Iran talks break up without compromise

TALKS between Iran and the European Union broke up yesterday without compromise on Tehran’s refusal to freeze uranium enrichment, and the top EU foreign policy envoy said he was disappointed at Tehran’s refusal to budge.

“I expected more and therefore I am disappointed,” EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after five hours of talks with Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. The failure of the meeting was likely to increase pressure for new UN Security Council sanctions, with the five permanent council members set to discuss such actions today.

Just minutes before Mr Solana spoke, Mr Jalili had sent a different message, describing his meeting as “good” and saying the two men had arranged to meet again next month.

But Mr Solana’s words made clear they had failed to reach common ground. The fact the two men spoke to reporters separately also appeared to reflect the divisions between them.

Before the talks between Mr Solana and Mr Jalili, senior European officials said nothing short of an Iranian pledge to seriously consider freezing its enrichment program would defuse a push by the US and its allies for new sanctions. Mr Solana’s statement made clear the Iranians had not budged on their refusal.

Throughout the 18 months of EU-Iran talks, Tehran has publicly insisted it will never suspend enrichment. Although Tehran says it wants the technology to create fuel for nuclear reactors, concerns that it might use it to produce the fissile core of nuclear weapons have led to two sets of sanctions since December.

The London talks will be followed by a strategy session today in Paris by top representatives of the security council nations plus Germany — the six countries at the forefront of efforts to dissuade Iran from developing its enrichment program.

While the Paris meeting will formally wait for a report from Mr Solana on the outcome of his talks with Mr Jalili, European officials said there were few illusions that Tehran would change its mind on enrichment.