AUSTRIA: Talks on Iran's nuclear work to resume as Washington maintains its hardline attitude on sanctions

The European Union will resume crunch talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear work on Thursday (September 14), officials said, as world power consultations at an atomic watchdog meeting betrayed differences over whether to crack down on Tehran. Washington says Iran's defiance should trigger steps to sanctions. The U.S., British, French, German, Russian and Chinese foreign ministers will meet on the fringes of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly in New York next week to discuss proceeding to sanctions if there has been no diplomatic breakthrough by then. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was likely to try to pin down Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani on what EU diplomats said was a tentative offer from him to consider temporarily halting enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel. The United States, Iran's arch-adversary and spearheading efforts to draw up punitive U.N. sanctions against Tehran over suspicions it is secretly trying to build atom bombs, has said it has no knowledge of any such offer. Washington's ambassador to the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Gregory Shulte, said on Wednesday (September 13): "We support the fact that Dr Solana has this open line of communications with Dr Larijani but we want to hear one very clear message coming back through that line of communications, and that is that Iran is suspending those activities that aren't necessary for its civil programme. "If we hear that message come back and the IAEA can verify it, we are prepared to suspend the action in the United Nations Security Council and to move forward with negotiations. If we don't hear that, we are moving forward with the sanctions resolution. "No one is enthusiastic about moving forward toward sanctions. But, everyone recognises Iran has violated 1696 and that means we need to move forward with sanctions to reinforce the diplomatic efforts," he added. U.N. Security Council resolution 1696 relates to the U.N. demand that Iran suspend all nuclear activity pending inspections of its nuclear facilities. "We are already working with other members of the Security Council on a resolution that would lay out very specific sanctions. We see that work moving forward, and soon. I am not going to predict specific timing but we are going to pursue sanctions and very actively." Western leaders condemned Iran's disregard of an Aug. 31 Security Council deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which Iran insists is meant only to make electricity. The Islamic Republic, while indicating openness to negotiate on a timing and duration of suspension, refuses to take that step before negotiations on a big power offer of trade incentives not to develop nuclear fuel.

ITN Source | September 15, 2006

Tags:. .refuses. .predict. .specific. .maintains. .facilities