Iran denounces IAEA meeting as politically motivated

Iran denounced on Sunday an upcoming emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as politically motivated, reiterating it would not be terrified by the possible referral of its nuclear case to the UN Security Council.

"It (the IAEA meeting) is unnecessary under the current circumstances, and it has been staged politically under pressures of certain countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told reporters at a weekly news briefing.

Asefi cited IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's recent decision to present his report on the Iranian nuclear issue in March, saying it showed "ElBaradei also thinks the IAEA meeting should be held in March" as scheduled.

Asefi said such a politically motivated meeting would just yield political and unprofessional results, stressing this would run counter to the IAEA's tenet.

However, the spokesman said Iran was not afraid of being referred to the UN Security Council although it did not expect that inappropriate approach.

"We have called to resume talks with the European Union (EU), but they turned us down," Asefi added.

Iran resumed its nuclear research work earlier this month in defiance of the EU warnings.

Under the call of the European trio of Britain, France and Germany, the IAEA board of governors has decided to hold a meeting on Feb. 2 to vote on the referral of Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council.

The EU has also cancelled a round of negotiations with Iran previously scheduled on Jan. 18.

The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the European Union have grounded to a halt since Tehran resumed uranium conversion activities last August and restarted in late December.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday that Iran could frustrate the EU's referral motion, vowing not to give up the country's rights on peaceful nuclear technology.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, a charge rejected by Iran as politically motivated.

Source: Xinhua