Talks on processing Iran′s nuclear fuel abroad ended Wednesday in Vienna with no final agreement, but with a proposal to be mulled by Iran, Russia, France and the United States until Friday.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said that ′that transaction using Iranian low-enriched uranium to be manufactured is a very important confidence-building measure′ which ′could open the way for a complete normalization of relations between Iran and the international community.′
But Iran′s delegation chief Ali Asghar Soltanieh refused to answer journalists′ questions about whether his country was in fact ready to ship most or any of its enriched uranium stock out of the country for further enrichment.
′You′ll get an answer to your question on Friday,′ he said after the talks that had started Monday and were hosted by the IAEA.
′And we will come back and reflect our opinion and suggestions or comments in order to have an amicable solution at the end of the day,′ he said.
The United States was poised to sign off on the deal, US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters in Washington. ′It′s acceptable to us,′ he said.
The IAEA proposed that Iran ship 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium to Russia before the end of the year for further enrichment, to be used as fuel in Iran′s medical-purpose reactor, according to a source close to the talks.
France has offered to take the material from Russia and turn it into actual fuel elements, while Iran insisted during the Vienna talks that France should not be part of the agreement.
A French diplomat said France′s possible nuclear fuel manufacturing was not contained in ElBaradei′s proposal as such.
But the diplomat said his country would still be one of the four signatory states of the agreement and ElBaradei made clear that France was in some way included in his proposal.
′We will examine the draft agreement in a positive spirit and expect Iran will answer positively and will give its final agreement after consulting in Tehran,′ the diplomat said.
Iran rejects France because of a dispute over Tehran′s minority share in France′s uranium enrichment company. France has been vocal in calling for new sanctions if Iran does not cooperate on its contentious nuclear programme.
For the countries negotiating with Iran over its uranium fuel, the scheme would be a signal that Iran does not intend to use the material for making nuclear weapons.
In addition to the planned deal, the US and other countries still want Tehran to comply with the UN Security Council, which has demanded a halt of Iran′s enrichment plant in Natanz.
Such a possible halt, if only for a symbolic period of time, is likely to be discussed at Iran′s next round of wider-ranging negotiations with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US in Geneva next week.
But the formal confirmation of this gathering depends partly on the nuclear fuel deal, diplomats from several countries said.
Before the Geneva meeting, IAEA inspectors are set to visit a newly disclosed second Iranian enrichment site for the first time on Sunday.
Iran′s belated acknowledgement of the plant near Qom had again raised suspicions that the country is trying to secretly develop nuclear weapons |
