Iran on Sunday said it hoped that all differences with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over its nuclear programme would be settled as scheduled within the next two months.

“We hope to settle everything with the IAEA within the scheduled two months and if necessary, the deadline could be extended,” foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said in his weekly press briefing.

Based on an agreement reached last month in Vienna between Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, the two sides are to draw up a plan of action within 60 days.

The agreement is supposed to resolve all technical aspects and serve as a basis for Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana to reach a political consensus over the issue.

Hosseini did not rule out direct negotiations with the United States over the nuclear dispute, as proposed by ElBaradei, but said that “all angles” of such an option should be clarified in advance.

The spokesman, however, said that Iran’s nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment, would be continued regardless of political considerations.

DPA

Güncelleme Tarihi: 15 Temmuz 2007, 13:17