EU-Iran: Iranian, French, British and German officials will meet today at the foreign ministry on Paris in the hope of breaking the impasse on the future of the Iranian civil nuclear energy programme.
Last November 15th, Iran concluded an agreement with the "E3" group to suspend its uranium-enrichment programme for the duration of negotiations. If the talks break down, Tehran will resume enrichment as it is entitled to do having signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and additional protocols.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran failed to declare its nuclear activities for two decades, but is now complying with the treaty. Washington has made clear its intention to seek sanctions in the United Nations Security Council if Tehran resumes enrichment.
"I hope we will not reach the stage of the UN and sanctions," Mohamed ElBaradei, the director of the IAEA, told Le Monde. "Because no one knows how a confrontation would end up, and everybody loses."
The E3 have demanded "objective guarantees" that Iran will not use enriched uranium from its centrifuges or plutonium from a heavy-water reactor under construction at Arak to build nuclear warheads.
"For the Europeans that means that Iran must permanently give up its enrichment capacity, and for the Iranians that simply means more checks by the IAEA," Dr ElBaradei explained.
A high-ranking Iranian official yesterday reiterated his country's intention to master the nuclear fuel cycle.
Speaking at the International Conference on Nuclear Energy for the 21st Century, Mohammad Saeidi, the vice-president of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, said: "The people and government of Iran are determined to open their way through the tortuous path of peaceful use of nuclear technology despite all imposed restrictions and difficulties."
The two-day conference at the French ministry of industry was jointly sponsored by the OECD group of developed countries and the IAEA. Its objective is to promote nuclear energy at a time when global warming and high petrol prices force governments to consider alternatives to fossil fuels.
Mr Saeidi said Iran needed a nuclear power programme because domestic demand for electricity was rising and the country relied on petroleum exports to finance its economy.
"Fossil fuel cannot be considered as a sustainable source of energy," he said, using the argument of many developing countries, including India and China.
In summarising Iran's objective of producing 6,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity, Mr Saeidi stressed the transparency of Iran's programme and its goal of "self-sufficiency in all aspects of using peaceful nuclear energy, including the provision of nuclear fuel".
He said a reactor on the Persian Gulf, built with Russian assistance, would produce 1,000 megawatts. To Washington's consternation, Tehran and Moscow last month agreed that Russia will provide fuel for the reactor, then repatriate spent rods.
At a joint press conference on March 18th, the leaders of Russia, Germany and France said there was "no contradiction" between Russia's policy towards Iran and the E3 countries who are negotiating to halt the enrichment of uranium there.
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany said "no one can deny a country the right to dispose of nuclear energy for civil, peaceful reasons".
Negotiations have stalled, with Iran saying: "We have the right...", to which Washington retorts: "But we don't trust you."