TEHRAN (FNA)- The Group of 77 and China, in a statement read out to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna on Tuesday, called on the UN agency to provide the necessary assistance for the member states' nuclear energy programs.

The statement was read by Iran's IAEA Envoy Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh, who currently presides a grouping of 131 states at the UN nuclear agency.
""The group underlines the importance of IAEA efforts in promoting the nuclear infrastructures and providing assessment services for those infrastructures in the developing countries,"" Soltaniyeh said reading the statement at the seasonal meeting of the IAEA's 35-member Board of Governors in Vienna on Tuesday.
""The Group (77+China) also considers as important adoption of a guideline by the IAEA to provide help for those member states that intend to start nuclear programs,"" Soltaniyeh stated.
He further noted that such guidelines should not be binding on the member states so that each country can adopt the best approach in its policies proper to its social, industrial, legal and economic features and specifications.
The Iranian diplomat added that the G-77 and China expect the IAEA to help the member states to make use of nuclear research reactors by establishing regional cooperation networks.
In a similar statement of the G-77 + China read to the seasonal meeting of the Board of Governors yesterday, Soltaniyeh had also underlined the necessity of stronger IAEA assistance to the developing countries.
In his Monday remarks, Soltaniyeh, on behalf of the 'Group of 77 and China' called on the agency to ""increase its assistance to the developing countries in resolving challenges, in establishing infrastructures for safety, surveillance and management of nuclear installations and in utilizing ionic radiations"".
""The agency should maintain its central role in strengthening nuclear safety infrastructures,"" Soltaniyeh underscored.
""The group (G-77+China) lays emphasis on the importance of sharing science and exchanging information about the management of the nuclear knowledge, capacity-building and defining safety standards,"" Soltaniyeh added.
""The Group of 77 believes that the main responsibility for the safety and protection of the nuclear and radioactive materials fully lies on the member states, yet safety and protection measures should not hinder development and use of the nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,"" he reiterated.
Iran took over G-77 chairmanship from Algeria earlier in 2011.
G-77 was established in 1964. It includes developing member countries of Vienna-based international organizations such as the IAEA, the UN Commission on Organized Crime and Drugs, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Organization for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban. Their current number stands at 130.