Iran rejects incentives to abandon nuclear work
Negotiator Hossein Moussavian said: “The proposals are unacceptable. They negate Iran’s inalienable rights.”
EU negotiators have called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which could refer Iran’s nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
Iran said it would also stick by its plans to resume uranium conversion, a preliminary stage in the nuclear fuel cycle, despite warnings it would trigger an international crisis.
The European Union said Tehran, accused by arch-enemy the United States of seeking to build an atomic bomb, must commit “not to pursue fuel cycle activities” if it wants to benefit from the EU incentives.
The package, submitted by ambassadors from Britain, France and Germany, covers nuclear issues, political and security concerns, and offers economic and technological co-operation for Iran to give up uranium enrichment work. It suspended this nine months ago.
The processes make fuel which can be used for reactors or the explosive core of atom bombs.
The offer comes just days after Iran’s new ultra-conservative President Mahmood Ahmadinejad took office, raising concerns about the future policies of the Islamic republic.
French foreign ministry spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo said the EU recognises Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, “within the framework of a global accord.”
Iran has said repeatedly that its enrichment suspension is temporary and voluntary, as it insists on its right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to conduct nuclear activities for peaceful purposes.
The issue is a matter of national pride in Iran, which insists it only wants to generate nuclear power to reduce its dependence on oil and gas, a vital source of hard currency.
It has been subject to more than two years of investigations by the IAEA, which has discovered plenty of suspicious activity but no proof of a weapons drive.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said if Iran resumes conversion: “Then it is certain that the international community will ask the Security Council to intervene.”
Mr Moussavian said Iran’s decision to resume conversion - which turns uranium ore into a gas for enrichment - was “irrevocable”.
He warned Thursday that if the Europeans called an IAEA meeting, Iran may not maintain its freeze on enrichment.
Ms Pozzo di Borgo said the EU offered to guarantee a durable supply of nuclear fuel, and Iran’s access to atomic technology for civilian purposes and the nuclear energy market.
Brussels would promote trade, investment and technology transfers, work towards a trade and cooperation agreement, and support Tehran’s accession to the World Trade Organisation.
It also promised to develop scientific and technological cooperation in various areas, as well as helping with communications, education and training, transport, tourism and seismology.
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