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Iran hands over letter to big powers
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to lawmakers in the Iranian parliament in Tehran August 5, 2008. |
Iran has not answered demands by world powers to halt nuclear activity, an Iranian official said on Tuesday, a stand that could endanger the possibility of full talks and lead to tighter sanctions.
Iran handed a letter on Tuesday to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in response to an offer in June by major powers to refrain from moving to impose more U.N. penalties if Iran froze expansion of its nuclear work.
“We have received the letter,” an EU official told Reuters in Brussels, without giving details.
One European diplomat told Reuters the contents of the letter were “laughable” but also declined to give details.
An Iranian official told Reuters the letter did not address the demands by world powers dealing with Iran — the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany.
“The letter handed over is not an answer to the offered package. The letter does not mention the freeze-for-freeze issue,” the Iranian official said.
The freeze-for-freeze idea was seen as a stepping stone to full negotiations. The major powers say they fear Tehran wants to build an atomic bomb but Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, insists it is only seeking to master technology to generate electricity.
CONFERENCE CALL
“During the call, Jalili expressed his readiness to start formal talks,” the official said, adding that he expected more contacts between Solana and Jalili in the next few days.
In another development, a U.N. nuclear watchdog official will go to Iran on Thursday. The International Atomic Energy Agency declined to specify the purpose of the visit by Olli Heinonen, its deputy director overseeing inspections into Iran’s nuclear program.
The six powers have said formal talks on the package of nuclear, trade and other incentives can only start once Iran suspends uranium enrichment, the part of the program that most worries the West because it has military and civilian uses.
Iran, the world’s fourth largest oil producer, insists it is only seeking to master technology to make electricity and has repeatedly refused to halt its atomic work.
The U.N. Security Council has imposed three rounds of penalties on Iran since 2006 in response.
COVERING TRACKS?
In a letter to the Council, Britain, France and the United States, who have taken the toughest line with Tehran, said Iran’s central bank and other financial institutions were trying to dodge sanctions by covering their tracks and must be carefully watched.
Iran’s central bank governor, Tahmasb Mazaheri, told Reuters in July that any move to impose sanctions on the bank could destabilize an already rattled world financial system.
His remarks followed a call by a U.S. Senate committee for the United States to designate Iran’s central bank a supporter of terrorism, a move that would trigger U.S. sanctions.
Iran has repeatedly refused to halt its atomic work. The U.N. Security Council has imposed three rounds of penalties on Iran since 2006 in response.
COVERING TRACKS?
In a letter to the Council, Britain, France and the United States, who have taken the toughest line with Tehran, said Iran’s central bank and other financial institutions were trying to dodge sanctions by covering their tracks and must be carefully watched.
Iran’s central bank governor, Tahmasb Mazaheri, told Reuters in July that any move to impose sanctions on the bank could destabilize an already rattled world financial system.
His remarks followed a call by a U.S. Senate committee for Washington to designate Iran’s central bank as a supporter of terrorism, a move that would trigger U.S. sanctions.
U.N. and U.S. sanctions have already targeted some big Iranian commercial banks.
Source: Reuters
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