Report - IAEA informed of Iran's P-2 centrifuge programmes

By Deutsche Presse-Agentur

04/17/06 "DPA" -- -- Tehran - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already been fully informed of Iran's research programmes on P-2 centrifuges, the news agency ISNA reported Monday.

An unnamed nuclear official told ISNA that following the successful test of the P-1 centrifuges, Iran started research on the P-2 projects.

The New York Times had quoted United States security officials as saying Iran's use of P-2 centrifuges was worrisome as the process would not only accelerate the enrichment process but production of an atomic bomb.

The Iranian source termed the process as 'quite usual' and even already documented on the IAEA internet site.

Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted earlier Monday by ISNA as saying Iran would follow the research on P-2 centrifuges 'strictly within IAEA regulations.'

The source further confirmed that a new group IAEA inspectors will come to Tehran by the end of the week but denied the visit of a nuclear delegation to Vienna on Tuesday.

In the meantime Iran on Monday called on the countries meeting in Moscow to discuss the row over the country's nuclear programme to be 'rational.'

'We ask the participants in Moscow to adopt a rational approach and avoid repeating threats,' Larijani told Khabar news network.

Russia has invited the United States, China and the European Union to fresh talks on the Iranian nuclear programme on Tuesday in Moscow.

ISNA news agency on Monday quoted Larijani as saying that 'if the proposals were rational and with perspective, Iran might accept one of them,' but he did not elaborate further.

'The era of threats and big rhetoric are over, they will not change Iran's stance,' Larijani said, referring to last week's call by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for United Nations Security Council 'consequences' against Iran.

Rice said Tehran's defiance of international demands to come clean about its nuclear activities and suspend uranium enrichment required the security council to examine 'the full range of options.'

Larijani reiterated Iran's commitment to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as well as the country's readiness for IAEA inspections.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said Sunday that Iran still wanted to settle the nuclear dispute with the West through diplomacy.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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