US Demands Iran Stop Enrichment; Won't Rule Out Informal Steps
Thursday July 3rd, 2008 / 23h24
WASHINGTON (AFP)--The United States Thursday reasserted its demand that Iran suspend uranium enrichment as a condition for the U.S. to participate in formal nuclear talks with Iran - although the U.S. did not rule out less strict pre-negotiations. "We have talked to the Iranians previously via the P5-plus-1 and Mr. Solana about various ways to get to full-blown negotiations," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "P5-plus-1" refers to the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany. Javier Solana is the E.U. foreign policy chief. "In order to get to those full-blown negotiations where you have the U.S. and the other five members of the P5-plus-1 present at the table with the Iranians, they are going to have to suspend their enrichment-related activity. "And of course there would be a suspension of activities in the Security Council during that," McCormack added. Asked about a formula known as "freeze for freeze" -- in which Tehran suspends its uranium enrichment program for six weeks in exchange for a suspension of U.N. sanctions - McCormack did not deny the possibility of implementing such a compromise ahead of further talks. But he stressed that the six powers were still awaiting a formal response from Tehran to their latest cooperation offer, which Solana presented to Iran in June. The proposal, aiming at ending the five-year standoff over Iran's nuclear program, offers technological incentives in exchange for Tehran suspending uranium enrichment. Iran denies its program is for nuclear weapons. U.S. President George W. Bush has said that he does not ruled out using force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran has put forward its own package, a wider effort to solve global problems, and notably suggests the setting up of a consortium in Iran for enriching uranium. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that "there have been various discussions about quote-unquote 'pre-negotiations' or how to do a period leading up to full-blown negotiations." But he stressed that "the conditions for us getting to the table and realizing full-blown negotiations are suspension (of enrichment). That has not changed at all." -Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-5500 Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=YR4uBIqxai%2BnNiEwRngPJQ%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
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