AUSTRIA: Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani says he discussed with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht possible restart of nuclear talks

Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani says after meeting with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht they discussed the possibility of restarting Iranian nuclear talks, a day before a U.N. deadline for Tehran to back down on its nuclear programme. Belgium has just become a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, which has given Iran until Wednesday (February 21) to stop enriching uranium. Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said after a meeting in Vienna with Belgium's foreign minister the two had discussed ways to restart Iranian nuclear talks, a day before a U.N. deadline for Tehran to back down on its uranium enrichment programme. Larijani met with Karel de Gucht before heading for a meeting with head of the U.N. watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, also in Vienna. "We talked about issues of bilateral relationship as well as other areas of cooperation, and also the reasonable approaches to solutions that we could have for restarting the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear dossier," Larijani told journalists after meeting with de Gucht at the Iranian diplomatic building in Vienna on Tuesday (February 20). Belgium has just become a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, which has given Iran until Wednesday (February 21) to stop enriching uranium. ElBaradei is expected to report to the Security Council on Wednesday that Tehran has defied a 60-day deadline to suspend enrichment, as demanded in a December 23 resolution that also banned transfers of technology and know-how to Iran's atomic programme. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally in northern Iran earlier on Tuesday that Tehran wanted talks on its nuclear programme but not if there were preconditions. Tehran says the nuclear enrichment process will only make fuel for power plants but the West suspects Iran wants to refine uranium to the higher degree needed for the core of atom bombs. The United States has piled on pressure by sending a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf and slapping sanctions on some Iranian banks and companies. Washington has not ruled out military action but says it is seeking a diplomatic solution and is not planning a war.

ITN Source | February 21, 2007

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