IRAN: Iran and the European Union's three big powers have reached a tentative deal that could see Tehran avert UN Security Council sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme, Iranian and EU officials said.
The agreement, hammered out during two days of talks in Paris ending late on Saturday, awaits the go-ahead from Iran's clerical leadership, EU sources said.
Under the deal Iran would freeze all nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing activities until it has reached agreement with the EU over a package of economic, technological and security incentives in return for abandoning potentially weapons-related nuclear activities, the diplomats said.
"The time frame [ of the enrichment suspension] will be given by the pace of reaching overall agreement," an EU diplomat said.
A deal with the EU trio of Britain, Germany and France is Iran's best hope of avoiding a showdown with the US in the UN Security Council.
President Bush has dubbed Iran an "axis of evil" member, and vowed to prevent it from acquiring nuclear arms.
Israel also refuses to rule out strategic strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Washington wants Iran's case to be sent to the Security Council but agreed last month to give the EU trio a final opportunity to negotiate a solution with Iran, which says its nuclear plants will only be used for a civilian atomic energy programme.
The EU trio told Iran it must freeze uranium enrichment - a process used to purify uranium into nuclear reactor fuel or to make bomb-grade material - before the November 25th board meeting of the UN's atomic watchdog, or face the Security Council.
"Negotiations were very hard and complicated but we reached a preliminary agreement on an expertise level," said Mr Hossein Mousavian, head of Iran's delegation in Paris.
"It is a framework that contains the viewpoints of all sides."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mr Kamal Kharrazi said: "The important thing is that there was acknowledgement that Iran is a country with a peaceful nuclear technology."