September 11, 2007 (LPAC)--Director General Mohamed ElBaradei yesterday submitted his Opening Statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, now meeting in Vienna. The Statement provides a summary of his report on IAEA activities around the world on a number of subjects, one of which is the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. It largely repeats the document publicly released by the IAEA at the end of August. ElBaradei highlights four key points from the report.

First, the IAEA "has been able to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran." Second, Iran has provided the IAEA with additional information which has resolved a number of past issues, including past plutonium experiments and the presence and origin of high enriched uranium particles at the Karaj Waste Storage Facility. Third, contrary to the decisions of the U.N. Security Council, "Iran has not suspended its enrichment related activities, and is continuing with the construction and operation of the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz," and Iran is also continuing with its construction of the heavy water reactor at Arak." Fourth, despite requests by the IAEA and the Security Council, the IAEA "has so far been unable to verify certain important aspects relevant to the scope and nature of Iran's nuclear programme;" however, Iranian National Security Council Secretary Larijani agreed that Iran would work with the IAEA to develop a work plan for resolving all outstanding verification issues, and a copy of the work plan is included in the report.

ElBaradei's statement calls on Iran to provide renewed access to information relevant to ongoing advanced centrifuge research, and to ratify and bring into force its additional protocol requested by the IAEA and the Security Council which would enable the IAEA "to provide assurances not only regarding declared nuclear material but, equally important, regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran." He also calls once again for a "double time-out" of all enrichment related activities and of sanctions could provide a breathing space for negotiations to be resumed."