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Iran says work plan closed, U.S. intelligence fake |
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Sunday, 24 February 2008 |
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it had cleared up all past outstanding
issues over its nuclear program with the United Nations nuclear watchdog and
accused the United States of providing intelligence that was fake.
"The work plan is finished," Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the
International Atomic Energy Agency, told Reuters, referring to a pact between
Tehran and the IAEA to answer outstanding questions about its nuclear activities
one by one.
In its latest report published on Friday, the IAEA said Iran had responded to
questions and clarified issues raised in the context of the work plan struck in
August, with the exception of alleged studies into the possible deionization of
nuclear materials.
The agency said it confronted Iran for the first time with Western intelligence
reports of work linked to making atomic bombs, adding Tehran had failed to
provide satisfactory answers.
Soltanieh said the intelligence, coming mainly from the U.S. and a laptop
spirited out of Iran in 2005, was fake. "This is 100 percent fabricated and
forged," said Soltanieh.
Tehran was only shown some of the documents in mid-February, after it had
already given its final assessment on the outstanding issues to the agency and
in any case too late to be addressed in time for the February report, said
Soltanieh.
United States envoy to the IAEA Gregory Schulte rejected the accusations, saying
indications that Iran had conducted weapons related work had come from multiple
sources, involved a number of activities and were "very consistent" with
findings in the National Intelligence Estimate published in December.
Schulte also added that Iran has had years to answer.
"Quite frankly, Iran could have explained these matters some years ago," Schulte
told Reuters. "This should not be a matter of Iran waiting to see information."
The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors is scheduled to meet March 3-7.
Western powers suspect Iran is seeking to build atomic bombs, but Tehran insists
it is seeking to master nuclear technology so it can make fuel for a planned
network of nuclear power plants and save its huge oil and gas reserves for
export.
Source: Reuters
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