Moscow has welcomed Iran's readiness to hold technical discussions on the supplying of 20%-enriched fuel for use in its Tehran scientific research reactor, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
On Monday, Tehran submitted a letter to IAEA Director General Yukio Amano, which expressed Iran's readiness to attend talks on providing fuel for Tehran's scientific reactor.
"We are prepared for this technical meeting. We reaffirm the importance of Brazil and Turkey's participation... The successful implementation of this scheme will help restore confidence that Iran's nuclear program has only peaceful purposes," the Ministry's department of information said in the statement.
Turkey, Brazil and Iran signed an agreement on May 17, dubbed the Tehran Declaration, in which Iran committed itself to giving 1,200 kg of its 3.5%-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20%-enriched uranium it would receive from Western countries to be used as fuel in the nuclear research reactor in Tehran.
"We again call on Tehran to start a dialogue with the Iran Six to settle the situation around the Iranian nuclear program," the report says.
Under a plan drawn up in October 2009 by the UN nuclear watchdog and approved by the Iran Six group of major powers, the Islamic Republic was to ship out its low-enriched uranium to Russia for further enrichment and subsequently send it to France where it would be made into fuel rods.
Tehran stalled and then rejected the plan, suggesting it would consider a simultaneous swap of its low-enriched uranium for 20%-enriched uranium, but that the exchange should be simultaneous and would have to take place on its own territory.
MOSCOW, July 27 (RIA Novosti)
