Iran blames IAEA for talks 'going around in circles'
By Sara Rajabova
The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the organization's Secretariat is responsible for the Iran-IAEA talks 'going around in circles', reacting to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano's remarks on the matter, IRNA reported.
Ali Asghar Soltanieh made the comment at a press conference in Vienna on June 5 after his address at the Board of Governors Session.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said two days earlier that talks with Iran have been "going around in circles" -- unusually blunt criticism pointing to rising tension over suspected nuclear arms research by Tehran that has reportedly increased fears of a new Middle East war.
"Despite the intensified dialogue between the agency and Iran since January 2012... no agreement has been reached on the structured approach document. To be frank, for some time now we have been going around in circles," Amano said.
Soltanieh referred to Amano's comment in this regard at the press conference, asking, 'Who is responsible for this situation?'
The Iranian ambassador added, "There is no doubt that the agency's Secretariat is responsible; any country that would be faced with accusations expects to receive the documents based on which it is accused and so long as the agency would keep on sticking to this approach of refraining from offering the copies of the documents based on which they accuse us, we cannot accept those accusations as authentic. No other country would do so either."
Regarding providing access to the Parchin site, Soltanieh said "we ask for devising a modality, or a clear framework based on which we can work.'
Soltanieh reiterated that as soon as the agency accepts Iran's legitimate and logical stands, the structural approach would be finalized and the country would be ready for issuing a permit to grant access to Parchin.
He noted that after ten years of intensive inspections the agency has no document indicating that Iran has deviated from the peaceful path.
Soltanieh said that the Iranian nation is determined to take advantage of peaceful nuclear energy despite the wave of political pressure and US-engineered sanctions.
The Iranian envoy stated that a recent report by the IAEA on Iran's nuclear energy program is not acceptable as it is meant to create "political tension."
He says the Israeli and US spy agencies constantly attempt to influence the IAEA reports on Iran's nuclear energy program.
"They are continuously giving false information and allegations prepared by the CIA or the Mossad to the agency and keep the agency busy," the Iranian envoy said.
Soltanieh added that Iran has always been fully committed to protocols that ban the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
"Our nuclear policy is very clear. The nuclear weapon does not have any place in our nuclear doctrine," he said.
Meanwhile, China's Ambassador to IAEA Cheng Jingye reaffirmed his country's firm stance on supporting dialog to resolve the Western dispute over Iran's nuclear energy issue.
Addressing a meeting of the UN nuclear agency's Board of Governors, he said that Beijing is firmly committed to pursuing dialog and negotiations to settle the issue.
He added that China has been playing a constructive role in resuming talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers and maintaining a diplomatic process in resolving the issue.
"The Iranian nuclear issue is complicated and sensitive, time and wisdom are needed to resolve this issue," the Chinese envoy added.
The Western countries and some of their allies have accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran strongly rejected the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.