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Sweden urges Iran to offer formal nuclear proposal

Swedish foreign minister has urged Iran to submit a formal proposal to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.

“Go to the IAEA with the latest things that you’re indicating and prepare and present a proposal to them,” Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Friday as he shared a platform with the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Munich.

“Schedule a meeting as soon as possible according to what was agreed (with the six powers) on October 1,” Bildt said on the sidelines of the 46th Munich Security Conference.

Under a deal backed by the IAEA, Tehran would send most of its domestically-produced low enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further enrichment.

The 20-percent-enriched uranium would then be used to fuel the Tehran research reactor that produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Iran had earlier called for the swap deal to take place on its own soil, arguing that if it ships the bulk of its enriched uranium, there will be no guarantee that the fuel would eventually reach the country.

Tehran has argued that based on the past violations of Western nuclear powers with their dealings with Iran, trusting them again with the bulk of Iran’s low-enriched uranium would not be wise without a formal guarantee, a concern that the West and the IAEA have not appropriately addressed.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the country would have “no problem” sending out its stock of LEU for further refining into the nuclear fuel required for the Tehran reactor.

“Even if we sent our 3.5 percent [enriched] fuel abroad, it would cause no problem,” Ahmadinejad said, adding that the controversy about the nuclear swap deal was unnecessary.

Germany and France had earlier called on Iran to submit its proposals to the IAEA in Vienna. Russia and Britain said they would welcome Iran’s readiness to accept the proposal as a “positive sign.”

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