@@ Talks with EU to focus on objective guarantees for nuclear fuel production in Iran @@

Mehr News Agency
November 29, 2005

Talks with EU to focus on objective guarantees for nuclear fuel production in Iran:
official

Tehran -- The head of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team said here on Tuesday that
the principles, topics, agenda, and timetable of the Iran-European Union nuclear
talks would be determined during the preliminary sessions of the negotiations.

Dr. Javad Vaeedi told the Mehr News Agency that within three days of receiving the
letter of Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, the EU3 countries
Britain, France, and Germany expressed their readiness to resume the nuclear talks.

Vaeedi, who is also the SNSC deputy secretary general for international security
affairs, said that the exact time and location of the talks have not been agreed
upon, although the negotiations are scheduled to be held in December in Europe, but
not in an EU3 country.

He explained that the negotiations would be held within the framework of
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations, adding that the new round of
talks should not impose new regulations on Iran.

He reiterated the Islamic Republic?s position that Iran?s nuclear dossier should be
normalized and said that it would be ridiculous for Iran to engage in the next round
of nuclear talks with the EU3 under threat of referral to the UN Security Council.

As long as the Europeans keep bringing up the September 24 IAEA resolution, the
process of negotiations is unnatural and continuing the talks would be pointless, he
added.

Vaeedi also stated that Iranians believe that providing an objective guarantee for
the production of nuclear fuel in Iran is the main and only subject of the nuclear
negotiations with the EU.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that Iran is determined to turn limitations into
opportunities and to make optimal use of these opportunities.

?We did not accept the Europeans? August 5 proposal to halt the nuclear fuel cycle
(work) in Iran; but we terminated the suspension of nuclear activities at the Isfahan
Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) in order to prove that Iran would never forgo its
inalienable right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. The EU mistakenly broke off the
negotiations and asked Iran to suspend activities. Once again, and in order to prove
our good faith, Iran asked the EU to resume talks, and the EU has recently accepted,?
Vaeedi added.

Iran will accept any plan that recognizes its right to produce nuclear fuel

He also emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran would accept any plan or
proposal that recognizes its right to produce nuclear fuel in Iran but would reject
any plan that would prevent the implementation of all or part of the complete nuclear
fuel cycle in Iran.

?Also, the Islamic Republic of Iran would certainly accept any plan or proposal that
envisioned real participation with other countries in uranium enrichment activities,?
he added.

Commenting on some news analyses criticizing the continuation of the suspension of
some nuclear activities, Vaeedi noted that Iran has voluntarily suspended these
activities and will cancel the decision whenever deemed proper.

Asked if Iran would accept any limitations on uranium enrichment, Vaeedi said that
according to international regulations, uranium enrichment is one of the rights of
countries that have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Iran also
asks for the recognition of its legal rights according to the NPT.

Elaborating on the efforts of the United States and the European Union to convince
Russia to transfer part of Iran?s nuclear fuel cycle to that country, he said that
this proposal indicates that their main problem is that Russia does not agree with
them.

However, the United States and the European Union are trying to manipulate Russia?s
position toward Iran in order to force it to agree with their plans, he pointed out.

In response to a question on whether Iran would agree to the participation of Russia
in nuclear negotiations between Iran and the EU3, Vaeedi stated, ?Iran?s diplomacy is
a comprehensive diplomacy, and the Islamic Republic has always had nuclear
cooperation with Russia. Iran welcomes Russia?s independent role in implementing Iran?s
right to produce nuclear fuel on Iranian territory.?

In conclusion, Vaeedi said that any demand that infringes on Iran?s national security
and sovereignty and is incompatible with the NPT, the IAEA Charter, the Safeguards
Agreement, and the additional protocol would be rejected.

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