Iran says talks with IAEA 'constructive'

TEHRAN (Xinhua) - The fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on bilateral cooperation was constructive, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said Saturday.

The talks between Iran and the IAEA, which started here on Saturday, was "good, constructive and moving forward," and the two sides will continue their "intense" negotiations on Sunday, Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by Press TV.

The first day of talks took nearly five hours, he said, adding that the two sides discussed the points further, which were previously agreed upon.

Iran is in talks with the IAEA "out of good faith" to help remove "artificial ambiguities" over Tehran's nuclear program as " the Islamic republic is not legally obliged under the Safeguards ( Agreement) to respond to such queries and ambiguities," Kamalvandi said.

The IAEA delegation also expressed satisfaction with Iran's cooperation in implementing the previously-signed deal with the UN nuclear body, he said, expressing hopes that the two sides would conclude their negotiations on Sunday.

No immediate comment from the IAEA delegation is made.

Inspectors of the IAEA visited Iran's Gachin yellow cake mine in the south in January 2014 and the Arak heavy water production plant in December 2013. The inspection was in line with the implementation of an agreement signed between head of the AEOI Ali- Akbar Salehi and IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano in Tehran on Nov. 11, 2013.

IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of Department of Safeguards Tero Tapio Varjoranta and two other officials arrived in Tehran on Friday.