Iran responds to international nuke proposal

Iran delivered its response on Friday to an international offer of economic and other incentives if it suspends a central part of its nuclear program, state television reported.

The report did not disclose what Iran's response was.

Iran's ambassador to Belgium presented the response to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels, Iran's official news agency said. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, also spoke with Solana by phone, state TV reported.

Solana and Jalili agreed during the conversation to hold the latest in a series of talks in the second half of July, state TV reported. Solana last met with Iranian officials in mid-June, trying to get Teheran to accept the incentives offer.

A positive response could open the way to renewed negotiations that might help cool recent sharp exchanges between officials on both sides. In recent weeks the US and Iran have traded threats and warnings over possible American or Israeli military action.

Acting on behalf of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, the EU's Solana offered the modified package of economic incentives to Iran during his June visit. The offer is meant to persuade Iran to halt uranium enrichment, a technology that the six world powers fear Iran could use to produce weapons.

Iran has insisted it will not give up enrichment, saying its only aim is to produce nuclear power, not weapons.

But it has said the incentives package has some "common ground" with Teheran's own proposals for a resolution to the standoff.

Separately, EU nations also approved new sanctions against Iran in June, imposing additional financial and travel restrictions on a list of Iranian companies and experts, including the country's largest bank.

The six nations - the US, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany - first offered a package of economic, technological and political incentives to Teheran nearly two years ago on condition that it suspend enrichment.

The standoff has led to increasingly tense exchanges recently as speculation of a possible military strike mounts.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in remarks published on Friday that Iran would consider any military action against its nuclear facilities as the beginning of a war.

Agencies

(China Daily 07/05/2008 page10)