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Russian nuclear talks with Iran 'useful', says Straw

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Nov 15, IRNA
Iran Nuclear Program-Russia
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw indicated Tuesday that some progress may have been made in Russia's nuclear talks with Iran.

"I had reports and think they were useful but not conclusive," Straw told London-based Middle East journalists at a briefing, dominated by Iraq and Syria.

Igor Ivanov, secretary of the Russian Security Council, held weekend talks with Iran, where he was reportedly proposing a compromise plan that will permit Iran to continue uranium conversion at its Isfahan plant.

Straw said that he had discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about Ivanov's visit, when he was in Moscow last week with an EU Foreign Minister's Trokia delegation.

"We are very anxious to cooperate fully with the Russian Federation on Iran's dossier," he said without specifying whether the proposal signified a shift in the EU's demand for Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

The offer, which reportedly recognizes Iran's right to nuclear technology, is said to have made a key concession of allowing Iran to develop an early part of the fuel cycle.

It also provides safeguards against the diversion of materials for any weapons program by stipulating that all uranium enrichment be carried out on Russian territory at a plant to be built and jointly owned with Iran.

The UK has not ruled out the compromise proposal.

A Foreign Office spokesman told IRNA last week that it was 'technically complicated and would require detailed international consideration'.

Straw made no mention of whether the offer meant that the EU may be prepared to restart negotiations with Iran on the basis of allowing uranium conversion work at Isfahan.

He said that EU discussions were focused on what will be said and reported at next week's board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Last month, Britain's Ambassador to Tehran Richard Dalton told IRNA that the EU could be planning to advance its original offer made to Iran to break the deadlock in negotiations with Iran.

"We think that the proposal that EU put forward can be certainly improved and the proposal (the Iranian President) His Excellency Mr Ahmadinejad made in New York can clearly go on to the table," Dalton said.

HC/2322/1412