Updated on
Summary Talks are underway between the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran in Vienna.
UN nuclear watchdog urges access to information and sites as it starts two days of talks with Iran in a new attempt to get the Islamic Republic to address mounting concerns it may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons capability.A senior UN nuclear watchdog official said Iran needed to give his inspectors access to information, people and sites as he began a two-day meeting with Iranian officials on the Islamic states disputed atomic activities on.Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and U.N.s chief nuclear inspector, told reporters as he arrived at an Iranian diplomatic mission in Vienna that Iran should now engage on issues of substance with the IAEA.We are here to continue our dialogue with Iran in a positive spirit, Nackaerts said.The UN agency is investigating suspicions that Tehran may be seeking nuclear weapons capability, a charge it denies.Two previous rounds of talks in Tehran early this year failed to make any notable progress, especially on the IAEAs request for access to a military site, at Parchin, where it believes nuclear weapons-relevant research may have taken place.Since then, Iran and the six world powers have resumed wider diplomatic talks aimed at resolving the standoff over Tehrans atomic ambitions and they will meet again in Baghdad on May 23.The aim of our two days (of talks) is to reach an agreement on the approach to resolve all outstanding issues with Iran, in particular clarification of the possible military dimensions remains our priority, said Nackaerts.It is important now that we can engage on the substance of these issues and that Iran let us access to people, documents, information and sites, he added.Western diplomats will be watching this weeks discussions in Vienna for any sign that Iran is now ready to address the IAEAs concerns about its nuclear work, saying this would send a positive message ahead of the Baghdad talks.
