Vienna, Nov 27, IRNA -- Iran will decide 'within today and tomorrow'
about a revised draft resolution, which the Europeans want to submit
to the world nuclear watchdog concerning Tehran's uranium enrichment
activities, a senior Iranian diplomat told IRNA in Vienna on Saturday.
"Within today and tomorrow, the establishment will decide about
the final text between Iran and the Europeans," the diplomat said on
the condition of anonymity.
In the latest EU draft, a clause that Iran felt was an indirect
trigger was removed, while a demand that Iran provide 'unrestricted
access' to the IAEA was changed to cover only access to sites
declared to the IAEA under its Additional Protocol on short-notice
inspections, according to news reports.
But, it still calls on Iran to sustain the suspension of
enrichment and plutonium reprocessing activities, Reuters said.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Tehran still
finds positions which are contrary to the November 7 Paris agreement
between Iran and the European trio of Germany, Britain and France
and thus "are not acceptable to us".
"The draft resolution does not help with confidence building and
the Europeans had better chose a track which would create better
confidence," he said.
Intensive talks between the Iranian delegates and their European
counterparts continued in Vienna Saturday to reach an eleventh hour
deal, with the former trying that Tehran's minimum interests are
incorporated into the resolution before it is submitted to the IAEA
board of governors.
Talks between the two sides began Thursday, with the deal expected
to be concluded Friday, but it did not come through apparently after
Iran requested that 20 of its centrifuges be exempted from its
promised suspension of uranium enrichment.
Kharrazi stressed that "Iran's demand for continued operation of
20 centrifuges for carrying out research activities does not run
counter to the country's past obligations."
"Iran demands that operation of 20 centrifuges continue under
the (International Atomic Energy) Agency's supervision and is
restricted merely to research activities," he added.
The IAEA board of governors is expected to review Iran's case on
Monday to decide the nature of Iran's nuclear program, which the
country insists is aimed at power generation.
The latest EU resolution is a revised version of two previous
ones, which Iran's President Mohammad Khatami had described as 'not
good'.
Kharrazi said, "Many modifications have been made in the draft
resolution proposed by the Europeans, but there are still paragraphs
which are not acceptable to the Islamic Republic."
The EU trio presented their proposed draft resolution on Iran's
nuclear activities to the board members Monday, but faced protests
from the non-aligned states, which account for one third of the
35-member board, as well as Iran regarding some paragraphs.
President Khatami said Thursday, "The non-aligned states, like
Iran, insist on the natural and legitimate right of all IAEA members
to have access to the peaceful nuclear technology."
Iran had raised objections to the wording of the draft resolution
on the way the suspension and monitoring were described.
Iran and its NAM allies said a clause in the draft calling on
Iran to give "unrestricted access" to the IAEA was illegal and had to
be explicitly limited to nuclear sites declared under the IAEA's
Additional Protocol permitting short-notice inspections.
The draft also said it is 'essential' that Iran kept all parts of
its enrichment program suspended, something which Tehran interpreted
as seeking to oblige the country to unlimited suspension.
Iranian officials stressed that the suspension would remain in
place only long enough to provide assurances that Tehran was not
engaged in non-civilian activities.
Uranium enrichment is allowed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), to which Iran is a signatory, and the country wants it
as part of its efforts to master a nuclear fuel cycle.
But as a confidence-building measure, Iran agreed in its meeting
with the three EU states in Paris recently to voluntarily suspend all
activities related to uranium enrichment.
Earlier this week, Iran said it would start suspending uranium
enrichment as of Monday, making good on its word which it gave at a
recent agreement with the Europeans.
Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, however, stressed that
it was Tehran's prerogative to specify 'the extent and duration of the
suspension'.
"This suspension depends on the commitment of the opposite party
and we will test this at the next board of governors' meeting of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," he told reporters at his
weekly news briefing.
"We have voluntarily accepted suspension, since we have no legal
obligation in this regard, having done this to bolster overall
confidence at the regional and international level.
"This process of confidence-building is in our national interests,
besides being a factor to fend off war-mongering ideology of certain
power," he added.
The United States is trying to convince the world of its
allegations that Tehran's nuclear program is a front to build atomic
weapons, and pave the way for referral of Iran to the UN Security
Council for possible sanctions.
But, the EU trio of Germany, France and Britain pursue a different
line, having offered Iran a package of economic incentives in return
for suspending uranium enrichment.
The European trio have reached a 'preliminary' deal with Iran,
under which Tehran would halt an enrichment program in exchange for
political and economic incentives.
The EU incentives reportedly include a guaranteed supply of
reactor fuel, assistance to construction of a light-water power
reactor and a resumption of stalled trade talks.
Ramezanzadeh turned the tables on the Europeans, saying, "We have
always observed our commitments and now we expect that the opposite
party also remains committed to its obligations."