p>In a significant development on Tuesday, Iran said it will welcome representatives of the international community to inspect its nuclear facilities ahead of fresh talks with key world powers later this month. This was announced by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast at a press conference on Tuesday. "The representatives of some European Union countries, NAM (Non-Aligned Movement), and some representatives of the 5+1 (group of world powers) have been invited to visit our nuclear sites," he told reporters in Tehran. The 5+1 Group consists of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, - and Germany. But the Iranian diplomat did not specify if the invitees included officials from the U.S., Iran's arch-rival. Since Iran is already subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the invitation to tour reportedly Bushehr and Natanz nuclear plants may be limited to diplomats, not inspectors, BBC said. Mehmanparast said the proposed visit, which he described as a "sign of goodwill" to prove that Iran is conducting its nuclear work transparently, "will take place before the Istanbul meeting." Iran's talks with world powers on its clandestine nuclear program were revived after 14 months in Geneva in the first week of December. The two-day negotiations between senior officials from the 5+1 Group and Iran ended without any substantial results other than agreeing on a continuation of the talks in late January in Istanbul, Turkey. The talks were not expected to bring about any breakthrough, as Tehran has not made any concessions on its tough stand on the international community's demands to stop enriching nuclear bomb-making uranium. European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton mediated the talks. Referring to Iran's rights to pursue nuclear energy and lack of cooperation with U.N. atomic energy inspectors, she said while the international community recognized Iran's rights, it must comply with its "international obligations." Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili insisted that Tehran would "not accept any negotiations over Iran's nuclear rights", hinting that there is not much to expect at Istanbul talks. While agreeing to a proposal by the EU for resumption of negotiations, Mehmanparast had made it clear that it did not want the talks to focus on suspension of uranium enrichment, which Tehran says is meant for peaceful purposes. But the issue is a key international concern that Iran is enriching uranium to develop nuclear weapons. The last time Iran and the 5+1 Group discussed its nuclear program was in Geneva in October 2009. Iran agreed on a United Nations-brokered nuclear fuel deal under which Russia would sign an agreement with Iran to enrich its uranium further, and Russia would conclude a subcontract with France to turn the material into actual fuel for a medical-purpose reactor in Tehran. However, the "deal" did not last longer, as Iran sought two crucial changes in the clauses, which were not acceptable to the world powers. A signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is reeling under a fifth round of U.N. sanctions since its refusal to comply with the world body's directives to stop uranium enrichment and other nuclear programs. On Monday, Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Russian-built 1,000-megawatt reactor at Bushehr would be connected to the national electricity network in February to begin power supply in the domestic sector. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Salehi is also the Vice-President of the country.
