IAEA Inspectors Prepare for Trip to Iran

As IAEA inspectors prepare for a trip to Iran, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the agency, stated on Tuesday in Vienna that inspectors must have full and unlimited access to all nuclear facilities to verify Iran's claim that it has no secret program for producing nuclear weapons. Dominique de Villepin, the French Foreign Minister, also called for Iran to fully cooperate with international inspectors. He mentioned on Tuesday in a conversation with reporters in Vienna that Iran must fulfill the IAEA's request to sign the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by October 31. De Villepin stated that if Iran does not comply with the October 31 deadline, the IAEA Board of Governors will have to decide on referring the matter to the United Nations Security Council. On Monday, Kamal Kharrazi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, speaking at Columbia University, said Iran is open to inspectors and added: 'In principle, we have no problem with inspections, as we have nothing to hide. We want to be transparent. But the question is whether the Additional Protocol is sufficient for us or not. If it is sufficient, it means that after signing the protocol, we can continue our efforts to use nuclear energy and technology for peaceful purposes.' Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic dismissed European warnings regarding the economic consequences of not meeting the October 31 deadline. Kamal Kharrazi called the EU's threats unacceptable.