No progress in EU talks with Iran

European Union talks with Iran’s foreign minister failed to make progress in resolving the West’s stand-off with the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said today.

Solana said Iran’s “substantive position has not changed.” Speaking after a 90-minute meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Brussels, Solana said: “They have to be much more constructive.”

Solana told reporters that he told Mottaki that the EU would wait to see progress made by Tehran in its talks with Russia over its nuclear enrichment programme before a key meeting of the UN’s atomic energy agency in Vienna, on March 6.

In Moscow, Russian and Iranian negotiators ended a day of talks with an agreement to continue negotiations, and Russia’s foreign minister voiced cautious hope that the Iranian nuclear issue could remain in the hands of the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

No details were available on when, where or at what level the talks would be continued. The Iranian delegation was expected to head home tomorrow, and no further talks were expected to be held before its departure.

“We hope very much from the Iranian sde some movement takes place before that date,” said Solana, adding that Mottaki and his delegation, which included nuclear negotiators, repeated existing arguments.

“The number of reports of the (UN) agency show very clearly ... a number of doubts that have undermined a peaceful programme and therefore what is fundamental now is the confidence building measures,” said Solana.

Mottaki acknowledged in a separate briefing to reporters that his visit to Solana had failed to make headway, adding Iran had expected the EU to make fresh diplomatic overtures to solve the dispute.

“I said we are ready for any new ideas to reach to some compromise on this issue,” Mottaki said. “They are supporting some kind of nuclear apartheid which is not acceptable to us,” he added.

Iranian and European officials said however, despite the continued deadlock, they were eager to find a diplomatic solution to resolve the stand-off.

Mottaki told reporters that moves by EU governments and the US to take the dispute to the UN Security Council were unjustified and unfair.

“Nuclear weapons are not in Iran’s defence doctrine,” Mottaki said.

Mottaki was also to hold talks with members of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

He said earlier today, after talks with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht that the 25-nation bloc and Washington had to put the option of sanctions to one side and concentrate on getting a negotiated settlement.

“The time for using language of threats is over, it’s time for negotiation,” Mottaki said. “We express our readiness for negotiations based on justice and a comprehensive compromise. We want to peacefully solve the problem. ... We are here to hear any new plans, any new proposal, any new ideas.”

The EU said it had “no wish to isolate Iran” and reiterated it too was looking for a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

“There remains a strong wish for a diplomatic solution. We have no wish to isolate Iran; we hope Iran will not choose to isolate itself,” said European Commission spokeswoman Emma Udwin.

Both the EU and Washington fear Tehran is using its nuclear energy programme to develop and build nuclear warheads.