"We want to hear the response of the Iranians," E.U. spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said Monday, referring to Tuesday’s meeting between E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana and top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
…Meanwhile, an exiled Iranian opposition group announced its members will demonstrate against the Iranian government in front of the E.U. offices in Brussels where the two delegations will be holding talks.
"During the rally…Iranians will protest any concessions by the West to the mullahs and will urge for the imposition of sanctions by the Security Council on the clerical regime," said Shahin Gobadi, spokesman for the Paris-based Iranian Resistance.
"We want to hear the response of the Iranians," E.U. spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said Monday, referring to Tuesday’s meeting between E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana and top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
Solana is hoping for a positive reply from Larijani that he could present Wednesday in Paris at a conference of the foreign ministers of the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, the U.S. and China.
The ministers will consider the Iranian response to the incentives package before the July 15-17 summit of the Group of Eight wealthiest industrialized nations in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Last week, Larijani met with Solana for a private dinner after unexpectedly skipping formal talks supposed to have been held in Brussels a day earlier. E.U. officials described the dinner as "a good start" before this week’s talks between both delegations.
"We expect a continuation of the talks on Tuesday which had the objective to create conditions for negotiations," Gallach said.
U.S. officials said, however, that Larijani had failed to come up with a long-awaited answer to the offer of nuclear expertise and reactors in exchange for a pledge by Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities. He had also not committed his country to suspending uranium enrichment and starting negotiations on the six-power package, they said.
Iranian government officials have insisted they need to clear up "ambiguities" contained in the package, and have brushed aside U.S. demands that they respond before the Paris meeting July 12.
E.U. officials have said Larijani would likely seek explanations of some aspects of the offer, and possibly submit a counterproposal of his own at Tuesday’s talks.
Western officials have threatened to restart efforts to punish Iran through possible Security Council sanctions unless Tehran stops enrichment and agrees to talks by July 12.
Tehran has asserted repeatedly that its nuclear program, which includes uranium enrichment, is peaceful and aimed at generating power. But the U.S., Israel and the E.U. fear the research program is a cover for the development of nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, an exiled Iranian opposition group announced its members will demonstrate against the Iranian government in front of the E.U. offices in Brussels where the two delegations will be holding talks.
"During the rally…Iranians will protest any concessions by the West to the mullahs and will urge for the imposition of sanctions by the Security Council on the clerical regime," said Shahin Gobadi, spokesman for the Paris-based Iranian Resistance.