Iranian FM meets IAEA chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met with UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano in Vienna Sunday.The IAEA did not immediately reveal the content of the conversation, which took place at Tehran's mission in Vienna, but sources said it was to discuss Tehran's nuclear programme and a stalled atomic fuel deal. The Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying before entering the meeting, in the meeting with Yukiya Amano, we are going to discuss different issues regarding the nuclear matter and also talk of the fuel swap formula. We have been keeping the UN Security Council members updated regarding the swap, Mottaki stated. We will have more decisive and technical talks with Amano regarding the swap. Given the circumstances, the IAEA and its director general can play a more constructive role. We believe the fuel swap can create multilateral trust, he added. Mottaki said he was optimistic and believed the discussion could lead to acceptable results. Last week Mottaki declared in Tehran that Iranian officials would hold talks with all 15 members of the UN Security Council regarding the fuel swap proposal. The deal, brokered by IAEA last October, envisages sending Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for conversion into fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.