Ramsco's Women Empowerment Initiative Recognized Among Top BRICS Businesswomen Practices for 2025    Egypt, Elsewedy review progress on Ain Sokhna phosphate complex    Gold prices end July with modest gains    Pakistan says successfully concluded 'landmark trade deal' with US    Egypt's FM, US envoy discuss Gaza ceasefire, Iran nuclear talks    Modon Holding posts AED 2.1bn net profit in H1 2025    Egypt's Electricity Ministry says new power cable for Giza area operational    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Italian defence minister discuss Gaza, security cooperation    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Nile dam with US senators    Aid airdrops intensify as famine deepens in Gaza amid mounting international criticism    Health minister showcases AI's impact on healthcare at Huawei Cloud Summit    On anti-trafficking day, Egypt's PM calls fight a 'moral and humanitarian duty'    Federal Reserve maintains interest rates    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Egypt, Oman discuss environmental cooperation    Egypt's EDA explores pharma cooperation with Belarus    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Iran wants more UN nuclear talks after Tehran stalemate
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 24 - 02 - 2012

VIENNA — Iran wants more talks with the UN nuclear watchdog, its ambassador to the body said, despite what one Western envoy called "very long and fruitless" negotiations this week on addressing growing suspicions about Tehran's atomic activities.
The relatively upbeat comments by Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were in stark contrast to a terse statement issued by the UN agency on Wednesday after the two days of discussions in Tehran.
"Our position is that we are going to continue the talks for cooperation with the agency and we hope that this process will be successfully going on," said Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh.
"We need a quiet environment, a calm environment to continue our professional work with the agency," he told Reuters late on Thursday.
The IAEA, a Vienna-based UN agency, said no further meetings with Iran are planned, signaling frustration at the lack of progress in two rounds of talks this year.
The setback increased worries about a downward spiral towards conflict between Iran and the West, and sent oil prices higher.
Western diplomats suspect Iran is merely seeking "talks about talks" in an attempt to ease outside pressure on the Islamic state while it presses ahead with nuclear work which the United States and its allies believe has military links.
Iran says allegations of nuclear weapons aims are baseless.
"We try to be cooperative," said Soltanieh. "We are dealing with the questions and we are trying to remove ambiguities."
The IAEA said Iranian officials refused to grant it access to a military site crucial for its investigations and also that there was no agreement on a way forward to clarify concerns that the Islamic Republic may be developing nuclear arms capability.
"Two very long and fruitless meetings"
Western diplomats said Iran had continued to stonewall the senior IAEA team during the talks, in which the agency sought answers to intelligence pointing to nuclear weapons research and development in the country.
"Essentially they had two very long and fruitless meetings," one Western envoy in Vienna said.
The Iranian side "systematically just claimed they have no clandestine program and therefore any questions raised [about possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program] were either incorrect or invalid," the diplomat added.
Iran rejects accusations that its nuclear program is a covert attempt to develop a nuclear weapons capability, saying it is seeking to produce only electricity.
But an IAEA report in November suggested Iran had pursued military nuclear technology. This helped to precipitate the latest sanctions by the European Union and United States.
One finding was information that Iran had built a large containment chamber at the Parchin military site near Tehran to conduct high-explosives tests. The UN agency said there were "strong indicators of possible weapon development."
Asked why Iran had not allowed the UN inspectors to visit Parchin, Soltanieh said: "For any visit and access there should be some sort of modality and agreement."
He added: "It was assumed that after we agreed on the modality then access would be given. Since the modality was not concluded due to time constraints ... this was not possible."


Clic here to read the story from its source.