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Iran to give "transparent" response to Europe's incentives package: FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, June 17, IRNA
Iran-FM-Hakim
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday said Iran would give a quite transparent response to Europe's package of incentives.

Mottaki made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting with the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance and head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who is currently visiting Iran.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's response to the package of incentives offered by Europe will be quite transparent just like the country's enrichment work," the minister said.

Early this month European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana visited Iran to hand over a package of incentives to Tehran, prepared by the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council -- Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany to convince it to give up its uranium enrichment activities and resume talks to settle the dispute over its nuclear program.

"Europe's proposed package is a step forward. The Iranian officials reached a consensus on the proposals.

"We believe the new proposals (of the European side) are a move and a step forward because it is supposed to take both sides' views into consideration," Mottaki said.

He suggested that Tehran could make a counter-proposal to the new offer.

"After the 5+1 Group had made known their views, Tehran would seriously review them and announce our proposals to the European side. The Europeans will also study them."
Talks will proceed on this basis as it (the offer) "is not a one-sided move," he said.

"Apparently, the move is positive and the sides can cooperate with each other. We will finalize our views and announce later." Pointing to recommendations of various states and UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the minister reminded that Iranian officials had been told "not to make haste and to study the proposals meticulously before giving its views."
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