Iran nuclear stand-off meeting to happen today

Iran’s foreign minister meets with European officials today amid new diplomatic efforts to end the stand-off with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Manouchehr Mottaki’s talks in Brussels coincide with a visit to Moscow by Iranian negotiators to discuss Russia’s offer to host uranium enrichment for Iran in an effort to ensure that the Islamic republic’s nuclear program cannot be used to develop atomic weapons.

In an interview with a French radio station on Thursday, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, floated the prospect of renewing contacts with European negotiators and reopening nuclear facilities to snap international inspections.

Mottaki meets with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who joined the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in a now stalled diplomatic drive to persuade Iran to accept international controls to prevent weapons development.

The Iranian minister will hold talks with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, who is also chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. He is expected to conclude the visit with an address to the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

A spokesman for the committee, Thomas Bickel, said the idea for the visit came from Iran and showed a readiness in Tehran to “return to a dialogue” with Europe.

The EU and the US have supported the Russian initiative, but Iranian officials have given mixed signals about Moscow’s offer.

Iran’s official news agency yesterday quoted Mottaki as saying that Iran would consider a Russian proposal on uranium enrichment if certain provisions were met.

“If the Russian plan, with supplementary indicators, leads to a comprehensive proposal, then we could say it will have Iran’s interest,” IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying. ”The partners in the plan, the duration of the project, location of enrichment and consensus of all related parties would be significant to Iran.”

The Russian plan is seen as a last chance for Iran to address international concerns before a March 6 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which could start a process leading to sanctions from the UN Security Council.

European relations with Iran have nose-dived in recent months over the stalled nuclear talks, outrage over remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling for Israel’s destruction and questioning the Holocaust, and Tehran’s decision to suspend trade with Denmark over the cartoon’s representing the Prophet Muhammad.