Solana: Nuclear Talks with Iran Make Progress, No Deal
28 September 2006
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana says there has been some progress, but no deal reached in nuclear talks with Iran.
Solana spoke in Berlin Thursday after two days of discussions with Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
The EU diplomat said the two sides have yet to resolve some issues, but he said he hopes to renew contact with Iran in a few days.
Larijani also called the talks "constructive" and he said "some positive conclusions" were reached.
Neither Larijani nor Solana provided specifics.
In the Iranian city of Karaj, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again rejected international demands to suspend uranium enrichment. He said Iran would not stop enrichment even for one day.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States supports the EU initiative, but she said the talks cannot go on "very much longer."
European diplomats described the Solana-Larijani dialogue as a final opportunity for Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear program and avoid U.N. sanctions.
Iran ignored an August 31 U.N. Security Council deadline to halt uranium enrichment. The West suspects the enrichment is part of a program to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says it is pursuing nuclear technology only for peaceful purposes.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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