IRAN - July 1 - El Baradei To Visit Tehran.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) spokesman Mark Gwozdecky says in Vienna that the agency head Mohammad El Baradei is to arrive in Tehran on July 9 on an Iranian invitation "to discuss the implementation of nuclear safeguards". (The announcement comes amidst pressure on Tehran to allow increased inspections). Gwozdecky says El Baradei will particularly focus on concerns raised in his recent report to the agency's board of governors and in a subsequent statement by the board. In that statement earlier this month, the agency said it expected Tehran "to grant the agency all access deemed necessary" to defuse suspicions Tehran has a clandestine weapons programme. The agency urged Tehran to allow more inspections and to stop enriching nuclear fuel. El Baradei had asked Iran to accept a new protocol that would give the agency more powers to inspect its nuclear activities, and urged Tehran to permit monitors to take environmental samples at a location where it has allegedly enriched uranium - a possible step in producing nuclear weapons. A diplomat familiar with agency operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said El Baradei also would be seeking answers on Iraq's heavy water programme, which also has possible applications in making weapons. The United States has been at the forefront of accusations that Tehran is running a clandestine nuclear weapons programme. US Pres. Bush warned last week that Tehran must keep its promise not to develop nuclear weapons. If the Iranians don't, "we will deal with that", Bush said. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, finishing a visit to Tehran, said the government should "unconditionally and quickly" sign the additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty that would allow extended inspections. In talks with Straw, Pres. Mohammad Khatami insisted the Islamic Republic has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and said the UN agency has Tehran's "full co-operation", the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.