By Judy Dempsey
BERLIN (International Herald Tribune) Senior diplomats representing the United Nations Security Council and Germany agreed Thursday to resume negotiations with Iran in a bid to persuade it to stop its uranium enrichment program.
Nicholas Burns, the U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, said that Washington had agreed to suspend sanctions and was prepared to negotiate face to face with Iran for the first time in 28 years. In return, Iran would have to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
He added that the U.S. offer to negotiate directly with Iran should not be taken lightly by Tehran. "We are offering to negotiate. We are waiting for a response from Iran."
The UN Security Council started last year to impose sanctions on Iran on an incremental basis. The Europeans were willing to revive an offer of technological assistance and other economic and trade incentives if Iran halted enrichment.
The diplomats from Britain, the United States, France, Russia, China and Germany said they would give Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, approval to meet Ali Larijani, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, probably next week. "We wanted to agree the mandate for those talks," said a German government official. "What is on the table is a two-track suspension proposal."
In the absence of progress, the countries involved could return to the United Nations to propose new sanctions, officials said.
The United States and its allies accuse Iran of planning to develop nuclear weapons, which Iran has repeatedly denied.
Before the talks in Berlin, Burns said, "We are seeking peaceful discussions, not confrontation."
He added that if Iran did not accept the offer by the time of a Group of 8 summit meeting from June 6 to 8, then a new round of sanctions would be considered. "By the time of the G-8 summit, it will be abundantly clear if Iran will have said yes or no," Burns said.
The talks Thursday in Berlin, on the sidelines of a preparatory meeting for the G-8 summit meeting, which will be hosted by Germany, included the political directors of the foreign ministries representing the United States, Britain, France, Russia and Germany, while China participated by a conference call.
German government officials said the meeting did not specifically discuss another Security Council resolution and possible additional sanctions. The officials will await the outcome of the talks between Solana and Larijani.
Tehran has until May 23 to comply with the latest UN resolution, which calls on Iran to suspend enrichment. That is when the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, is expected to present a report assessing Iran’s compliance.
