Little optimism ahead of EU-Iran nuclear talks
TERESA KÜCHLER
21.12.2005 @ 09:58 CET
EU and Iranian officials will meet in Vienna on Wednesday (21 December) to resume talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program, with diplomats referring to the session as "non-talks".
The meeting between Iran and the EU-3 delegation (Britain, France and Germany) is set to explore whether there is any basis for restarting formal negotiations on the future of Iran's nuclear activity.
Iranian embassy in Brussels - EU ties with Teheran have recently deteriorated (Photo: EUobserver.com)
"We have to agree on an agenda and on the conditions on which the talks will be held. But it will be extremely hard to find an agreed basis given the approach of the new leadership in Iran", a diplomat told the Financial Times.
The diplomat said that unless Iran showed that it was ready for compromise, "the prospect of pursuing a policy to engage Iran may have run its course".
The EU negotiating troika hopes for a positive Iranian reaction to a proposal to move Tehran's planned enrichment of uranium program to Russia.
Iranian officials have however already rejected the plan, even though it has not been formally put on the table, insisting that they will not allow enrichment to be moved abroad.
On Tuesday, diplomats to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring Iran's nuclear activities described the upcoming session as "non-talks" about a "non-offer", according to AP.
On the same day, Iran warned the EU-3 not to make "exorbitant demands" during negotiations, AFP adds.
Official negotiations between the EU and Iran have been suspended since August, when Iran announced it would resume nuclear enrichment, arguing that it needs to generate more electricity for an energy-hungry economy.
Parts of the international community however fear that Iranian nuclear power plants and technology could be used for the production of nuclear weapons, and accuses Iran of not opening up its premises for inspections by the IAEA.
Joint US-EU attempts to send Iran's case to the Security Council for sanctions have met with resistance from Russia, China and developing nations on the board of the IAEA, which has prompted the EU to try to explore alternative solutions like the compromise proposed by Russia.
Brussels out of patience with Tehran
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent anti-Israeli comments are set to worsen the atmosphere during Wednesday's talks.
Mr Ahmadinejad has made headlines saying the holocaust is a "myth fabricated to create a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world", that the state of Israel is a "tumour" that should be moved to Europe or "wiped off the map".
The remarks have caused Brussels to question the EU's long-term relationship with Iran, with ministers concerned at the lack of "reason" in Tehran.
A commission spokesperson indicated last week that the Iranian president's comments were "against his own interest."
