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Full Coverages>World>Iran Nuke Issue>News | |
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Iran to respond to EU nuclear offer Iran returned to talks with Europe's three heavyweight countries aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over its nuclear program, although diplomats were sceptical of a breakthrough.
Iran was to respond to an offer by Britain, France and
Germany which would enable it to avoid potential UN sanctions, and receive
nuclear technology, by indefinitely suspending uranium enrichment.
The offer was made at talks in the Austrian capital last
Thursday.
However diplomats said earlier Wednesday that they saw
little prospect of a breakthrough.
In Tehran, a senior official said late Tuesday that Iran
could take months to agree to the EU request because the offer was riddled with
ambiguities and must be more balanced.
"There are many ambiguities in the European proposal ... We
are waiting for an answer from the Europeans on our questions before we can
decide (to accept it)," a key nuclear spokesman Hossein Moussavian said.
The Berlin meeting gathered senior foreign ministry
directors from Britain, France and Germany with a delegation under Amir Hossein
Zamani-Nia, the Iranian foreign ministry's international political affairs
director.
Iran had Monday said it was ready to consider the request,
in what could be a major breakthrough towards ending a standoff over its nuclear
programme, which the United States claims hides secret weapons development.
But Moussavian said: "The assurances, commitments and
confidence-building measures must be reciprocal. The nature of the cooperation
must be defined and there must be a guarantee for implementing the outcome of
the talks."
"The period of negotiations cannot be limitless. We need
some months for talks to see if we can arrive at an agreement or not,"
Moussavian said.
Analysts and diplomats expressed skepticism about Iran's
tactics.
They said Iran was seeking to delay the matter until after
US presidential elections November 2, and then give just enough ground to avoid
having the International Atomic Energy Agency send the Iranian nuclear dossier
to the UN Security Council, which could impose punishing sanctions on Iran.
"If Iran gives an answer Wednesday, it will certainly only
be a negotiating position," said a senior Western diplomat, who asked not to be
named.
"It seems like the Iranians are not coming to Vienna with
enough authority to reach a decision and will have to take the matter back to
Tehran," another diplomat said.
"In any case, the Iranian idea of suspending for short
periods has already failed to resolve the issue several times in the past. They
have to do something more," he said.
Under the European offer, Iran would receive valuable
nuclear technology, including a light-water research reactor which would produce
less fissionable material than the heavy-water reactor Tehran wants to build.
The deal also includes a recognition of Tehran's right to
peaceful nuclear technology, measures to increase trade and backing of some of
Iran's regional security concerns.
David Albright, a former IAEA inspector and president of the
Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, said earlier
this week that if Iran turned down the offer, "reasonable people would have to
conclude the country wants nuclear weapons."
The Iranian resistance was due Wednesday to hold a
demonstration in Vienna to protest the EU proposal, which includes a promise to
maintain the People's Mujahedin organization, the main Iranian resistance
movement, on an EU list of EU terrorist organizations.
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