting was the continuation of a previous one between the two sides on April 13 in Tehran, where IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei met senior Iranian officials.

    But Melissa Fleming, spokeswomen for the IAEA, made no comment on the meeting. Nor did Aghazadeh and Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh say anything about it upon leaving the headquarters of the UN nuclear watchdog.

    The meeting, came two days ahead of a UN deadline for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment activities, was termed by many diplomats as crucial, saying that it might affect the context of an IAEA report on Iranian compliance due to be filed on Friday.

    The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a presidential statement on March 29, calling on Iran to resume suspension of alluranium enrichment-related activities and asked IAEA chief ElBaradei to report the latest progress on Iranian compliance to the IAEA and the Security Council within 30 days.

    Iran said Tuesday it would suspend relations with the IAEA if sanctions were imposed. Diplomats said this could mean withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday reiterated his view that Iran would not compromise its nuclear enrichment program because of the UN call, saying its nuclear program was a peaceful effort to generate electricity.

    The United States has advised the Security Council to hold a meeting next Wednesday to discuss ElBaradei's report. Enditem