IRI issues communiqué on talks with IAEA

Permanent IRI representative to the IAEA in Vienna issued a communiqué Monday focusing on recent two rounds of talks between Iranian top officials and agency (IAEA) high ranking inspectors. The communiqué was handed out among the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Directors and delegations of member countries, as well as the world media reporters present at the agency. The full text of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s communiqué is as follows: Prelude: Following high level political talks, on August 27th, 2007, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed on work plan “INFCIRC/711” as basis for resolving the remaining issues from the past. Thanks to the very dynamic cooperation on the part of Iran, the entire six remaining issues were resolved in the year 2008 and the former IAEA secretary general reported the matter to the board of directors of the time. Despite that reality, the International Atomic Energy Agency has not heeded its responsibilities up to now, including delivering the documents regarding the “claimed studies” to Iran, although Tehran did deliver its evaluation in the framework of a 117 page document to the agency. Based on that work plan, the job was fully accomplished and finalized at that date, but the agency, quite against the formerly reached agreement, did not declare the end of its job in Iran then. At any rate, Iran one more time invited the agency’s team of inspectors to visit Iran on October 30th, 2011, to survey the remaining issues and end the process which seemed to be an endless one, giving a historical point to the agency. A: First meetings in recent past (Jan 29-31, 2012) Iran and the agency team, comprised of high ranking negotiators on both sides, held significant negotiations over how to solve the issue’s main points. The agency and Iran exchanged the drafts of their texts regarding the devised approach and modality for insertion of further details. B: Meetings in between the sessions (Feb 15 – 17) In order to facilitate solving the issue, two rounds of talks were held in Tehran and three rounds in Vienna, and the following agreements were reached: • The approach in this process would be surveying the matter “issue by issue”, and that the related technical matters would be classified under same topics, in order to facilitate the process of the intensive work, be effective, and fruitful. • The agency declared that the entire remaining issues are exclusively those mentioned in document “GOV/2011/65”, which in the list of classified priorities would be presented in the draft of the second modality. • In this respect, issues such as the explosive mantle, initiative of explosion at high level, and the hydrodynamic test which were initially proposed by the agency to be included within the topics of the second modality, were included in the first modality instead, upon a mutually reached agreement. On that basis, the issues in the first modality were six, as follows: 1. It was agreed that the agency would deliver the documents that prove that Iran is involved in the “claimed activities” to Tehran officials. 2. It was agreed that first the text of the modality would be agreed upon, then it would be finalized, and based on the achieved text of modality, the survey would be pursued issue by issue. 3. It was agreed that the agency would prepare its questions regarding issue number one (inclusive of five topics) and deliver them to Iran during he next meeting (on Feb 20-21) to pave the path for effective implementation of agreements. 4. Iran agreed with the agency’s request on preparing an initial declaration on the appendix of the Secretary General’s Report “GOV/2011/65” during the next meeting (Feb 20-21). 5. It was also agreed that although the agency would present its questions related to issue number one, but the request on having access to Parchin facilities, in accordance with the issue by issue approach, would be delayed till after the March session of the IAEA Board of Governors. 6. Iran announced readiness, in line with proving its good will, to cooperate actively and take practical steps, including providing access regarding two issues under topic number one, that is to say expansion of the explosion mantles, and the initiative of explosion at high level. C: Second round of meetings (Feb 20-21) Based on the text of the modality proposed by the agency, the following steps were predicted to be taken: 1. Reaching agreement over the text of the modality 2. Initial declaration by Iran related to Report No. GOV/2011/65 3. The agency should present its entire questions related to issue number one (five topics) and the documents that prove that Iran is involved in activities that are stated in claimed studies 4. Iran should answer the agency’s questions 5. The agency should review and analyze the responses and negotiate with Iran over the entire activities that must take place related to issue number one (five topics). 6. The agency would request action (or actions) related to one (or more) of the topics related to issue number one, in accordance with the issue by issue approach of the inspection process. Despite the reached agreement in Vienna (referred to under letter “B” above), and even contrary to the agreed text with the agency, referred to before, the IAEA team based on the agency secretary general’s order, asked for having access to Parchin facilities. It should be noted that Parchin facilities were inspected twice in the year 2005 by the agency, following which the former secretary general announced that the matter is finalized and would be part of history, and he reported the matter to the Board of Directors. Keeping in mind that Parchin is a military site, access to it is in need of a time-taking process, which cannot be permitted repeatedly. Based on that background and in accordance with the demand that the agency should categorize all matters of the same nature under single surveys, such as the case of the hydrodynamic tests, in the future the agency would be permitted to have access to Parchin only one more time. This process can clearly happen at the time that agreement on the modality would be reached. Despite the fact that the modality had not been finalized yet, but in order to prove its good will for cooperation, Iran decided to present its first declaration in accordance with the Secretary General’s Report. This was one of the moves made in accordance with the draft of the modality, presented by the agency. The agency was not prepared to present the entire questions related to issue number one (five topics) and posed its questions only regarding Parchin and the foreign technicians. The agency presented no document or explanation on those questions, either. Iran once again announced its readiness for taking practical steps, including permitting access regarding the two matters included under issue number one, which are expansion of the explosion mantle and explosion at high level, in order to solve and settle these two matters, but the agency’s team did not agree, because the Secretary General had ordered them to return to Vienna. Yet, the two sides held intensive talks regarding the modality for work over the claimed studies and agreements were reached in various sections, but due to the pre-planned return of the team to Vienna and time shortage, the text of the modality was not finalized. The Islamic Republic of Iran had already adopted its decision on cooperation with the agency in a technical manner aimed at solving the remaining claims, and in order to prove the fact to the world public opinion that is activities are merely aimed at peaceful objectives. Therefore, the entire member countries are expected to support this process and to refrain from any move that would weaken the required atmosphere for reaching a successful result.