IAEA Preparing to Sign Framework Agreement with Iran


IAEA Preparing to Sign Framework Agreement with Iran

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – In his forthcoming visit to Iran’s capital of Tehran, Director General of the UN nuclear agency Yukiya Amano will reportedly sign a framework agreement between the Islamic Republic and his organization, sources said.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Amano is due to visit Iran on Monday, November 11, at the invitation of Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi.

Tehran and the UN nuclear agency wrapped up a round of technical nuclear talks at the headquarters of IAEA in Vienna, Austria, on October 29.

After the two-day negotiations -- the 12th round of such meetings since January last year – the two sides issued a joint statement in which they described the discussions as substantive.

According to the joint statement, the next round of negotiations is slated to be held in the Iranian capital of Tehran on November 11.

Meanwhile, sources have reported that Amano is likely to sign a framework agreement between Iran and his agency during his forthcoming visit to Tehran.

"Yukiya Amano is preparing to sign a framework cooperation agreement in Tehran. This gives us the opportunity to say that the talks in Geneva are really making progress," the Voice of Russia quoted a source close to the IAEA as saying.

Amano’s planned visit comes while Iran and the six major world powers are now holding a third day of negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear energy program. The talks have extended into Saturday and foreign ministers from three EU countries as well as the US secretary of state are in Geneva, raising hopes that a deal is within reach.

Russia's foreign minister and China's foreign minister or his deputy are expected to join other top diplomats in Geneva on Saturday.

The ongoing talks between Iran and the G5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France as well as Germany) over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program kicked off in Geneva on Thursday, November 7.

Top officials from both sides described the two days of intense negotiations in Geneva as constructive.

And in relevant remarks on November 7, Ali Akbar Salehi had announced that Tehran was optimistic about the 13th round of talks with IAEA.

The Iranian nuclear official, however, refrained from answering a question on whether the top IAEA official would visit the Iranian nuclear sites.

“I will talk about that issue later on,” he said, adding that he was quite optimistic about the outcome of the upcoming talks with the agency.

“The IAEA had already accepted the peaceful nature of a major part of our nuclear activities during the time of  Mr. Larijani and Mr. Jalili and what has remained now is a series of alleged studies which need to be dealt with," said Salehi, who also expressed optimism about the upcoming talks with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Ali Larijani, the current parliament speaker, was the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and top nuclear negotiator from August 2005 to October 2007 and was succeeded by Saeed Jalili who held the position until September 2013.

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