AUSTRIA: Iran calls on Security Council to return its nuclear dossier to IAEA and urges for negotiations to commence without any preconditions or delay

A meeting between European Union foreign policy head Javier Solana and Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani set for Thursday (September 14) was postponed. Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Aliasghar Soltanieh, said there was no problem between the parties to cause the postponement adding that all discussions were on track. "Dr Solana and also Dr. Larijani are in continuous contact to arrange the time and venue appropriate to both. And the other representatives are meeting today so nothing has been stopped, the process is going on." Soltanieh told reporters at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna. Solana's spokeswoman confirmed that lower-level E.U. and Iranian officials would still meet. E.U. diplomats had said they would discuss a tentative offer by Larijani to consider temporarily halting enrichment of uranium, a process that yields fuel for power plants or bombs. Iran's nuclear programme was also on the agenda at a board of governors meeting of the IAEA in Vienna on Thursday. The United States said on Wednesday (September 13) that Iran was "aggressively" pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. Washington said Iran should face sanctions now, but E.U. allies said it was not too late for a negotiated solution. The U.S is spearheading efforts to draw up sanctions over suspicions Iran is secretly trying to build atomic bombs, and has said it has no knowledge of any new Iranian offer. Western leaders condemned Iran's disregard of an August 31 U.N. Security Council deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which Tehran says is meant only to make electricity. The Islamic Republic refuses to suspend enrichment before negotiations on an offer by the major powers of trade incentives not to develop nuclear fuel. Washington made clear to the IAEA board that Iran's defiance should trigger sanctions steps. But the "EU3" -- Britain, France and Germany -- omitted mention of punitive action and urged last-ditch talks. Iran wants the issue removed from the jurisdiction of the U.N. security council and placed back with the IAEA. Soltanieh said Iran wanted to "return the nuclear dossier of Iran to the IAEA framework where it belongs to, and total disengagement of the United Nations Security Council". Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday he was was open to "new conditions" to resolve its nuclear dispute with Western powers and believed talks could produce agreement. He told a news conference in Senegal's capital Dakar that Iran was open to negotiation and believed the crisis could be resolved in a context of dialogue and of justice together. Asked whether Iran was willing to stop enriching uranium, Ahmadinejad said he didn't believe there would be sanctions because there is no reason to have sanctions. He added it would be preferable for the U.S. officials not to speak in anger.

ITN Source | September 15, 2006

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