Vienna - Multilateral talks in Vienna on sending Iran's nuclear fuel abroad for processing were "off to a good start," International Atomic energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said after the Monday's session ended. "Most of the technical issues have been discussed," ElBaradei said, adding that the meeting between Iran, Russia, France, the US and the IAEA was "quite constructive" and would be continued Tuesday.
Western countries and Russia see the scheme to export most of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia and France, in order to enrich it to a higher level and send it back to Tehran as an important confidence-building measure that would help push along wider-ranging nuclear talks with Iran that are planned before the end of the month.
Monday's talks was preceded by warnings from Tehran it would enrich uranium beyond levels needed for power generation and make the medical-reactor fuel itself if the negotiations fail.
Iranian Atomic Organization spokesman Ali Shirzadian also made it clear that, despite the planned deal, Iran would not suspend its enrichment plant at Natanz, the official news agency IRNA reported.
The talks were also overshadowed by the deadly attacks on Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Sunday, for which the Guards' commander has blamed not only Pakistan, but also the US and Britain.
While the US was represented by Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman, Iran sent its ambassador at the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh. The French and Russian delegations were headed by senior officials.
"I endorse what the Director General said," Soltanieh said after the talks, without commenting further.
Western countries have agreed to negotiate with Iran even though it has not fulfilled the UN Security Council's standing demand to halt uranium enrichment.
Low-enriched uranium currently produced in Natanz can be used to fuel nuclear power reactors. At increasing levels of enrichment, it can be used for medical reactors or atomic weapons, but Iran denies it has any such military intentions.
The Vienna talks follow up on a general agreement on the fuel export-import scheme agreed to by Iran and world powers in Geneva on October 1.
A diplomat said last week that the aim was to get Iran to send 1,200 kilogrammes of uranium to Russia by the end of the year in one shipment.
After further enrichment there, the resulting material would be processed into 116 kilogrammes of actual fuel in France and returned to Iran before the end of 2010.
Following the Vienna talks, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US are planning to continue negotiations with Iran over improving relations with Tehran in return for concessions on the nuclear issue.
