Iran says ready for serious nuclear talks

By Edmund Blair

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran handed over on Tuesday its formal
response to a nuclear incentives offer from major powers and
said it contained ideas that would allow serious talks about
its standoff with the West to start immediately.

But Tehran gave no sign of heeding a key United Nations
Security Council demand that it freeze uranium enrichment
before the end of this month or face the prospect of sanctions.

Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani delivered Iran’s
reply to the incentives package, handed to Iran almost three
months ago, at a meeting with foreign envoys representing the
offer’s six co-sponsors in Tehran.

“Although there is no justification for the other parties’
illegal move to refer Iran’s case to the Security Council,…
the answer was prepared … to pave the way for fair talks,”
Larijani said.

“Iran is prepared to hold serious talks from August 23,” he
was quoted by Iran’s student news agency ISNA as saying.

He said Iran was ready to play a “constructive” role
regarding all issues in the package.

One European diplomat said: “It is a comprehensive answer.
The Iranian side said they would welcome a continuation of
negotiations.”

The world’s fourth largest oil exporter, Iran says it will
not abandon what it calls its right to enrich uranium for use
in nuclear power stations. Western countries fear Iran wants to
master enrichment to give it the ability to make atomic bombs.

The U.N. Security Council — frustrated with Iran’s slow
response to the incentives offer made by Britain, Germany,
France, China, the United States and Russia in June — has
given it to August 31 to freeze enrichment or face possible
sanctions.

Iran has called the deadline illegal and worthless.

The European diplomat, who was not at the meeting with
Larijani but was citing an initial read out, said Iran had
again ruled out freezing enrichment as a precondition to talks
“but indicated that it might be open to accept suspension in
the course of negotiations.

Other diplomats had no immediate comment on Iran’s reply
and declined to confirm that Larijani had indicated some
flexibility on enrichment.

RICE STUDYING REPLY

The U.S. State Department declined any immediate comment on
Iran’s response until full details were known but an official
said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had returned from her
vacation to examine Tehran’s reply.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, said Washington
was prepared to move quickly on a resolution seeking economic
sanctions should Tehran reject the offer of incentives, but it
was unclear how speedily other council members wanted to move.

“It really is a test for the council and we will see how it
responds,” Bolton told reporters at U.N. headquarters.

The nuclear dispute erupted four years ago with revelations
that Iran had been building an advanced atomic program in
secret for almost two decades.

The five Security Council permanent members plus Germany
have offered Iran a range of economic, political and security
incentives to halt work that could be used to make atomic
bombs.

Iran had said its reply to the offer would be
“multi-dimensional,” suggesting no simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Such tactics could lay bare divisions in the Council where
the United States, France and Britain back sanctions but Russia
and China, both key trade partners of Iran, oppose them.

“If they said suspension (of enrichment) was negotiable,
there would be pressure on (the six powers) to think about it,”
said a Western diplomat.

Analysts say Iran is probably calculating that any move
toward sanctions would start with modest steps, such as travel
bans on officials or asset freezes, which it could tolerate
because the country’s coffers are brimming with petrodollars.

Diplomats close to the U.N. nuclear watchdog said its
inspectors were recently denied access to an underground site
where Iran plans industrial-scale production of enriched
uranium. Iran denied hindering access to the Natanz facility.

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Alireza Ronaghi in
Tehran, Mark Heinrich in Vienna, Rebecca Harrison in
Johannesburg, Irwin Arieff in New York, Sue Pleming in
Washington)