US ready to join multilateral talks with Iran
In a major policy shift, the United States said today it is prepared to join other nations in holding direct talks with Iran on its nuclear programme if Iran first agrees to stop disputed nuclear activities that the West fears could lead to a bomb.
“To underscore our commitment to a diplomatic solution and to enhance prospects for success, as soon as Iran fully and verifiably suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities, the United States will come to the table,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at the State Department.
At a news conference, Rice detailed other US complaints with Iran’s behaviour, including what the US says is Iran’s support for terrorism in Lebanon and Palestinian territories.
“Nobody is confused about the nature of this regime,” Rice said.
She said: “We are not negotiating the terms of terrorism.”
Asked whether the United States would be willing to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, she ruled out a “grand bargain”. However, Rice said a negotiated solution to the nuclear dispute could “begin to change the relationship”.
“We urge Iran to make this choice for peace, to abandon its ambition for nuclear weapons,” she said.
At the same time, Rice acknowledged Iran has a right to civil nuclear energy.
The Swiss ambassador to the United States was called to the State Department earlier today to receive a copy of Rice’s remarks for transmission to Iran, US officials said.
The United States has had no diplomatic ties with Iran and few contacts at all with its government since Islamic radicals took over the US Embassy in 1979 and held diplomats there for more than a year.
In Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana welcomed Rice’s remarks.
“Direct US participation would be the strongest and most positive signal of our common wish to reach an agreement with Iran,” Solana added.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said European nations will offer Tehran “a serious and substantial” package to cooperate.
“We are all striving to reach a diplomatic solution. The European side’s goal is to present a serious and substantial offer of co-operation, which demonstrates to Iran the benefits that would flow from compliance, rather than the further isolation which would result from their failure to do so,” she said.
“For this to be successful, we need the active support of other parties. The US offer will, therefore, give added weight to the proposals, which foreign ministers will be discussing in Vienna.”
