Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=10/21/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAN/NUCLEAR (L)

NUMBER=2-308878

BYLINE=JAMES MARTONE

DATELINE=CAIRO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Iran's foreign minister says his country is ready to agree to demands for the full transparency regarding its nuclear program that other nations are demanding. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany are in Tehran for talks aimed at resolving international concerns that Iran is using the program to develop atomic weapons. James Martone reports from V-O-A's Middle East Bureau in Cairo.

TEXT: The Iranian foreign minister, Kamal Kharazi, told the visiting foreign ministers that Tehran was ready to promise full transparency because it has nothing to hide.

As Mr. Kharazi put it, we are not pursuing an illegitimate (nuclear) program. But he also insisted that Iran's rights must be respected.

His comment came after initial talks with the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain and France, who are in Iran for high-level discussions aimed at resolving international concerns regarding Tehran's nuclear abilities and plans.

After the early round of talks, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the European ministers respected what he called the rights of any sovereign nation to have a civil nuclear program, but at the same time not to be involved in any proliferation activities.

Mr. Straw and his counterparts - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and France's Dominique de Villepin - flew late Monday to Tehran to discuss with Iranian officials the October 31st deadline set by the International Atomic Energy Agency - the I-A-E-A - for Iran to prove it is not using its atomic energy program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons.

The three European powers have reportedly proposed nuclear technology cooperation with Iran in return for expanded, on-site inspections by the I-A-E-A of Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran insists that its nuclear program is only for generating electric power, but the United States accuses it of secretly developing nuclear weapons.

It was not immediately clear whether the United States backed the proposals made by the three European countries.

After the morning talks with Mr. Kharazi, German Foreign Minister Fischer said, in his words, if we can agree today, I think this would be an important step forward.

Mr. Kharazi described the first round of discussions as positive and said the four countries were working on a joint declaration.

The European ministers also had meetings scheduled with Iran's supreme national security council chief, Hassan Rohani, and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami. (Signed)

NEB/JM/ALW