A very promising report. The US-UK Axis is being increasingly isolated, it seems. rkm -------------------------------------------------------- Original source URL: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083106K.shtml http://www.ft.com/cms/s/90a61514-3853-11db-ae2c-0000779e2340.html EU will continue nuclear talks with Tehran By Daniel Dombey in London Published: August 30 2006 19:23 | Last updated: August 30 2006 23:51 The European Union is ready to continue discussions with Iran over its nuclear programme even though a United Nations deadline for Tehran to restrict its nuclear activities expires on Thursday, diplomats have told the Financial Times. On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN¹s nuclear monitor, will confirm that Tehran has refused to comply with a UN Security Council resolution that requires Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can generate both nuclear fuel and weapons grade material. But the report is also likely to note that Tehran has not accelerated its nuclear programme, a fact that Russia and China, both of which are resisting plans to impose sanctions on Iran, are likely to emphasise. The lack of unanimity of the Security Council and the hope that Tehran may yet agree to suspend enrichment are the chief reasons why the EU is set to keep the contacts going. ³The 31 August date [to suspend enrichment] is important because that was the date set by the Security Council,² said a senior European diplomat. ³But that doesn¹t mean we can¹t continue any exchanges with the Iranians...We will be available to talk to them, there are things we are ready to pursue.² He stressed that the EU would not enter into formal negotiations with Iran while Tehran continued to enrich uranium, and added that the EU would seek to pursue ³two tracks in parallel² continuing contacts, while seeking to impose ³incremental² restrictive measures on Iran. Beijing and Moscow have agreed to ³work for² economic sanctions against Tehran if Iran fails to meet today¹s deadline, but in recent days both have emphasised that such a step may be premature Ali Larijani, Iran¹s top security official, said on Sunday that the passing of the UN deadline would not mean ³the end of diplomacy². Iran has stressed its willingness for talks, with officials floating potential compromises without suggesting Tehran would meet the Security Council demand it first suspend uranium enrichment. Diplomats said Thursday¹s report would say that Iran was still operating only one large-scale ³cascade² to enrich uranium, with 164 centrifuges. IAEA inspectors believe that with such a small number of centrifuges it would take at least 20 years to generate enough weapons grade material for one bomb. In Washington, the Bush administration said on Wednesday it saw no sign that Iran would meet the UN deadline and that the world body should respond quickly with international sanctions. ³If they do not meet the requirements of the UN Security Council resolution, then we would expect that the parties would immediately begin formal discussions about a resolution that would call for sanctions,² the State Department said. Additional reporting by Gareth Smyth in Tehran and AP in Washington Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006 "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. Privacy policy | Terms © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2006. -- -------------------------------------------------------- Escaping the Matrix website http://escapingthematrix.org/ cyberjournal website http://cyberjournal.org subscribe cyberjournal list mailto:•••@••.••• Posting archives http://cyberjournal.org/show_archives/ Blogs: cyberjournal forum http://cyberjournal-rkm.blogspot.com/ Achieving real democracy http://harmonization.blogspot.com/ for readers of ETM http://matrixreaders.blogspot.com/ Community Empowerment http://empowermentinitiatives.blogspot.com/ Blogger made easy http://quaylargo.com/help/ezblogger.html
