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Iran's vice president to meet with Russian nuclear agency chief

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Iran's vice president Gholamreza Aghazadeh is to meet in Vienna the chief of Russia's nuclear agency, the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said Monday.
TEHRAN, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - Iran's vice president Gholamreza Aghazadeh is to meet in Vienna the chief of Russia's nuclear agency, the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said Monday.

"Iran's vice president will speak Monday night at a conference session. He is also planning to meet with IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei and the head of Russia's Federal Nuclear Power Agency Sergei Kiriyenko," the IRNA news agency quoted Mohammad Saeedi as saying.

Aghazadeh, who heads the AEOI, arrived in Vienna Monday to participate in the 51st session of the General Conference of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Local observers said they believe the main topic of talks between Aghazadeh and Kiriyenko will be the completion of work at Bushehr, Iran's first nuclear power plant.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, while commenting on his visit to Moscow last week, said earlier that nuclear fuel for the Bushehr NPP is ready and sealed with IAEA seals, but a Russian delegation source said the procedure had not yet taken place.

Russian nuclear equipment export monopoly Atomstroyexport has been building Iran's first nuclear power plant despite opposition from Western countries and amid international concerns that the Islamic Republic is pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program.

The plant's construction has faced repeated delays, with Russia accusing Iran of missing payment deadlines. Iran denies any funding problems, and has accused Russia of delaying tactics.

Iran recently intensified cooperation with the IAEA, and invited weapons inspectors to visit a 40-MW heavy water reactor in Arak in late July.

Iran has defied three consecutive UN resolutions against its nuclear program since last year. The six countries negotiating the dispute - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany - have demanded that Tehran suspend all uranium enrichment before negotiating a solution to the dispute.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in early April the start of uranium enrichment on an industrial scale.

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