AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE,
The top Iranian nuclear negotiator and the EU foreign policy chief said they would hold another meeting this week after having made progress in last-ditch talks at the weekend to avert UN sanctions over Tehran's uranium enrichment.
But the Iranian ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna denied reports Sunday that Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani had proposed suspending uranium enrichment for up to two months, in his talks with EU foreign policy representative Javier Solana.
“Such a thing has not been discussed” said Ali Asghar Soltanieh, part of the Iranian delegation at the talks.
Six world powers have offered Iran negotiations on a package of trade and other benefits if it would suspend uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear reactor fuel but also atom bomb material.
Iran has resolutely refused to suspend this strategic nuclear fuel work, saying it has a peaceful nuclear program and the right to enrich under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Solana and Larijani were believed to be trying a find a face-saving deal and a short-term enrichment freeze could be such a thing as even this would be a major change in Tehran's position.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi had said in Tehran Sunday that the question of suspending enrichment work was a “thing of the past” and that Iran “rejected any negotiations with preconditions.”
It was not clear in the reports if Larijani were proposing a pause in enrichment in order to start talks with the six world powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — or if Iran would only consider a pause once talks had started.
The United States is pushing for sanctions at the United Nations Security Council to punish Iran's defiance of a August 31 UN deadline for it to halt enrichment and take up the six nations' incentives offer.
Solana told reporters his two days of talks in Vienna with Larijani “had cleared up some of the misunderstanding that existed” over Iran's response to the offer.
“We have made progress that we want to continue,” Solana said. “For that purpose we are going to meet again next week.” Solana did not say exactly when or where this would be.
Solana had said Friday in Copenhagen that no UN sanctions would be imposed on Iran “as long as meetings with Mr. Larijani continue”.
A European diplomat said that the Iranians could be stalling for time.
“Every possibility which extends their time frame without changing the substance (of their nuclear program) is a success for them,” the diplomat said.
Another European diplomat said: “The key is whether there really is something serious happening at the talks” and that the Iranians still had to suspend enrichment.
“We have made constructive progress,” Larijani said, adding that “as it was mentioned by Mr. Solana, many of the misunderstandings were removed”.
The United States, which charges that Tehran is secretly developing atomic weapons, wants a Security Council resolution imposing sanctions to be drafted as early as next week. The six world powers, all of which are to be briefed by Solana on his meeting with Larijani, will have a telephone conference on Monday.
There seem to be differences among the six, however, over taking punitive action.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China warned Saturday against stepping up pressure on Tehran, saying this would “not necessarily bring about a peaceful solution”.
Russia, like China a key trading partner with Iran, is also reluctant to impose sanctions.
And European countries such as Germany, France and Italy fear damage to their considerable trade with Iran if strong economic measures are imposed, diplomats said.
A diplomat from one of the six countries said Solana and Larijani may have been discussing “the timing” of when to start negotiations and when to say there is some kind of suspension of enrichment.
But US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns ruled out Friday in Berlin any compromise on starting talks before all enrichment work had halted.
