The foreign ministers of six world powers look to meet shortly to decide how to tackle Iran’s nuclear program after progress was made at a lower-level meeting in London on Wednesday.
In another positive sign, the UN nuclear watchdog chief, on a trip to Washington, said Tehran was ready to give up uranium enrichment on its territory for several years as part of a deal to allay Western fears.
Senior officials from Britain, France, China, Russia and the US — the five permanent UN Security Council members — as well as Germany, met in London to discuss a European carrot-and-stick proposal aimed at breaking Iran’s determination to enrich uranium.
The meeting was called amid an international stand-off over the Iranian nuclear power program which Washington claims hides the development of atomic weapons — but which Tehran says is purely for civilian purposes.
US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, who represented the US in London, described the meeting as “productive.”
“The US is encouraged by the progress we have made, and we look forward to Secretary [of State Condoleezza] Rice and her ministerial colleagues meeting shortly to make final decisions on the way forward,” Burns said in a statement.
Rice, speaking in Washington after halding talks with UN nuclear watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei, said “good progress” was made in London.
“We did not expect that they were going to finalize all matters and I think they’re still working on some matters,” she said.
The top US diplomat added: “I’ve understood there is some consideration that the [foreign] ministers may meet.”
A spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office was also upbeat.
“We have had constructive and valuable discussions and we are encouraged by the progress made, reflecting shared international concern about Iran’s nuclear program and the important issues at stake,” he said.
“Political directors will now report to capitals, including on a proposal that ministers should meet in the near future to take final decisions,” he said.
The EU’s “big three” — Britain, France and Germany — are hoping to coax Iran into suspending uranium enrichment work in exchange for a package of trade and technology incentives.
However, they want Russia and China to join in UN sanctions, including an arms embargo, if Iran does not agree, according to a draft proposal seen by AFP.
ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), suggested that Tehran was more willing to negotiate than it let on.
But he added that the question of Iran’s sensitive atomic research activities was still under discussion.
“The Iranians, as far as I know, agreed in principle that for a number of years [uranium] enrichment should be part of an international consortium outside of Iran,” ElBaradei told reporters after his meeting with Rice.
He said the Iranians told him that once negotiations resumed on their nuclear program, they were ready to apply the “additional protocol” to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty aimed at tightening inspections.
“There is still this issue of Iran doing R and D [research and development] with regards to enrichment and that’s an issue still being discussed,” ElBaradei said.
Diplomats in Vienna said Iran had told ElBaradei — who met last week with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani — that it wants to hold talks with the West but only if there were no pre-conditions.
“Larijani just said: ‘We want to talk but as equals, with no pre-conditions,’” said a diplomat close to the IAEA, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The US has refused to rule out taking military action if Iran fails to comply with IAEA demands to stop enrichment.
Citing US officials, Iranian analysts and foreign diplomats, the Washington Post newspaper reported that Iran had requested through intermediaries direct talks with Washington over its nuclear program.
But the White House vowed that there would be no direct negotiations with Iran unless it halted its uranium enrichment program.
Washington has not had diplomatic relations with Tehran since April 1980.
Iran’s hardline government has already rejected the European offer and publicly insists its uranium enrichment program is not up for negotiation.
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