Iran has indicated some flexibility in its formal reply to an incentive package for resolving the nuclear crisis, according to a text made public last night.
The 21-page document described the June 6th proposal by the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany as "containing useful foundations and capacities for comprehensive and long-term co-operation between the two sides".
It also raised the possibility that Iran would discuss, during talks, suspending uranium enrichment as the major powers have demanded and that it would allow expanded inspections of its nuclear programme by UN inspectors.
But the document holds out little prospect Iran would agree to a permanent enrichment freeze and sets out other "near-impenetrable" conditions, said David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector who published the document on his Institute for Science and International Security website.
The document "in some ways recalls a Rorschach test from which any country can find and take what it seeks," he said in a written analysis.
Britain, France and Germany found similar problems, calling Iran's reply August 22nd reply "verbose, complicated and ambiguous in many places".
The six powers, in their proposal, offered economic and political incentives as a basis for negotiations aimed at persuading the Islamic republic to abandon nuclear activities which the West says are intended to produce nuclear weapons.
Although it concealed its nuclear pursuits for nearly two decades, Tehran insists it is just trying to make electricity, not bombs.