Mottaki talks of ‘final’ solution to nuclear issue

Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that he is confident a “final” solution would be reached over a proposed nuclear fuel exchange deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“The declaration of Iranian President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad shows that the Islamic Republic is eager to talk about it,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on the sidelines of the 46th Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Mottaki was referring to President Ahmadinejad’s Tuesday comments, in which he said Tehran would welcome “honest” nuclear cooperation with other countries, indicating that Iran was prepared to participate in a proposed nuclear swap.

The proposal requires Iran to send 1.2 tons of its 1.5-ton Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) stockpile to Russia, which would then enrich it further to 20 percent and send the stockpile to France for conversion into metal fuel rods. The fuel would then be returned to Iran.

“The amount of uranium [to be shipped outside the country] is negotiable. But I am confident that a solution can be found,” added Mottaki, who is expected to meet with IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano on Saturday.

Taking into account the West’s history of failing to meet its obligations regarding nuclear material delivery to Iran, Tehran initially approached the proposed deal with skepticisms, maintaining that it will not send out the bulk of its LEU without guarantees that it would receive the 20 percent enriched uranium later on.

Iran needs the 20 percent-enriched uranium to fuel the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces radio medicine for cancer patients.

Tehran has been promised nuclear fuel for over 30 years now. Despite being a 10-percent shareholder and hence entitled to the European Gaseous Diffusion Uranium Enrichment Consortium (Eurodif)’s output, Iran has never received enriched uranium from France.

Tehran and Paris have also signed a deal, under which France is obliged to deliver 50 tons of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to Iran — another obligation France has failed to meet.

“We have said that if you (the West) act honestly; we will cooperate with you,” the Iranian president said earlier in the week.

However, Ahmadinejad warned that if the other side failed to deliver the higher-enriched uranium based on the draft deal, Iran would be left with no choice but to continue its enrichment program.

Washington and its allies accuse Tehran of pursuing a military nuclear program through its enrichment activities. The IAEA, however, has repeatedly said that it has found no evidence supporting the allegation.

The IAEA has conducted numerous inspections on Iran’s nuclear facilities, confirming the non-diversion of nuclear material in the country’s functional and under-construction plants.

Iran also denies the allegation, saying that it needs nuclear energy to produce electricity to meet the country’s growing demand.