Iran, world powers resume nuclear talks

Malaysia Sun (IANS) Monday 6th December, 2010

Iran and six world powers restarted talks after a one-year break Monday, reviewing a broad range of issues, including the nuclear file, rather than tackling the atomic stand-off head-on, according to diplomats.

Neither Iran nor the group comprising the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China expected a breakthrough at the two-day meeting, but spoke of seeking to build confidence and find a path to further talks.

'It was a good start,' a European source said in the afternoon of the first day.

Iran's top negotiator Saeid Jalili started off his statement by decrying the killing of one of his country's nuclear scientists last week, blaming foreign intelligence services and asking for a minute of silence, according to officials at the closed-door gathering.

The six world powers condemned the attack, the European source said. EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton was the lead negotiator on behalf of the group.

Many countries are worried that Iran could use its uranium enrichment plants to make fuel for nuclear warheads rather than for reactors, as Iran claims it is doing.

Iranian and Western officials have said that one one way to break the impasse could be to revive a confidence-building scheme in which Iran would export enriched uranium, thus signalling that it cannot be used for military means.

The nuclear material could then be processed into reactor fuel and shipped back to Iran in a kind of swap.

But there were no detailed negotiations Monday about this or other schemes to build trust in Iran's nuclear intentions.

'There are certain issues that can be seen as confidence-building issues, but what we are looking for is an overall solution,' the European source said.

A broad range of issues was discussed in the morning, including Iran's fear of an Israeli air strike on its nuclear installations. The Islamic state urged the group of six to prevent such aggression and warned that its retaliation would have 'no limit', according to an Iranian source.

Tehran has been critical of Western acceptance of Israeli nuclear weapons, while the West has been concerned about Iran's role in the region, including its support of Palestinian and Lebanese anti-Israeli militants.

'Our approach is sincere, transparent and based on goodwill, but we will not accept any demands which would deprive us from our rights,' Iran's top negotiator Saeid Jalili told reporters in the morning, referring to the six powers' wish that the Islamic republic halt its uranium enrichment programme.

The enriched uranium swap deal that was hatched in the previous round of talks in Geneva in October 2009 would have effectively meant an acceptance of Iran's enrichment activities.

The plan faltered amid internal political bickering in Iran, the expansion of its nuclear programme, and new international sanctions targeting the country.