ISN SECURITY WATCH (12/05/05) � Government officials in Tehran indicated on Thursday that Iran might give nuclear negotiations with the EU a second chance, after European diplomats warned that they might withdraw from the talks and side with the US to take actions against the Islamic Republic in the UN Security Council.
On Monday, Iran announced it would resume parts of its nuclear fuel program that it had suspended after negotiations with the EU's "Big Three" - Britain, France, and Germany. Earlier on Thursday, Reuters had reported that the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was expecting a letter from Tehran's delegate to the IAEA announcing that the UN seals would be broken and parts of the nuclear fuel program would be resumed. British, French, and German diplomats warned Tehran that the move could force them to abandon negotiations altogether and side with the US, which has long called for Iran to be referred to the UN Security Council for economic sanctions or other actions. EU-Iran talks began last year, and the last formal round of talks ended without results on 29 April. The US has accused Tehran of seeking a nuclear weapons program, while Iran has repeatedly denied the claims, saying its nuclear activities were strictly for civilian purposes. Until now, the EU has insisted that Iran scrap or agree to a long- term suspension of its uranium enrichment activities in return for economic incentives, and the latest EU threat to back US demands signals that Europe is losing patience in the face of the back-and- forth negotiations. Mohammed Saeedi, deputy chief of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, said on Monday that Iran would restart the conversion plant in Isfahan within days. The plant would resume processing uranium into a gas that could be used to make fuel for either atomic reactors or nuclear weapons. According to the Washington Post, Iran held off on delivering official notification of the resumption of processing activities following the threat from EU diplomats to back US calls for punitive measures. An Iranian diplomat told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity that his government was exploring an offer in the letter for a four-way meeting sometime in the next two weeks. (By Ekrem Krasniqi in Brussels) ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/RR.olB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *** sustineti [romania_eu_list] prin 1% din impozitul pe 2005 - detalii la http://www.europe.org.ro/euroatlantic_club/unulasuta.php *** Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romania_eu_list/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
