Agence France-Presse,
The Iranian and EU nuclear negotiators reported progress in a new effort to resolve the crisis over Tehran's atomic ambitions and said they would meet again in two weeks.
“There are ideas on the table,” Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani told reporters late Wednesday after meeting for almost five hours, including a working dinner, with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, about ending the standoff caused by Iran's defiance of UN Security Council demands for it to stop enriching uranium.
The Council has imposed limited sanctions as punishment.
Uranium is enriched to make fuel for civilian nuclear reactors but also in highly refined form to produce the explosive core of atom bombs.
“In about two weeks time again we would be having some more talks,” Larijani said.
He described the talks as “pleasant.”
Solana, who represents six world powers Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States trying to start formal negotiations, said it was a “constructive dinner.”
“I hope we will continue in the coming weeks also,” Solana said.
Tehran denies US charges that it is trying to build nuclear weapons, saying its programme is a peaceful effort to generate civilian nuclear power.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in Tehran Wednesday the Ankara talks had “two pillars, accepting Iran's right of enrichment and addressing ambiguities and the issue of non-deviation,” of nuclear material for military purposes.
“By paying attention to these two we can find a solution that is satisfactory for both sides. We hope that Mr. Solana has come to the talks with this intention,” Mottaki said.
The six world powers had last June offered economic, technical and security benefits if Iran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment, but Tehran pressed ahead and negotiations never started.
In several rounds of talks, the last in February, Larijani and Solana had failed to find a way to start meetings with the six.
Solana's spokeswoman, Cristina Gallach, said there were “no changes in the position of the international community” against Iran's enriching uranium and added that the priority was simply to “create conditions for the beginning of negotiations.”
Solana and Larijani met for some three hours before breaking for a tete-a-tete working dinner. The two men ate alone except for a translator at a small table at the restaurant at the hotel where they are staying.
The two could be seen huddled over papers, taking notes while they talked.
They are scheduled to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul at breakfast Thursday, after which they are expected to make a joint statement.
Diplomats had said before Wednesday's meeting that there was little hope of a breakthrough given Iran's steadfast refusal to freeze its enrichment work.
Diplomats told AFP that while everyone was trying to find a formula to start formal talks, the two sides remain far apart in the crisis that began in 2002 when it was revealed that Iran was secretly building nuclear facilities.
But the six world powers were ready to compromise and give Iran a chance to edge its way slowly into stopping uranium enrichment, the diplomats said.
One diplomat said a new idea would be for Iran to declare a moratorium on moving beyond enrichment activities it has already started, opening the way for further talks with Solana while the UN holds off on further sanctions.
Non-proliferation expert Gary Samore told AFP by telephone from Washington that Tehran wants the EU to agree to set up an international consortium to process fuel for Iran inside the country.
The major powers want such a consortium to operate outside the Islamic republic.
A Western diplomat said talks with the six powers — the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany — would not in any case start before Iran suspends enrichment.
Tehran faces a new Security Council deadline in one month, after which more sanctions could be imposed.
The United States has not ruled out a military attack on Iran but one diplomat said the reality was that Washington would like Tehran's help in calming the situation in Iraq and was looking for some sort of compromise on the nuclear issue in order for this to happen.
