Iran allows inspectors to visit two key nuclear sites

IAEA granted permission to enter long-unseen facilities as Tehran seeks to show co-operation after failure of Geneva talks

Saeed Kamali Dehghan

Iran has agreed to allow inspectors from the International AtomicEnergy Agency to enter long-unseen nuclear sites, including the Gchine uranium mine and a heavy-water reactor in Arak, as part of a co-operation deal struck in Tehran.

Days after arduous negotiations in Geneva ended without a decisive agreement between Iran's negotiating team and six world powers on Iran's nuclear future, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, met the IAEA chief, Yukiya Amano, and agreed a roadmap for greater co-operation.

At the same time, the UK foreign secretary took pains to clarify the Geneva talks had not failed and there was still a deal to be done.

Hague told MPs that differences between the two sides were now "narrow" and "we must build momentum behind the Geneva talks", but warned Tehran that it should seize the opportunity brought by the progress made in last week's negotiations.

"Our aim is to produce an interim first step agreement with Iran that can then create the confidence and space to negotiate a comprehensive and final settlement," he told the parliament, adding that the UK government was "firmly" in favour of such an interim deal as first step towards a comprehensive settlement.

"An interim agreement would involve offering Iran limited, proportionate sanctions relief. In the meantime though, we will be vigilant and firm in upholding the international sanctions which have played an indispensable part in creating this new opening with Iran," he said.

A joint statement issued by the IAEA and Iran said both sides had agreed "to strengthen their co-operation and dialogue aimed at ensuring the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme".

"It is foreseen that Iran's co-operation will include providing the IAEA with timely information about its nuclear facilities and in regard to the implementation of transparency measures," the statement said. "Activities will proceed in a step-by-step manner."

While parallel talks in Geneva ended without agreement at the weekend, both sides stressed a great deal of progress had been made. Talks are due to resume in 10 days, with more junior officials, to fine-tune the text prepared in last week's negotiations.

The Iranian delegation - headed by foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif - and representatives from the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany failed to reach a breakthrough in Geneva as France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said Paris could not agree on the text as a fait accompli.

"The joint statement that was signed today represents a road map that specifies bilateral steps in relation to resolving outstanding issues," Salehi said during a news conference in Tehran with Amano on Monday.

"I have received permission for inspectors to visit the Arak heavy-water plant and the Gchine mine, which has been requested by the agency, and Iran has voluntarily announced its readiness for this," Salehi said, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

"Iran and the IAEA will co-operate further with respect to verification activities to be undertaken by the IAEA to resolve all present and past issues," Amano said, according to Iran's state-run English-language television, Press TV. "The practical measures will be implemented in the next three months, starting from today."

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has played down France's role in blocking a stopgap deal on Sunday, shifting blame towards Iranian negotiators. "The French signed off on it, we signed off on it," Kerry said in Abu Dhabi. "There was unity but Iran couldn't take it."

On Monday, Hague echoed Kerry saying the group P5+1 had a united position which he said will present a strong foundation for next round of talks. The EU foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton, has also stepped forward to make clear that inconclusive talks at the weekend did not mean it failed.

"On the question of will [a final agreement] happen in the next few weeks, there is a good chance of that," Hague told the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday. "A deal is on the table and it can be done. But it is a formidably difficult negotiation, I can't say exactly when it will conclude.

"They are narrow gaps. You asked what went wrong, I would say that a great deal went right."

In the provisional agreement reached in Tehran on Monday, several sticking points were notably not addressed. Significantly absent was an agreement on the Parchin military site in south-east of the Iranian capital, which is at the heart of the nuclear dispute between Tehran and the west. The IAEA has not been permitted to access Parchin since 2005, despite repeated requests from the international community.

Meanwile on Monday, Iran and the UK – who are upgrading their diplomatic ties – announced their non-resident chargé d'affaires to their respective capitals. Ajay Sharma, the head of the Foreign Office's Iran desk, will be London's non-resident chargé d'affaires to Iran; Tehran named Mohammad-Hassan Habibollahzadeh as Sharma's counterpart

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/11/iran-allows-nuclear-inspectors-iaea