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Iran must end ‘nuclear standoff’

Iran must end ‘nuclear standoff’ Aljazeera.net NEWS EUROPE March 02, 2009 Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the UN atomic watchdog, has urged Iran to co-operate with the international community and be transparent over its nuclear programme.

He said: “I again urge Iran to implement all measures required to build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme at the earliest possible date and to unblock this stalemated situation.”

Speaking at the beginning of a week-long meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, he also appeared to express hope that the United States’ apparent change in policy towards Iran would help resolve the problem.

“I am hopeful that the apparent fresh approach by the international community to dialogue with Iran will give new impetus to the efforts to resolve this long-standing issue,” he said.

Barack Obama, the new US president, has signalled that Washington may be willing to talk to Tehran over the two countries’ relations.

The United Nations has demanded Iran suspend its enrichment programme over fears it could be used to produce nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the charge, saying its programme is only for generating electricity.

Despite a six-year investigation, the IAEA has been unable to determine whether or not Iran’s uranium enrichment programme is intended for peaceful purposes.

March 2, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, weapons and war