ID :
98364
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 17:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/98364
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Brazil, Japan, Turkey are potential sites for nuclear fuel swap
TEHRAN, Jan. 5 (MNA) -- Brazil, Japan, Turkey, and the Iranian island of Kish in the Persian Gulf are among the potential sites for exchanging nuclear fuel if the West agrees with Iran’s proposal for a fuel swap in stages, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Monday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday the West should decide whether it wants to sell nuclear fuel to Iran or swap 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel for Iran’s low-enriched uranium.
“The international community has only one more month to make a decision. Otherwise, Tehran will enrich uranium to the higher purity needed for the fuel,” Mottaki added.
In an interview with the ILNA news agency, Mehmanparast said that when Iran asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to help it obtain fuel for the Tehran research reactor, a committee was going to be established to follow up the issue.
However, he said the West politicized the issue and created ambiguity over the matter.
After the West failed to win Iran’s trust on the issue of providing fuel for the reactor, Tehran presented three new proposals, but unfortunately none of them have borne results so far, he added.
He said the first proposal called for Iran to buy the fuel, the second called for an exchange of nuclear fuel, and the third said Iran itself should enrich the nuclear fuel to the 20 percent purity level needed to operate the Tehran reactor.
On the request of certain impartial countries who asked Iran not to enrich uranium for two months in order to give the West some time to respond, he said, “To show our goodwill to the international community, we agreed with this request, and one month has passed since that time and one month is left.
“If the other side responds to Iran’s request in the remaining time, we will start the work. Otherwise, we will make the necessary decision.”
On the talks between Iran and the 5+1 group (China, the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and Germany), he said that the two sides were supposed to meet again after the Geneva talks, when Iran presented its package of proposals, but unfortunately, the West has not yet responded.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday the West should decide whether it wants to sell nuclear fuel to Iran or swap 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel for Iran’s low-enriched uranium.
“The international community has only one more month to make a decision. Otherwise, Tehran will enrich uranium to the higher purity needed for the fuel,” Mottaki added.
In an interview with the ILNA news agency, Mehmanparast said that when Iran asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to help it obtain fuel for the Tehran research reactor, a committee was going to be established to follow up the issue.
However, he said the West politicized the issue and created ambiguity over the matter.
After the West failed to win Iran’s trust on the issue of providing fuel for the reactor, Tehran presented three new proposals, but unfortunately none of them have borne results so far, he added.
He said the first proposal called for Iran to buy the fuel, the second called for an exchange of nuclear fuel, and the third said Iran itself should enrich the nuclear fuel to the 20 percent purity level needed to operate the Tehran reactor.
On the request of certain impartial countries who asked Iran not to enrich uranium for two months in order to give the West some time to respond, he said, “To show our goodwill to the international community, we agreed with this request, and one month has passed since that time and one month is left.
“If the other side responds to Iran’s request in the remaining time, we will start the work. Otherwise, we will make the necessary decision.”
On the talks between Iran and the 5+1 group (China, the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and Germany), he said that the two sides were supposed to meet again after the Geneva talks, when Iran presented its package of proposals, but unfortunately, the West has not yet responded.
