VIENNA: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met with UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano in Vienna on Sunday, but there appeared to be no immediate breakthrough on a stalled nuclear fuel deal.
International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman Gill Tudor confirmed the meeting at which she said the two "discussed the issue of the provision of fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor and exchanged views on the possible modalities for its realization."
"The meeting was held in a business-like atmosphere," Tudor added, without providing further details.
Under a deal brokered by the IAEA last October, Iran was to have sent its stock of low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for conversion into fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.
But the proposal became deadlocked following Iran’s insistence that the exchange of the fuel be simultaneous and take place within the borders of the Islamic republic.
A source close to the negotiations told AFP that no deal was expected to be signed just yet.
"It’s clear that no agreement is going to be signed today," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
After meeting Amano, Mottaki held separate talks with his Austrian counterpart Michael Spindelegger, where the two ministers also touched on the nuclear fuel deal, as well as other issues including human rights.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, Amano described the talks as "constructive," but said: "An agreement should not be expected to be signed today." The IAEA could not immediately confirm Amano’s comments.
IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying that "we had friendly talks but diplomatic talks need time to reach results."
Separately, another Iranian news agency ISNA quoted Mottaki as telling Amano during their talks that "the fuel swap proposal is still on the table… this initiative has good potential for creating mutual confidence for all the sides, including Iran."
On his arrival in Vienna earlier Sunday, Mottaki had said he was "optimistic" that talks could produce "acceptable results".
"We will have more decisive and technical talks with Amano regarding the swap. Given the circumstances, the IAEA and its director general can play a more constructive role. We believe the fuel swap can create multilateral trust," Mottaki said.
At a joint news briefing with Mottaki after their bilateral talks, Spindelegger said he had told his Iranian counterpart that the ball was in Iran’s court if it wanted to avert a new round of sanctions by the UN Security Council over its controversial nuclear drive.
The West accuses Tehran of covertly seeking to build an atomic bomb, but the Islamic republic insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.
"The train is moving in the direction of sanctions and I made it clear to Minister Mottaki that we expect Iran to prove its willingness to cooperate" if further sanctions are to be averted, Spindelegger said.
Mottaki had updated him on Iran’s own counterproposals for the nuclear fuel deal, which contained "some new information, which will now have to be evaluated," Spindelegger said.
The Austrian minister would present those new elements to his European Union counterparts to discuss whether they were sufficient to call off a new round of sanctions, Spindelegger said.
"It is up to Iran to bring some movement" into the situation, the minister said. "But it’s got to be good."
