| The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Egyptian Muhammad ElBaradei, believes that Iran “has a chance to avoid UN Security Council sanctions if it cooperates with the IAEA and resumes the search for solutions regarding the fuel cycle.” According to ElBaradei, negotiations between Iran and the Eurotroika (Great Britain, Germany, France) on the Iranian nuclear program can resume within a month. To do this, “a third party must intervene in the matter and propose solutions that will allow the negotiators to save their face.” Such a country, according to the IAEA Director General, could be Russia, which is “very actively involved to ensure the continuation of negotiations.”
Muhammad ElBaradei made these statements yesterday in Moscow, where he arrived at the invitation of the Nuclear Threat Initiative Foundation. Yesterday, Mr. ElBaradei also met with the head of Rosatom, Alexander Rumyantsev.
Yesterday, at a press conference on the activities of the fund to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Russia, Mr. ElBaradei remarked: “There are places in the world that do not allow me to sleep peacefully, but Russia is not one of them.” The attention of journalists was focused on the Iranian nuclear dossier. Mr. ElBaradei tried not to even answer such questions, but when he was asked whether the fate of Iraq awaits Iran after the matter is transferred to the UN Security Council, he began to talk. According to him, the IAEA “understands the essence and scale of Iran’s secret program implemented in the past” and for now “one cannot talk only about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.” “To close all issues,” active cooperation from Iran is needed. And, as Mr. ElBaradei said, the new leadership of Iran assured him of their desire to cooperate with the IAEA.
The Egyptian added: “It is necessary to create a mechanism for the supply of nuclear fuel so that certain countries do not have an incentive to develop their own nuclear cycle, this will solve 80% of the problems in the nuclear field.” Andrey ZLOBIN
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