TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday his
country rejected the suspension of uranium-enrichment activities by Tehran,
"even for one day." The comments came after representatives from Iran and the
European Union failed to reach a deal in their latest round of nuclear talks,
held in Berlin. However, the two sides came to "some positive conclusions,"
Tehran's chief negotiator said.
Neither Ali Larijani nor EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana gave any
details of what had been achieved, but both spoke positively of the discussions
over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, waves to the media as
he arrives for a meeting at his office in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Sept. 26,
2006. [AP]
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Solana and Larijani are holding the latest round of talks over a package of
incentives that six countries - the United States, China, Russia, France,
Britain and Germany - are offering Tehran in return for suspending its
uranium enrichment program and returning to full-scale negotiations.
Iran missed an Aug. 31 Security Council deadline over the issue. The six are
considering seeking sanctions in the UN Security Council if Tehran does not
comply.
"We have had long, constructive negotiations" Larijani said. "We have been
able to come to some positive conclusions."
Soland said, "We have been progressing."
"But still, we have some issues, that have been put but have not been
closed," Solana said, adding that the two sides "will keep in touch."
Solana said he hoped to have further telephone contact with the Iranian side
later this week, but he gave no specifics. Larijani indicated they had discussed
how future negotiations could proceed and expressed hope they could "embark on
the main negotiations as soon as possible."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Solana on Wednesday and
renewed US support for his talks with Iran, she told reporters in Washington,
D.C.
Rice said if Larijani agreed to a suspension of processing uranium "we would
be on a course for negotiations."
But, Rice told reporters, she had told Solana "clearly this won't go on very
much longer."
Solana is to report back to the six countries trying to persuade Iran to give
up its program to enrich uranium.
Germany has joined with the permanent UN Security Council members in pressing
Iran to give up what the US says is a nuclear weapons program. Iran says its
program is peaceful.
Enriched uranium can be used for power plants or for weapons, depending on
the level of enrichment.
