Paris – Apparently in an effort to win international support and avoid censure by the U.N. Security Council, Iran on Tuesday proposed a resumption of nuclear talks with the Europeans, a move that was immediately rejected by Britain as “vacuous.”
The proposal came eight days after Iran resumed nuclear work at three sites in violation of an agreement 16 months ago with France, Germany and Britain that froze most of Iran’s nuclear activities.
The resumption prompted the European trio to declare the talks dead and to call for the Security Council to pass judgment on Iran.
In a letter Tuesday, Javad Vaeedi, deputy head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, emphasized Iran’s determination to “continue its full cooperation” with the International Atomic Energy Agency, adding that Iran “spares no effort in removing any ambiguity on its peaceful nuclear activities through dialogue and negotiation,” according to a copy of the letter.
Expressing appreciation for the Europeans, it added that Iran “considers dialogue and negotiation as the best course of action” and “is prepared to make the process a success.”
But the letter, addressed to the three foreign ministries and sent through their missions in Vienna, gave no indication that Iran would resume the freeze on its conversion, enrichment and reprocessing of uranium as required by the agreement.
“It is unacceptable,” said a German official, who described the letter as “a lot of nice words without any concrete offer.”
Indeed, Ali Asghar Soltani yeh, Iran’s representative to the international nuclear agency in Vienna, said in a telephone interview from Vienna that Iran’s decision to resume nuclear fuel research was “legal and irreversible.” He added: “We are ready to negotiate with the Europeans and the Russians. It is now their turn to understand us.”
The United States and the Europeans have begun a campaign to lobby some of the 35 nations that make up the decision-making board of the international nuclear agency to support their position that the Iranian nuclear crisis should be dealt with by the Security Council. The board will consider the issue in a special session starting Feb. 2.