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Outcome not yet known as Iran, IAEA conclude talks in Tehran

Other News Materials 28 April 2008 21:53 (UTC +04:00)

(dpa) - A visiting delegation from the United Nations nuclear watchdog and Iranian nuclear officials ended their one-day talks in Tehran on Monday with the outcome not yet made public, ISNA news agency reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation, headed by Olli Heinonen, resumed talks with the Iranian side on Monday over allegations that Iran pursued secret weapons studies.
The three-man IAEA delegation, which will leave Tehran later Monday, held talks with Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Saeidi, and the country's IAEA envoy, Ali-Asqar Soltanieh.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Sunday rejected press reports that Iran would discuss intelligence alleging Iran pursued nuclear weapons studies with Heinonen, saying that talks would only be within the framework of the IAEA and Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Heinonen was in Tehran last week, but Tehran insisted that the visit was just routine and rejected Western press reports that the talks were solely focused on the new allegations.
The IAEA inspectors reportedly want answers from Tehran regarding intelligence received from Western member states on alleged studies of uranium conversion, high-explosives testing and work on a missile re-entry vehicle, all of which have potential nuclear weapons applications.
Meanwhile Iran's National Security Council Secretary Saeid Jalili consulted with his Russian counterpart Valentin Sobolev over an Iranian package containing Tehran's proposals for settling international disputes.
Jalili said that the package would soon be forwarded to United Nations Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, as well as Germany.
"We have proposals on important global political, security and economic issues," Jalili said, without giving further details. He confirmed that the package also contains the dispute over Iran's controversial nuclear programmes.
The Fars news agency termed the package "Iran's peace package" and said the contents would soon be disclosed.
Observers doubt that the ambiguous package would meet the main demand by the international community from Iran which is suspending the uranium enrichment process.
Talks with Sobolev also focused on the latest developments concerning the nuclear power plant at Bushehr in southern Iran. Moscow is cooperating with Tehran on building the light-water reactor.
The two sides also discussed last month's halting of a cargo of Russian heat insulators destined for the Bushehr plant which has not yet been released.
Hosseini said Sunday that Iran was in constant contact with Azeri officials and the Iranian embassy in Baku to enable the urgent release of the cargo.
Sobolev told reporters after his meeting with Jalili that Moscow had already started diplomatic efforts to settle the cargo dispute with Azerbaijan at the earliest term.

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