The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Tehran

The UN nuclear watchdog chief pressed Iran on Friday to "accelerate" cooperation with his agency so he can shed more light on Tehran's controversial atomic program and its aims.

Mohamed ElBaradei, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he asked Iran's government for better transparency regarding the country's nuclear activities. "We discussed how we can work together to accelerate the pace of our cooperation to clarify all outstanding issues before my report in March," ElBaradei told reporters after meeting with Vice President Gholam Reza Aghazadeh. ElBaradei characterized the session as a "frank and open exchange of views." "I asked Mr. Aghazadeh to give us maximum transparency and provide assurances about all present nuclear activities about Iran. t My mission here is to overcome the difficulties between IAEA and Iran," ElBaradei said.