TEHRAN: Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Iran was witnessing a "positive" feedback from the Vienna group over a proposal to supply Tehran with nuclear fuel, an Iranian television channel reported.
Mottaki said Iran’s response to questions raised by the Vienna group over a proposal brokered by Brazil and Turkey to supply the fuel to Tehran has led to some "readiness" from the members of the group to talk over the issue.
"We can say this process is a positive signal reflecting the political determination of the Vienna group," he told the Al-Alam Arabic-language channel late on Sunday, referring to the United States, Russia, France that make up the group.
The Vienna group has raised several questions about the proposal submitted by Iran, Brazil and Turkey for the supply of nuclear fuel to power a Tehran-based research reactor. Iran answered the group’s questions on July 26.
"The director general of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is seeking to organize a meeting with the Vienna group on the basis of Tehran’s letter for the exchange of fuel for the Tehran reactor," Mottaki said.
The May 17 proposal by Iran, Turkey and Brazil, known as the Tehran Declaration, stipulates that Iran send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for 20 percent high-enriched uranium to be supplied by Russia and France at a later date.
The world powers led by Washington had previously cold-shouldered the plan and even backed a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran on June 9.
The UN sanctions have been followed by unilateral punitive measures imposed by the United States and the European Union.
The world powers suspect that Iran is masking a weapons drive under the guise of a civilian atomic program, while Tehran insists its nuclear program has no military aims.
