Iran foreign minister in Japan for nuclear talks (Reuters) Updated: 2006-02-27 14:57 Japan will urge Iran to ease
international concerns over its nuclear ambitions in order to avert United
Nations sanctions during a three-day visit by Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki.
Mottaki arrived in Tokyo on Monday, a day after news that Iran had reached a
"basic" agreement with Russia on jointly enriching uranium.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who was set to meet Mottaki later on
Monday, said he would press his counterpart for details of the deal, which did
not make clear whether Tehran would suspend enrichment inside Iran.
"Iran has been carrying on secretly defying the IAEA ( International Atomic
Energy Agency) and losing international credibility. We need to have thorough
talks," Aso told the parliament, referring to Tehran's uranium
enrichment-related activities.
With time running out for Iran to avoid formal referral to the U.N. Security
Council at a March 6 board meeting of the IAEA, Japan hopes to persuade Iran --
its third-largest oil supplier -- to stop producing enriched uranium, which can
be used for nuclear weapons.
Tehran denies trying to develop nuclear arms, saying it is only seeking
atomic energy to meet the demands of its growing economy.
Japan, which imports about 15 percent of its crude oil from Iran, or some
500,000 barrels a day, has kept up good ties with the Islamic Republic, and
Japanese officials have said this gives Tokyo a unique role to play in defusing
the tensions.
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