19 July 2008
World Week Watch (WWW)
Press TV
Oscar Reyes
Negotiators from Iran, the United States, and five other countries will meet in Geneva later today on July the 19th for international talks over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The high level talks see the United States reverse its previous position, with Undersecretary of State William burns attending negotiations with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiatior Saed Jalili.
Jalili will discuss Iran’s response to a proposal that was delivered to Tehran in mid-June by EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, who is negotiating on behalf of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, but Iran insists that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
The US State Department's third-ranking diplomat, William Burns, will join talks with Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva this Saturday.
The meeting is the highest level contact between the two nations since the 1979 Iranian revolution – and marks a break with George Bush’s previous policy.
Burns will hear the Iranian response to a multinational proposal offering economic and technical cooperation in return for a suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment programme.
The six party talks – which involve Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - are being conducted by the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana:
"I am going to meet with Iranian leaders on Saturday. I hope very much we will get a constructive positive answer to the documents which I presented to them in the middle of month of June. That means we are getting active in the short periods of time. Last time I met them it was in Iran on June 14. Before a month is gone we will meet again. Again, I hope the response will allow us to engage in constructive negotiations. I cannot guarantee success but can only say I will be accompanied by important people from six countries including the US."
Solana led a negotiating team to Iran last month to present a package of incentives, including help in establishing a civilian nuclear industry, in return for a suspension of nuclear enrichment and reprocessing.
Iran's adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitles the country to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Under the terms of the so-called ‘freeze for freeze’ proposal, Iran would not increase the level of its uranium enrichment efforts while negotiations continued, in return for a freeze in any moves towards further sanctions against Iran.
As part of this latest round of negotiations, European governments have been pushing for Washington to participate directly in preliminary talks with Iran.
US President George Bush had repeatedly ruled out such talks until Iran suspended its uranium enrichment process. But this demand now appears to have been dropped, as US diplomats look for a way out of the crisis that they have promoted.
The talks come against a backdrop of Israeli and Iranian missile tests, and repeated US threats. In a related development, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hinted on Tuesday that a request for installing a US diplomatic base in Iran could be reviewed.
The installation of a diplomatic outpost would mark a dramatic official US return to the country almost 30 years absence.
Iran already has its own interests section in Washington. If the US reciprocates, its interest section, a de facto embassy, would be run from the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.
to watch the programme go @ PressTV.com
