Thursday, May 25 2006 13:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Iran is ready to give up uranium enrichment on its territory for several years as part of a deal to allay Western fears over its nuclear programme, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog has said.

But Mohamed ElBaradei, who met in Vienna last week with Iran's top nuclear negotiator, said here yesterday that the question of Tehran's sensitive atomic research activities was still under discussion.

ElBaradei made his remarks to reporters after conferring here with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Western efforts to rein in Iran's suspected bid to develop a nuclear bomb.



Iran has publicly insisted on its right to enrich uranium on its soil. Yet ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), suggested Tehran's position was more flexible.

"The Iranians, as far as I know, agreed in principle that for a number of years (uranium) enrichment should be part of an international consortium outside of Iran," he said.

He said the Iranians told him that once negotiations resumed on their nuclear programme, they were ready to apply the 'additional protocol' to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty aimed at tightening inspections.

"There is still this issue of Iran doing R and D (research and development) with regards to enrichment and that's an issue still being discussed," ElBaradei said.