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| Iran responds to Solana’s nuclear offer |
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Saturday, July 05, 2008
TEHRAN: Iran responded on Friday to an incentives package offered by six world powers aimed at resolving a standoff over Tehran’s disputed nuclear ambitions, the official IRNA news agency said.
The agency quoted a senior source at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council as saying the response was handed to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, but did not give any details about its content.
The offer of economic and other incentives proposed by the six — the United States, China, Russia, Germany, Britain and France — was presented to Iran by Solana last month to try to persuade Iran to halt work they fear is aimed at making bombs.
The Islamic Republic has said it is willing to enter talks about the offer but has repeatedly rejected demands to halt uranium enrichment, which can have both civilian and military uses.
The long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme has sparked fears of a military confrontation and has helped send oil prices to record highs on global markets.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran’s response to Solana and the (six powers’) foreign ministers was submitted to Solana by Iran’s ambassador to Brussels,’ the source told IRNA, adding it was signed by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
State radio earlier said Saeed Jalili, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, told Solana by telephone Iran would respond to a letter from the six world powers later on Friday. The two men agreed to hold more talks later this month, the radio said.
The letter Jalili referred to formed part of the incentives package presented by Solana. His comments did not make clear how detailed Iran’s response would be.
The incentives package says formal negotiations on the offer can start as soon as Iran suspends uranium enrichment.
It is a revised version of an offer spurned by Iran in 2006, which included civilian nuclear cooperation as well as wider trade in aircraft, energy, high technology and agriculture.
Jalili said Iran, which has earlier presented its own package of proposals aimed at resolving the row, had prepared its response by concentrating on common ground between the two sides and with a constructive and creative outlook.
Analysts and diplomats say they detect a softer tone from Iran towards the nuclear incentives offer, but that this may be a bid to buy time rather than a shift to accept world powers’ key demand of a halt to uranium enrichment.
Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for power plants but also, if refined much more, provide material for nuclear bombs.
Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, says its nuclear programme is solely aimed at generating electricity so that it can sell more of its oil and gas.
An Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters last month, said time was on Iran’s side.
‘We will review the package but not the part about enrichment freeze ... We are moving forward with our work and Iran’s nuclear capability is being constantly augmented,’ said the official, who was involved in talks with Solana in Tehran.
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