Iran Urges IAEA's Balanced Approach towards Member States
(FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in a meeting with Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano called on the IAEA to adopt a balanced attitude towards members states and defend their rights to access nuclear energy.
"A balanced approach toward all IAEA member states and defending all of them in the peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy will strengthen the credibility of this international body," Salehi said on Monday evening.
The Iranian minister also welcomed the new IAEA approach towards Iran's nuclear issue based on mutual understanding and bilateral respect.
During the meeting, Amano described his negotiations with the Iranian officials, including Iran's top negotiator Saeed Jalili, as constructive.
"IAEA welcomes Tehran's Preparedness to continue constructive cooperation with the international community and is optimistic about the prospect of negotiations," the IAEA chief stated.
Amano arrived in Tehran on Monday morning to hold talks with the Iranian officials on different aspects of the country's peaceful nuclear program.
Amano, accompanied by his chief inspector Herman Nackaerts and IAEA number two Rafael Mariano Grossi, was welcomed at the airport by Iran's IAEA envoy, Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh, and a number of other officials.
During his one-day stay, Amano held talks with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi and Salehi.
The trip comes ahead of a Wednesday meeting in Baghdad between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany).
Iran and the IAEA held two rounds of talks in Tehran in January and February this year.
But after their third round of talks in Vienna on May 14-15, both sides were more upbeat, raising hopes of a positive outcome.
After last week's talks between Iran and the IAEA, diplomats said the two parties are making headway towards a framework deal on how to resolve outstanding issues of difference, a potential bargaining chip for Tehran in next week's negotiations with the world powers.