IAEA convenes board meeting to address Iran nuclear issue

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) convened here on Monday a regular board of governors meeting, mainly aiming to address the growing international concern over Iran's nuclear program.

As the row between Iran and the European Union (EU) is on the rise, the 35-nation IAEA board is expected to decide whether to refer Iran's nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council, a proposal the EU has threatened to table.

Speaking prior to the five-day meeting, IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei said he hoped the meeting would explore a solution which is "acceptable to the international community".

Recently, Iran has become firm on its position on the issue. At the UN General Assembly meeting on Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated that his country has an "inalienable right" to produce nuclear fuel.

The EU has reacted tit-for-tat and the EU's big three, Britain, France and Germany, has started to draft a resolution to refer Iran to the UN Security Council.

At the briefing, Baradei urged Iran to "go out of its way" to provide full transparency of its nuclear process and reminded the country there are a number of important issues to be resolved.

He also said Iran has repeatedly conveyed the message to him that the country would "continue to work with" the IAEA on the nuclear issue.

As for the possible outcome of the meeting, the IAEA chief said it was "too early to predict".

However, Baradei said the agreement reached by the six-party talks in Beijing would be an "encouragement" for finding out a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

"Negotiation is the best means" to resolve disputes, he said.

Source: Xinhua