EU's Solana See Progress In Iran Nuke Talks
Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Staff Writer Brussels, Belgium (AHN) - European Union Foreign Policy and Security Chief Javier Solana on Friday said negotiations on finding a solution in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program were moving ahead. During a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Solana said he and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, had agreed to postpone a meeting planned on Thursday because Larijani needed more time to build consensus in Tehran on the terms for launching negotiations with the major powers. "I think I can say honestly that we're making progress," Solana said. Suspension of enrichment-related activities is a precondition set by the six-nation Security Council including France, Britain, Germany, Russia, the United States and China, for talks with Tehran on a package of economic and other incentives in exchange for Iran scrapping the program. Iran has so far ignored an Aug. 31 U.N. Security Council deadline to suspend its enrichment program, which the West suspects is aimed at producing a nuclear bomb but Tehran insists will only be used for civilian purposes. However, in a rare change of tone Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud said that Iran was ready for "new conditions". Solana, who had seven hours of talks with Larijani in Vienna last weekend, said he hoped to meet Larijani again in the coming days, adding that the next two weeks of diplomatic talks around the |
