Iranian government has authorized its Foreign Ministry to sign an additional protocol to allow snap inspections of the country's nuclear facilities, an Iranian official said in Tehran Wednesday.  

"The government has given permission to the Foreign Ministry to sign the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) additional protocol," Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahi made the announcement after a cabinet meeting.

Iran agreed with visiting British, French and German foreign ministers on Oct. 21 to sign up the additional NPT protocol, accept more strict inspections to its nuclear sites, show full transparency of its nuclear program and suspend uranium enrichment.

In accordance with the agreement, Tehran handed over documentation of its past and present nuclear activities to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Oct. 24 and has suspended its uranium enrichment activities since Nov. 9.

Hassan Rowhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said last week that the government would authorize its representative to IAEA to sign the protocol.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2003)