THE EUROPEAN Union’s foreign policy chief has warned Iran that there can be no fundamental changes to the draft agreement on its nuclear programme that it is being invited to sign.
As Iran ponders whether to approve an agreement on its uranium enrichment stockpile that has already been signed by France, the US and Russia, there were new indications yesterday that Iran wants to subject the draft to changes.
“Iran’s response would accept the general framework of the agreement on fuel for Tehran’s atomic reactor but will insert significant moderations into it,” the state television quoted an unnamed nuclear official.
Iran’s media also reported that the country’s response would be given tomorrow at the latest.
However, Javier Solana, who has chaired negotiations between Iran and the six world powers on its nuclear programme, said in Luxembourg: “The deal was a good deal. I don’t think in principle it requires fundamental changes.”
The draft pact calls for Iran to transfer about 85 per cent of its known 1.5 tonnes of low-enriched uranium to Russia for further enrichment by the end of this year, then to France for conversion into fuel plates. Iran would then receive fuel that can be used to power a research reactor that produces medical isotopes for cancer treatment.
The possibility of changes to the proposal follows increasing feelings of insecurity within the regime about any nuclear deal.
Iran’s senior politicians have warned that the agreement could be a trap by which Russia and France would not give any objective guarantees to deliver uranium at higher grade.
Iran’s response could include handing over uranium in phases, rather than by the year’s end, as the draft asserts, to ensure fuel suppliers would remain committed to giving Iran 20 per cent enriched uranium.
Understanding on the fuel plan and UN monitoring of a newly disclosed enrichment site under construction was forged at Geneva talks on October 1st between Iran and the US, Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain.
UN inspectors arrived in Iran on Sunday to visit the new site, 160km (100 miles) south of Tehran.
Western diplomats said Iran was forced to reveal the plant to the International Atomic Energy Agency last month after learning that western spy services had detected it. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009)