Salehi: Iran Optimistic About Settlement Of Nuclear Dispute

Vienna, Sept 17, IRNA – Vice-President and head of the Atomic Energy Agency Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali-Akbar Salehi, said on Monday that Iran is ready to expand engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Iran is ready to enhance and strengthen engagement with the IAEA. I am optimistic with settlement of nuclear dispute,” said Salehi in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the 57th annual session of the IAEA members. Salehi said that Iran believes in win-win game in nuclear negotiations with the western governments. Citing President Hassan Rohani's remarks that Iran has foreseen a specified time for settlement of nuclear dispute, Salehi said that the win-win game must yield fruit and Iran cannot continue nuclear talks forever, a reference to the need for the western governments to lift the arbitrary sanctions. Salehi advised the western governments to use the opportunity available and show goodwill by lifting sanctions. Hoping that resumption of Iran-G5+1 talks would result in settlement of the nuclear issue, Salehi criticized certain western states for their double-standard and said the Zionist regime is not a signatory to the NPT and its nuclear facilities are not under the IAEA supervision. Though the IAEA members in the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) reached agreement on holding a meeting on the Middle East Free of Nuclear Weapons, no such a meeting has yet been held due to the US opposition. This is while they raise Iran issue under various pretexts and more than 8,000 man/day inspection visits are made to Iran nuclear facilities and more than 100 of such visits have been short-noticed, according to Salehi./end