 The International Atomic Energy Agency has urged the removal of nuclear fuel production from individual states in a move that could affect Iran's program. Instead, the IAEA report said nuclear fuel production should be the responsibility of a multilateral regime, which has already been launched in Europe. The report said each region should have a multilateral group to ensure that nuclear fuel would not be transferred to countries that sought to develop nuclear weapons. "A joint nuclear facility with multinational staff puts all participants under a greater scrutiny from peers and partners, a fact that strengthens non-proliferation and security," IAEA deputy director Bruno Pellaud said. "Moreover, they have the potential to facilitate the continued use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." Pellaud told a briefing in Vienna on Tuesday that the proposed multilateral groups would ensure the supply of fuel to civilian nuclear power programs. He said the 103-page report sought to issue recommendations ahead of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review scheduled for May 2005 in New York. More than 180 countries, including Iran, are signatories to the NPT. |