Austrian FM, IAEA chief welcome Iran nuclear deal

Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger welcomed the agreement signed by Iran and the UN Security Council veto powers plus Germany in Geneva, as "an encouraging signal which points in the right direction." Spindelegger said that the agreement, signed Sunday, brought hope that the long-standing conflict with Iran could be solved peacefully. After four days of negotiations in Geneva, the UN Security Council veto powers plus Germany and Iran agreed on a six-month solution. According to negotiators, Iran agreed to stop parts of its nuclear programme in exchange for the international community loosening economic sanctions. It also agreed to allow UN experts to inspect its nuclear installations. On his part, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano said in a statement that this deal was an important step, especially after an agreement signed between Iran and IAEA on November 11, in Tehran. The IAEA and Iran agreed to strengthen their cooperation and dialogue aimed at ensuring the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program through the resolution of all outstanding issues that have not already been resolved by the IAEA. "With the agreement of the IAEA's Board of Governors, the Agency will be ready to fulfill its role in verifying the implementation of nuclear-related measures," the statement said.