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Iran handed the UN nuclear watchdog Monday a letter agreeing to tougher inspections of its nuclear program and informed the agency it was suspending the enrichment of uranium, the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA said. Ali Akbar Salehi told AFP he had "handed over the letter" on signing an additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Salehi said he had also told ElBaradei that Iran "will start the process of suspending our uranium enrichment activities effective tomorrow (Tuesday)." Highly enriched uranium can be used as a fuel for reactors but also to make atomic weapons. Iranian security chief Hasan Rowhani had said in Moscow that enrichment would be suspended as of Monday, but Salehi said this meant "the process will start tomorrow." IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky confirmed that the letter had been handed over and notification of suspension given. These are two key steps the IAEA has said Iran must take before the UN nuclear watchdog meets next week, on November 20, to decide whether Iran is in compliance with the NPT and whether it is hiding an atomic weapons program. A ruling that Iran is in non-compliance with NPT safeguards could lead to UN sanctions against Iran. The United States accuses Iran, which is building a nuclear power reactor with Russian help, of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran vehemently denies the charge. The IAEA had in September asked Iran to do three main things ahead of the November 20 board meeting: fully disclose its nuclear program, agree to tougher inspections and suspend the enrichment of uranium that could be used to make the bomb. Iran submitted on October 23 what it said was a full report on its nuclear program, eight days before a deadline for this set by the IAEA fell on October "This means that Iran has taken all the necessary steps to win the confidence of the international community and to show the world that Iran wants to resolve peacefully" questions about its nuclear program," Salehi said. He said Iran "has shown its good will regarding this issue and would like others to react positively to this move of Iran so that once at least the world could witness that cooperation, mutual understanding and engagement can bear fruit." Iran had on October 21 agreed, when the British, French and German foreign ministers visited Tehran, to suspend the enrichment of uranium. But carrying this out was delayed, diplomats said, because Iran sees suspension as merely turning off centrifuges used to make highly enriched uranium while Britain, France and Germany want a halt to the whole range of enrichment activities, including deliveries, construction of new facilities and research. The Islamic republic has still to sign the additional NPT protocol, with Monday's letter being a statement of intent and not the actual signing. All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Quick Links
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