IAEA says verification of nuclear activities in Iran making ‘ progress'. North Korea agrees to talks by United Nations News 12:57pm 2nd Nov, 2003   UN Nuclear Agency Chief calls for Verification Regime to be Strengthened    3 November – The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today called for its system of verifying nuclear non-proliferation to be urgently strengthened.    Presenting the IAEA's annual report to the General Assembly, Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said that the Agency's verification system had come under pressure on several fronts over the last year. He cited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), where the IAEA has been unable to do any verification work since December last year.    He said it "would be prudent for both the UN and IAEA inspectors to return" to Iraq to update records on that country's nuclear activities and capabilities. He also said he would report to the IAEA's Board of Governors later this month on Iran, which has recently provided a declaration of its nuclear activities.    Mr ElBaradei also said more effort should be made to reduce conflicts and insecurity around the world so the incentive to use nuclear weapons - and other weapons of mass destruction - is reduced.    "A system of collective security that did not depend on nuclear weapons must be established, and the process of nuclear disarmament accelerated," he told the Assembly.    IAEA says verification of nuclear activities in Iran making ‘good progress’    31 October – The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said today that its verification work in Iran is making “good progress” a week after Tehran turned over a dossier on its nuclear activities.    Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he would report on the Agency’s findings on Iran to the IAEA’s Board of Governors later in November. That Board had given Iran until today to comply with requests for information on its nuclear programmes. On 23 October Iran sent to Mr. ElBaradei a dossier on its nuclear activities.    In a statement released from the IAEA’s Vienna headquarters today, Mr. ElBaradei said that after receiving the packet, “We immediately started an intensive verification process and are making good progress.”    Mr. ElBaradei added that the Agency’s inspectors “are currently in Iran visiting sites, interviewing key personnel and taking samples with a view to verifying the accuracy and completeness of this declaration.”    He said he also had been informed that by next week Iran would formally comply with an additional protocol on nuclear issues.    “When this happens,” he said, “it will be a very positive step forward, particularly in terms of enabling us to effectively regulate all future nuclear activities in Iran.”    Annan hails news that DPR of Korea, China agree to fresh round of 6-nation talks.    30 October – Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed news that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China have agreed to hold a fresh round of six-nation talks.    A statement issued by a spokesman for the Secretary-General in New York said Mr. Annan praised the two countries for agreeing in principle to conduct a new round of multilateral talks as part of the so-called Beijing negotiating process.    The talks will be conducted between China, the DPRK, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States.    The statement said Mr. Annan "remains convinced that dialogue is the best way to resolve security and other issues affecting the Korean Peninsula, and calls on the parties concerned to search for creative approaches towards the issues they are facing."    The statement said Mr. Annan would continue to support the dialogue process with the aid of his Personal Envoy, Maurice F. Strong.
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