EU/IRAN: The European Union's three biggest states and the EU's foreign policy chief have promised to resume talks with Iran on a trade and co-operation agreement and to back Tehran's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in return for a suspension of sensitive nuclear activities. Denis Staunton, European Correspondent, reports.
Under an agreement with Germany, France, Britain and the EU's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, released yesterday, Iran has agreed to suspend all uranium enrichment and reprocessing facilities and to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor the suspension.
The deal came as the IAEA confirmed that Iran had not used any notified nuclear materials to develop an atomic weapons programme, although the UN agency added that it could not rule out secret nuclear activity in Iran.
"All the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities. The agency is, however, not in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran," the IAEA said in a report.
In its agreement with the European states, known as the E3, Iran reaffirmed its commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to full co-operation with the IAEA. It made clear, however, that the suspension of uranium enrichment activity was temporary and voluntary.
"The suspension will be sustained while negotiations proceed on a mutually acceptable agreement on long term arrangements. The E3/EU recognise that the suspension is a voluntary confidence building measure and not a legal obligation," the agreement said.
The two sides said that a long-term agreement would provide "objective guarantees" that Iran's nuclear programme would be used for exclusively peaceful purposes and would also provide guarantees on nuclear, technological, and economic cooperation and "firm commitment" on security issues.
"A steering committee will meet to launch these negotiations in the first half of December 2004 and will set up working groups on political and security issues, technology and cooperation, and nuclear issues," the agreement said.
The Dutch foreign minister, Mr Bernard Bot, whose country holds the EU presidency, said that the nuclear deal represented an important first step towards resolving other disputes between Europe and Iran.
"We believe very much that negotiations with Iran is the way to final solutions for a number of problems: the nuclear issue, the human rights situation, their Middle East position, terrorism aspects. If you cut off all dialogue you isolate the country even more. Finding a solution to this particular issue could have an impact on the other three elements in our dialogue," he said.