UN atomic agency may meet in January on Iran

VIENNA: The United Nations atomic agency's 35-nation board of governors may meet in January to discuss the UN's levying of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, diplomats said.

The UN Security Council resolution which on Saturday imposed the sanctions also requested a report from International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei within 60 days on whether Iran has suspended uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear reactor fuel but also atom bomb material, and cooperated fully with an ongoing IAEA investigation.

"It is not completely clear that there will be a board meeting in January. But I believe that if there was, it would be procedural and short. The board as the governing body may need to instruct the (IAEA) secretariat to implement the resolution," a senior European diplomat said.