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Iranian President Ahmadinejad
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Ali Larijani. Gives response
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Official: Iran ready to enter negotiations

Officials say response offered 'new formula' to resolve dispute over Iran's nuclear activities but gives no further details

Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that Tehran was ready to enter "serious negotiations" over its disputed nuclear program but did not say whether it was willing to suspend uranium enrichment - the key western demand.

 

However, Iran did not release any details of what its proposal contains.

 

Ali Larijani, the top nuclear negotiator, hand-delivered Iran's response to the Western package of nuclear incentives aimed at getting Tehran to roll back its nuclear program to ambassadors from Britain, China, Russia, France, Germany and Switzerland, state-run television reported.

 

"Iran is prepared as of August 23rd to enter serious negotiations" with the countries that proposed the package, state-run television quoted Larijani as telling the envoys.


Larijani with ambassadors, in Tehran (Photo: ISNA)

 

EU officials declined to offer any immediate reaction, saying they needed to study the Iranian offer.

 

Officials said Iran offered a "new formula" to resolve the dispute as part of its formal response to a package of Western incentives aimed at persuading it to suspend enrichment. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

 

"Iran has provided a comprehensive response to everything said in the Western package. In addition, Iran, in its formal response, has asked some questions to be answered," one official said, without elaborating. 

 

Two-way road

Security Council permanent members Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States plus Germany have offered Iran a range of economic, political and security incentives if it suspends atomic work that could be used to make nuclear bombs.

 

Iran has said its reply to the offer will be "multi-dimensional," suggesting no simple 'yes' or 'no.' Officials have also said Iran wants more talks to resolve the dispute.

 

"Confidence building is a two-way road, trust is always a two-way road," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in response to questions after a lecture in Pretoria, South Africa.

 

"Based on negotiations, there is a possibility for a comprehensive solution to this matter," he said.

 

A "multi-dimensional" reply, say diplomats, could lay bare divisions in the Security Council where the United States, France and Britain back sanctions but Russia and China, the other two veto-wielding members and both key trade partners of Iran, oppose them.

 

"If they reject suspension, that's rejection of the package (for Western capitals)," said another Western diplomat. He added that Russia and China might take a different view.

 

"If they said suspension was negotiable, there would be pressure on (the six powers) to think about it."

 

Reuters contributed to the report

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.22.06, 16:50
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