Iran says won't discuss nuclear 'rights' in Geneva
More than 200 Iranian parliament members urge Western powers not to 'miss historic opportunity' at Geneva talks, otherwise, MPs threaten limiting IAEA inspectors' freedom in country. EU's Solana says guarantees from Tehran that program is for peaceful purposes only will be sought
Iranian MPs told world powers on Tuesday not to repeat "past mistakes" in this week's Geneva talks, suggesting they may in that case force the government to downgrade cooperation with the UN nuclear agency.
Iran's nuclear energy agency chief said his country would not discuss issues related to its nuclear "rights" at its meeting with six world powers. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, made clear this included a newly disclosed uranium enrichment plant which has drawn Western condemnation.
"We are not going to discuss anything related to our nuclear rights, but we can discuss about disarmament, we can discuss about non-proliferation and other general issues," Salehi told reporters. "The new site is part of our rights and there is no need to discuss (it)," he said, adding Tehran would not abandon its nuclear activities "even for a second".
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has said that the Western powers will demand objective proof from Iran that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only during talks.
Raising the stakes ahead of Thursday's rare meeting, 239 lawmakers signed a statement expressing support for negotiations based on proposals put forward by Iran, which do not mention Tehran's own nuclear program.
The United States has made clear it will focus on Iran's nuclear activities, which the West fears are aimed at making bombs, in the meeting in the Swiss city.
Iran, which insists its program is aimed solely at producing electricity, has offered wide-ranging security talks but says it will not negotiate on its nuclear "rights."
"We remind the negotiating countries that this is an historic opportunity which can be a way out of the current deadlock and solve the problems," the MPs said in a statement quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.
"We recommend the 5+1 (six powers) to use this historic opportunity," it said. "If the group of 5+1 repeats past mistakes instead of using this opportunity, the Iranian parliament would take other decisions as it did in the past."
The MPs also praised Iranian scientists for their work on the new enrichment facility unveiled at Qom and noted that the upcoming talks in Geneva will be "an important test" for the six powers.
In 2006, the Iranian parliament passed a bill obliging the government to review the level of its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog after the United Nations approved sanctions on Tehran over its atomic program.
Little hope for success
Comments by Western and Iranian officials suggested little optimism ahead of the Thursday's rare meeting of the P5+1 - permanent UN Security Council members China, Britain, France, the United Sates and Russia, as well as Germany - with Iran.
"My expectation, or my hope, is that we will be able to get...the guarantees from Tehran, that the program in which they are engaged in is a peaceful program," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters in Gothenburg, Sweden.
"I don't think it will be easy to ask for, but we will continue to engage."
The US has already started preparing for the talks to fall through and has already drafted a plan for beefed up sanctions against Iran.
Washington has suggested severing gasoline imports to Iran, which would hit it hard since it lacks refining capacity. But that proposal faces resistance in Europe given concerns it would hurt ordinary Iranians and reunite them behind President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad despite his hotly disputed re-election in June.
Dudi Cohen contributed to this report
