European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana expressed optimism today that an agreement could be reached on a package of incentives to persuade Iran to abandon any nuclear weapons' ambitions.
"We keep on working and I think we are making progress," he said in Vienna while attending an EU foreign ministers' meeting.
The European Union has been crafting the package aimed at persuading Iran to stop enriching uranium as part of a programme Tehran says is the peaceful development of nuclear power, but which the West says is intended to make atomic weapons.
"We talked also with President Putin when we were in Sochi, so I think we are making progress," he said, referring to talks with the Russian leader at an EU-Russia summit in the Black Sea resort last week.
The package could include offering Iran a light-water nuclear reactor, an assured supply of fuel for civilian atomic plants so it would not need to enrich uranium itself, and warnings of sanctions if Tehran rejected the overture.
"There will be a meeting sometime this week, also the Security Council which is continuing working," Mr Solana said. "Basically we are getting very close."
Mr Solana gave no details on the meeting to discuss the incentives between the five veto-wielding UN Security Council permanent members - Britain, The United States, China, France and Russia - as well as rotating member Germany, for which a time and venue have yet to be announced.
Asked if there were still problems reaching an agreement on incentives, he replied: "There are still some elements. I will not get into this, but I think we are going to get agreement."