Six powers urge Iran to accept UN scheme

BRUSSELS. November 21. KAZINFORM. Political directors, or deputy foreign ministers, from Russia, the U.S., the U.K., China, Germany and France held talks in Brussels Friday urging Iran to agree to a UN-proposed scheme; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

Iran has yet to give an official answer to a UN-brokered deal designed to allay concerns over its nuclear program, which Western powers suspect of being aimed at the production of an atomic weapon. Iran says the program is for the peaceful generation of energy.

Under the deal, drawn up at October talks in Vienna between Iran, the UN, the U.S., Russia and France, the Islamic Republic would ship out its low-enriched uranium to Russia, where it would be enriched and then sent to France to prepare it for use in an Iranian reactor.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog said in a report on Monday that Iran's lateness in admitting to a second uranium enrichment site raises concerns that it may be hiding further information on nuclear facilities.

Iran admitted to the existence of an enrichment site near the city of Qom in September, and IAEA inspectors who were granted access to the facility the following month said construction was at an advanced stage; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.