WAR.WIRE
Pakistan meets with UN nuclear agency on Iranian uranium contamination
 VIENNA (AFP) Aug 22, 2005
 UN nuclear inspectors inspectors and technicians from Pakistan Monday reviewed findings that enriched uranium particles found in Iran were from smuggled Pakistani equipment, a Pakistani source said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) findings back Iran's claims that it was not involved in enrichment work, which the United States says would show that the Islamic Republic is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

The IAEA inspectors and the Pakistanis are "discussing matters pertaining to the Iranian contamination issue," the source told AFP.

The source, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the experts were "looking at data."

In May, Pakistan sent centrifuge parts to the IAEA to enable it to compare microscopic traces of uranium on them with that found on identical equipment in Iran.

The IAEA has concluded that "the highly enriched uranium appears to emanate from Pakistan," as Iran claims and not from Iranian enrichment work, a Western diplomat close to the IAEA told AFP Friday.

Enriched uranium, made by passing a uranium gas through a series, or cascade, of centrifuge machines, can be fuel for civilian nuclear power reactors or the raw material for atom bombs.

The father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has admitted to running an international nuclear black market ring that supplied Iran with atomic technology and parts.

The IAEA has since February 2003 been investigating US charges that Iran has a covert weapons program.

The enriched uranium contamination issue is a main sticking point in the investigation, although there are other unresolved issues.

The diplomat said the talks with the Pakistanis were part of a review of the IAEA findings that will later also involve independent experts, leading to a report to be filed September 3 to the agency's 35-nation board of governors.

"I hope this will be the end of the matter as far as Pakistan is concerned," the Pakistani source said.

IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozedecky declined to comment on details but said: "The corroboration process continues and we hope to report on the contamination issue in the September report" to the IAEA board of governors.

The IAEA has urged Iran to halt this month's resumption of nuclear fuel work so that it can resume talks with the European Union on guaranteeing that its atomic program is peaceful.

If Iran does not comply, the EU has threatened to ask the IAEA to bring Iran before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

One diplomat said the investigations so far "don't prove Iran's story is true. They prove it is plausible."