IRAN POSTPONES TALKS WITH EU
Xinhua, China
July 6 2006
TEHRAN, July 5 (Xinhua) — Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
said on Wednesday that a meeting between Iran’s top nuclear negotiator
Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana over Iran’s
nuclear issue, originally scheduled for Wednesday, had been postponed,
the official IRNA news agency reported.
Mottaki made the declaration on the sidelines of a welcoming ceremony
of Armenian President Robert Kocharian who is in Iran ona two-day
official visit..
"There will be no negotiations between Larijani and Solana today,"
the minister was quoted as saying, without giving further details.
Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Solana had been due to explore
whether Iran is ready to respond to a package agreed on by the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany over its
nuclear issue, which demands Iran suspend uranium enrichment in return
for economic and political incentives.
Meanwhile, an EU statement said that Larijani would meet Solana on
Thursday and on July 11.
"I was surprised to hear that Dr. Ali Larijani has decided at the
last minute to postpone his trip to Brussels as previously agreed
with him to take place today," Solana said in the statement.
"I have just spoken to Dr. Larijani on the phone and we decided to
meet tomorrow in Brussels, then continue the discussions on July 11,"
the statement added.
Western powers have recently mounted pressures on Iran, asking the
country to formally respond by mid July to the six-nation package.
During a Moscow meeting last Thursday, foreign ministers of the Group
of Eight industrialized countries urged Iran to give "a clear and
substantive response" to the package at the upcoming meeting between
Larijani and Solana.
But Larijani said on Monday that he would not give a response to the
package in his meeting with Solana, saying it was not "reasonable"
for the West to demand a suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.
A senior U.S. official said on Monday that Iran must respond to the
offer by July 12 or it would face action by the UN Security Council.
"If Iran has not responded by July 12, then I think the pressure will
be enormous on the Iranians from all the international community,"
said U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns.
On June 6, Solana presented Iran with the package, which includes
both incentives aimed at persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment
and possible sanctions if Iran does not comply. The United States has
accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under a civilian
front, a charge categorically denied by Tehran.