(RSD) -- Iran rejects IAEA proposal to transfer its enriched uranium to Turkey in order to allay the US and EU concerns, according to the Iranian Student's News Agency, quoting an informed source in Tehran. The outgoing Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammad ElBaradei, proposed Turkey as a third party where Iran could deliver its enriched uranium in order to make the deal for purchase of fuel for Tehran’s reactor work with the US, Russia and France. France, Russia and the U.S. are urging Iran to trade about 7 percent of its low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, which would assuage international fears the stockpile would be used to make a bomb. The proposal was presented a long time ago by ElBaradei and Tehran rejected it at that time, the official told ISNA on condition of anonymity. ISNA, the semi-official news agency, added that it seems that the IAEA Chief is trying to take advantage of Iran’s President upcoming trip to Turkey in the media, according to the same official. Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Turkey on Sunday to attend Organization of Islamic Conference Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation where is scheduled to deliver a speech at the meeting and meet with various high-ranking officials. Relatedly, ISNA quoted the Chief of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission as saying that the final decision regarding supply of Tehran’s reactor fuel will be made in negotiations in the IAEA. In an interview with ISNA on Saturday, Alaeddin Boroujerdi said, "the final decision regarding how to supply Tehran’s reactor fuel will be made in Iran’s representative at the IAEA, Mr. Soltanieh’s negotiations at the agency." Earlier on Saturday he told ISNA, "giving the 3.5 percent enriched uranium to receive 20 percent enriched fuel for Tehran’s research reactor whether gradually or all at once is called off," adding that "Iran is not to give any of its 1200 kilograms fuel to the other party to receive 20 percent (enriched) fuel and whether gradually or at once, this will not be done and is called off." According to ISNA, Boroujerdi also said that in turn Iran and fuel supplier countries must find a new way to provide Tehran’s reactor fuel. "Presently, Mr. Soltanieh is in talks to find an approach for the issue," he said. Also regarding remarks by some western officials that Iran must respond to the IAEA brokered deal regarding purchase of fuel in two days, ISNA quoted Boroujerdi as saying that, “the west cannot set a deadline and we are not committed to their remarks.” Also a number of Iranian parliamentarians asserted that accepting the deal under current situation would mean suspension of Iran’s uranium enrichment. They have also emphasized that there is no guarantee that the supplier countries would fulfill their commitments and Iran does not trust them in this case therefore the exchange of 3.5 percent domestically enriched uranium with 20 percent enriched fuel is called off. |



