Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Iran reverses decision to suspend inspection, IAEA chief says
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said Monday that Iran has informed him that it will allow United Nations inspectors to get into the country later this month.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said Monday that Iran has informed him that it will allow United Nations inspectors to get into the country later this month.
"I was informed this (Monday) morning by the Iranian authorities that the new date for inspectors' arrival in Iran would be on March 27," ElBaradei told reporters in Washington.
"Although this delay is regrettable, nonetheless it is still within our time schedule for the conduct of investigations," he said.
ElBaradei, who arrived here Sunday for a four-day visit, is expected to meet US President George W. Bush on Wednesday to discuss nuclear nonproliferation issues.
With Elbaradei's announcement, Iran has virtually reversed its decision on Saturday to freeze UN inspection of its nuclear programs indefinitely.
Iran suspended UN inspection in protest against an IAEA resolution condemning Tehran for hiding sensitive nuclear activities. An inspection was originally scheduled for last week.
Iran promised full cooperation with the IAEA over its nuclear programs in October last year but the international nuclear watchdog discovered in January that Tehran had failed to report all its nuclear activities, including designs of sophisticated centrifuges which could be used for making highly enriched uranium.
The IAEA board of directors are slated to meet in June to rule on Iran's cooperation in nuclear nonproliferation. ��