IAEA inspectors to meet new team of Iranian nuclear negotiators in Vienna

The following 11th in two years negotiations round of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with Iranian representatives is beginning in the Austrian capital on Friday. Over this period, the parties have failed to agree on a two-page document on the admission of international experts to nuclear facilities to determine the possible military component of Tehran’s current research. However, this time a new team of Iranian diplomats led by Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Reza Najafi, who was appointed to this position by the country’s new President Hassan Rouhani, is to sit at the negotiating table. Itar-Tass’ diplomatic sources, generally guardedly optimistic about the prospects of the consultations, noted that the tone of the Vienna meeting would largely depend on the outcome of the ministerial-level negotiations between Iran and the six intermediate countries (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) in New York. “If everything there goes well, then there are chances that parties in Vienna may agree on the date of the beginning of substantive negotiations on the supposed military dimension,” a source close to the IAEA said. However, he believes that no breakthrough would be achieved at these negotiations. “The main agreement that may be reached at this meeting is the timing of the next consultations, which may take place within two to three weeks,” the source said. “And at them something specific may be proposed.” According to him, “the New York ministerial meeting should give an impulse, and the Vienna negotiations will be a familiarization meeting after the partial change of the teams.” “If Iran and the IAEA agree on the date it would mean that the impulse has been received and a new opportunity for negotiations is opening,” he said. The parties have been trying already for two years to reach an agreement on the document, determining the procedure for the admission of inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities for subsequent placing them under IAEA safeguards. Until recently the parties have disagreed on several issues, including on the conditions of inspectors’ admission to the Parchin facility, as well as on the procedure of the adoption of the document by the agency. In particular, Tehran insisted that with its adoption and the removal of issues of concern, the Iranian “nuclear dossier” must be completely closed. Relying on the fact that after the presidential elections, the authorities of the Islamic Republic are more open to dialogue, the IAEA leadership has taken an unprecedented step for it - published the essence of its claims to Iran and its negotiating position. Thus the IAEA wanted to reserve the right to return to the already discussed controversial issues, to carry out inspections without notice at any time, to access any information, documentation, sites and nuclear materials in its sole discretion to ensure control activities.