Vienna - The dispute over Iran's controversial nuclear programme is set to return to the centre of international interest at the upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors starting Monday in Vienna. Ahead of meeting there is hope among Vienna diplomats that Iran may be more forthcoming in cooperating with the UN nuclear watchdog. Talks on how to improve Iranian cooperation are expected to take place at the sidelines of the meeting, after Tehran recently indicated its willingness to solve outstanding issues.
The members of the IAEA's 35-nation board are set to gather for their regular summer meeting starting Monday. The delegates will consider the latest report by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, which said that due to lack of Iranian cooperation, the IAEA's knowledge about Iran's nuclear programme was "deteriorating."
ElBaradei also said in his report that Iran was continuing building up its uranium enrichment capacities, thereby violating several UN Security council resolutions asking Tehran to suspend enrichment. At its pilot enrichment plant at Natanz, Tehran has currently installed 13 cascades with 164 centrifuges each, in varying states of operation.
Diplomats do not expect any resolutions concerning the issue from the board, as the Security Council may come up with further measures against Iran after the country ignored yet another deadline for freezing enrichment.
Tehran insists its nuclear programme, which it had kept hidden from UN inspectors for almost two decades is peaceful, purely for energy production. Western nations, chiefly the United States, however fear that Iran is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons.
After talks with with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on May 31, Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani indicated that Iran was ready to provide information to the IAEA. He stressed Iran's intention to solve outstanding issues, but the issue needed to return to the agency.
Apart from Iran, the week-long meeting will also deal with issues of planning and finance, with the Agency's budget being another potential bone of contention, as there is disagreement among the delegations on how to meet the organization's increasing financial needs.
