Remarks by Department Spokesman Ian Kelley on IAEA Draft Agreement (Excerpts)

October 21, 2009

Weapon Program: 

  • Nuclear

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QUESTION: Speaking of Iran, can you tell us what happened today in Vienna, from your point of view?

MR. KELLY: We greatly appreciate IAEA Director General ElBaradei's skillful efforts and dedication to pursue this initiative of getting Iran to send out their low-enriched uranium to third countries. We think that the draft agreement presented by him today in Vienna was a very positive step. And I think you've seen that he expects by Friday to get a response on this draft text from the four capitals involved. But we - as I said, we welcome this effort, and we very much support everything that he's doing.

QUESTION: So the draft is acceptable to you?

MR. KELLY: It's acceptable to us, yeah. Well, we expect to be able to say that it's acceptable by Friday. I'll put it that way. But we very much welcome his efforts.

QUESTION: Well, what does that mean? You expect to be able to say that you're - it's acceptable by Friday?

MR. KELLY: Well --

QUESTION: It seems - you sound - it seems like it's acceptable to you now. Presumably, you had some input into the draft, so --

MR. KELLY: Yes, yes. Well, I mean, it was acceptable to our team out there, but we want to give it a chance to be seen by a broader range of people in the interagency.

QUESTION: Well --

MR. KELLY: But I expect we'll be able to approve it.

QUESTION: Well, but if it was acceptable to the team out there - I mean, were there changes made to it?

MR. KELLY: I don't have that kind of detail, Matt. I just am told that it was a - it was - like I say, it was a good effort by the director general and we support it. And we expect by Friday to be able to say that we approve it.

QUESTION: What did you make of the Iranian reaction?

MR. KELLY: I have only seen press reports of it and --

QUESTION: Well, what does the team think about what the Iranians had to say in the meeting?

MR. KELLY: Well --

QUESTION: What does the U.S. team think of --

MR. KELLY: I don't have any details about the substance of the meetings. We had at least one bilateral meeting with the Iranians yesterday. But beyond that, I don't have any details on the substance of the meeting.

QUESTION: You don't have any details of what the one bilateral went into?
MR. KELLY: I don't. I'm sorry, Charlie. I don't.

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