Vienna: The InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) froze 22 out of 55 technical cooperation projectswith Iran,the UN nuclear watchdog said in a report to its 35-nation board here.

The IAEA followed the line laid out in UN Security Councilresolution 1737 from Dec 23, 2006, which asks to suspend all cooperation thatcould potentially enable Iranto acquire a nuclear weapons capability.

The release of the report Friday comes at the same time asIranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani cancelled meetings both with IAEADirector General Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna andhis participation in a security conference in Munich, where he was expected to meet withsenior European leaders.

According to conference organisers, Larijani cancelled histrip due to health reasons.

The Security Council resolution prohibits all UN memberstates as well as the IAEA from giving Iran technical assistance onproliferation-sensitive activities such as uranium enrichment or fuelreprocessing.

Iran'sIAEA envoy Ali-Asqar Soltanieh called the freeze a follow-on to the"legally unjustifiable" UN resolution and therefore technically notrelevant.

"The UN resolution has caused the IAEA limitations andeventually led to the freezing of projects with Iran," Soltanieh said 

The report stressed that the secretariat will continueto keep all its technical assistance activities under review to ensure thatnone contribute to Iran'sproliferation-sensitive nuclear activities as specified in theresolution.

"Technical cooperation to Iran may proceed through 11national projects and 20 regional and two inter-regional projects," thereport said. 

Of the 22 halted projects, 10 were suspended completely.

For the remaining 12, cooperation was suspended fordisparate activities "except for those specific activities that, after acase-by-case screening by the secretariat upon receipt of a request forspecific assistance, are found to be in conformity" with the UNresolution.

Among the projects Iran requested were technicalassistance for developing a waste disposal facility and aid for the productionof radiopharmaceuticals for cancer therapy.

"Technical cooperation would continue only if it is for food,agricultural, medical, safety or other humanitarian purposes or where itrelated to light water reactors, as specified by the Security Council, "thereport said.