US Warns Iran Time Running Out for Nuclear Deal

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25 July 2008

U.S. officials are warning Iran that time is running out for Tehran torespond to proposals by the EU and the Security Council to resolve thenuclear stand-off. Iran was given two weeks to reply before risking yetanother round of sanctions. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.

U.S. officials say it's time Iran offers a serious response to EU and U.N. proposals.

Thelatest package of incentives was discussed July 19 in Geneva, in aclosed door meeting that represented Iran, the five permanent membersof the Security Council, (the P5), Germany and the European Union.Taking part for the first time was a senior American envoy,Undersecretary of State William Burns.

Greg Schulte is the U.S.Ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna and the International Atomic EnergyAgency, the IAEA. Speaking with VOA in London, Ambassador Schulte saidIran's response at that meeting turned into a "meandering lesson inIranian history and culture".

"We weren't there for a lesson," he said. "The P5 was there to see if Iran was willing to negotiate seriously."

On the table were a series of proposals delivered to the Iranians by EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana in June.

Schulte outlined some of the proposals. 

"Wehave offered Iran's leaders a very generous package that would givethem access to state of the art technology for nuclear power plants,that would give them assurances of fuel supply, that would address someof the security issues that they've raised, that would allow forcooperation in areas of common interest like fighting againstnarcotics," he said. "And, we've looked for a way to get them intothose negotiations and we said we would be there."

A way toentice the Iranians into negotiating is the freeze-for-freeze offer, meaning Iran would freeze its uranium enrichment at current levels andthe U.N. and EU would freeze their current levels of sanctions. Thisperiod would last six weeks, to build confidence and allow for moresubstantive negotiations to begin.

The bottom line demandremains, however that Iran must actually suspend the enrichment ofuranium, the nuclear fuel source that can be used for generatingenergy, but also for making nuclear weapons.

The United Stateshas said it would not negotiate directly with the Iranians until theysuspend uranium enrichment. So, the presence of Undersecretary Burnsat the Geneva meeting was widely seen as a shift in U.S. policy.

Notso, insists Schulte. 

"The reason why Undersecretary Burns went to thismeeting was not a change in U.S. policy, but was rather to send astrong signal," he said. "It was to send a signal that we backed -- wesupported the package that was put on the table."

Iran was given two weeks to respond to the latest proposals or face further sanctions.

The United States, the U.N. and the EU have already imposed a series of sanctions on Iran and are threatening more.

Iranianleaders continue to say they will not suspend uranium enrichment and onWednesday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Iran would continueits nuclear program. And yet Iran says it is ready to talk.

Manybelieve Iran is simply buying time, especially given the upcomingpresidential election in the United States and a change inadministration.

That would be a waste of time, says Schulte. "Ifthey try to outwait us, if they try to just buy time, they're onlygoing to buy continued sanctions and more sanctions," he said. "And,whoever goes into the White House on January 21st is not going to lookfavorably at an Iran that has spent six more months violating SecurityCouncil resolutions."

Iran has all along said it wants todevelop nuclear power for peaceful means, to provide energy. However,many in the international community believe Iran wants to developnuclear weapons.