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Iran demands IAEA present documents for intended visit to Parchin site

English.news.cn   2013-03-07 03:57:32            

TEHRAN, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said Wednesday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) has to present documents explaining the reason for its intended visit to the Parchin military site for Iran's consideration.

AEOI chief Fereidoon Abbasi told official IRNA news agency that Parchin is not and has never been used for nuclear activities.

If the IAEA wants to visit Parchin, they have to provide "solid documents and reasons," the Iranian nuclear official said, adding that in that case, the Iranian military officials will be consulted to make a final decision.

The Parchin site has been the main concern of the IAEA since November 2011. Iran has previously refused to grant access to the site unless an agreement has been reached on a "structured approach," a framework which would allow UN inspectors to look into Iran's nuclear activities and also, as Iranians say, "has to close Iran's nuclear dossier."

On Monday, the UN nuclear watchdog hinted that the structured approach should not be an excuse for Iran to block access to Parchin, demanding full access to the site.

Yukiya Amano, director-general of the IAEA, said in a statement that "I request Iran once again to provide access to the Parchin site without further delay, whether or not agreement has been reached on the structured approach."

However, Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA Ali-Asghar Soltanieh said Wednesday that the request made by IAEA director general for inspection of Parchin site prior to signing an agreement is unjustifiable and only politicizes the issue, according to IRNA.

The Islamic republic has always respected the rule of law at international level and will not give up its legitimate nuclear rights under any circumstance, Soltanieh was quoted as saying.

On Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast also emphasized that the Islamic republic was ready to respond to the concerns of the IAEA after an agreement was reached.

Iran and the IAEA should initially agree on a "framework" in which there should be "clear" references to Iran's rights to " peaceful" nuclear activities and a response to the "alleged concerns" about Iran's nuclear program, said the Iranian spokesman at a weekly press briefing.

On Feb. 13, the Islamic republic and the IAEA held their latest round of talks on Iran's disputed nuclear activities without reaching any agreement.

Iran's talks with the IAEA as well as its negotiations with the so-called P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- have had a "positive" tendency, Mehmanparast said, expressing hope that the talks will bring about results if Iran's rights to nuclear activities are recognized.

Meanwhile, Fereidoon Abbasi, head of AEOI, said that his country would not bear more obligations in nuclear talks than what it had already assumed, Tehran Times daily reported Tuesday.

"We offered good and significant proposals to Western countries to mull over," Abbasi said when commenting on the latest meeting held between Iran and the P5+1 group in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

"Iran's proposals regarding the nuclear program are clear. The rights of our people must be recognized and we will not take on more obligations than what we have already assumed," he added.

Abbasi also said that Tehran would respond to the proposals offered by the P5+1 group after studying them. But he did not elaborate on the proposals.

He pointed out at the West's pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, saying that such pressure had a political nature, as the West was seeking to contain Iran's nuclear technological advancement.

As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran insists that its nuclear obligations should be defined within the framework of the NPT directives.

Western countries suspect that Iran's nuclear program might be diverted to weapon-grade activities, a charge which the Islamic republic has persistently denied.

Editor: yan
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