Six world powers agree incentives, penalties for Iran
Six world powers are ready to offer Iran a new choice of rewards if it gives up suspect nuclear activities or punishment if it should refuse, a gambit that either could defuse a global confrontation with the Islamic state or hasten one.
“There are two paths ahead,” foreign secretary Margaret Beckett said in announcing agreement among the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China on a package deal for Iran that carries the threat of United Nations sanctions.
The package would be on the table for a proposed new round of bargaining with Tehran over what the West calls a rogue nuclear programme that could produce a bomb. The United States, in a major policy shift, conditionally agreed this week to join those talks. It would be the first major public negotiations between the adversaries in more than a quarter century.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met foreign ministers from the European nations who led talks with Iran that stalled last year. Also present in Vienna, Austria, were representatives of Russia and China, which have been Tehran’s trading partners and might join in any future talks with Iran.
Since Russia and China hold vetoes in the UN Security Council, the United States needs their co-operation to seek sanctions or other harsh measures by that body.
“We are very satisfied by the results of the meeting here in Vienna,” said US Under-secretary of State Nicholas Burns. “We consider them a step forward in our quest to deny Iran nuclear weapons capability.”
A short statement issued by foreign ministers from the six powers and the European Union did not mention economic sanctions, the punishment or deterrent favoured by the United States, which Iran has tried hard to avoid.
The powers agreed privately, however, that Iran could face tough Security Council sanctions should it fail to give up the enrichment of uranium and other disputed nuclear activities, US officials said.
Diplomats feared Iran would reject any invitation to bargain immediately if the threat of sanctions were explicit, officials involved in the discussions said on condition of anonymity because the seven-party negotiations were private.
The foreign ministers’ statement threatens unspecified “further steps” in the Security Council.
The group’s statement also contained no details of incentives to be offered to Iran in the coming days. Diplomats previously have said the package includes help to develop legitimate nuclear power plants and various economic benefits.
“We are prepared to resume negotiations should Iran resume suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities,” as previously required by the UN nuclear watchdog agency, Beckett said.
If Iran should return to the talks, which have been stalled since last year, “we would also suspend action in the Security Council,” Beckett said.
The Security Council, which can levy mandatory global sanctions and support its mandates with military force, has been reviewing Iran’s case for two months. Its permanent, veto-holding members have been at odds over the possibility of sanctions, with Russia and China opposed.
“At this crucial stage, it is very important that none of the sides involved in the situation makes any sharp movements that would create a threat to the real prospect of using the chance to reach agreement,” ITAR-Tass quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying before talks began in Vienna.
Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful and aimed at developing a new energy source.
Iran’s foreign minister welcomed the idea of direct talks but rebuffed the US condition that Tehran must put uranium enrichment on hold before talks can begin.
“Iran welcomes dialogue under just conditions but won’t give up our rights,” the state-run Iranian television quoted foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying yesterday.
At the White House, President George Bush warned that the confrontation would reach the Security Council should Iran continue to enrich uranium.
“If they continue their obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, ‘We really don’t care what your opinion is,’ then the world is going to act in concert,” Bush said.
Bush said he got a “positive response” in a telephone conversation on Tuesday with Russian president Vladimir Putin, adding, “We expect Russia to participate in the United Nations Security Council. We’ll see whether or not they agree to do that.”
Bush also spoke about Iran yesterday with Chinese President Hu Jintao. He revealed little about that conversation, saying, “They understood our strategy.”
The shift in US tactics was meant to offer the Iranians a last chance to avoid punishing sanctions and to let the United States assert that it was willing to exhaust every opportunity to resolve the Iranian impasse without force.
Previous talks among Iran, Britain, France and Germany foundered last year. European diplomats and others said the United States was partly at fault, arguing that it alone carries the global weight to force Iran to bargain in good faith and to make any agreement stick.
The US offer for talks is conditioned on Iran suspending its enrichment of uranium and related activities and allowing inspections to prove it. Uranium enrichment can make fuel for nuclear power reactors or the fissionable core of warheads.
European nations and the Security Council have demanded the same thing, but Iran has refused to comply.
