Hopes rise as Iran moderate called in for talks

IRAN:Iran announced yesterday that the country's former top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, and his successor, Saeed Jalili, will both take part in Tuesday's talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

The three are set to meet in Rome with the aim of easing tensions between the West and Tehran over its nuclear programme. Analysts say the presence of Mr Larijani, a moderate whose resignation was revealed on Saturday, is meant to show Tehran remains ready for dialogue.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Muhammad Ali Hosseini, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said that Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad had asked Mr Larijani to take part in the talks and stated that Iran's "nuclear policy, strategy and aims are unchanged." Mr Larijani, seen as a moderate, has frequently clashed with Mr Ahmadinejad over the nuclear issue and repeatedly offered to resign. The acceptance of his resignation by Ayatollah Khamenei came as a surprise.

Mr Jalili, Iran's deputy foreign minister for European and US affairs, is considered a hardliner since he is close to the regime's arch conservatives.

A veteran of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, he served in the office of Ayatollah Khamenei and, after the 2005 election, became an adviser to Mr Ahmadinejad.

Mr Jalili is credited with drafting an 18-page letter sent in 2006 to George W Bush, which criticised US policies and called for dialogue. President Bush dismissed the initiative.

During an interview with the Boston Globe Mr Jalili insisted that the US and Europe "should respect our rights" under the non-proliferation treaty, which allows signatories to carry out nuclear research and enrich fuel for peaceful reactors. He argued that the International Atomic Energy Agency has been allowed to monitor Iran's nuclear programme and has not found "one document suggesting any diversion from our peaceful programme."

Tehran says its objective is to develop nuclear power to generate electricity, while the US and its western allies claim Tehran seeks to develop nuclear weapons. Under prodding from Washington, the UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on Iran to deter it from continuing with its programme.

Its confidence boosted by high oil prices and its assumption of a central role in the Middle East after the 2003 US war on Iraq, Tehran has responded with defiance.

US specialists on Iran blame Washington for the gradual consolidation of the conservatives' grip on power in Tehran. These commentators argue that the US had many opportunities to reconcile with Iran following the 1979 ousting of the Shah, particularly during the presidencies of Hashemi Rafsanjani and Muhammad Khatam. The conservative camp was strengthened when these figures were rebuffed while pragmatists and progressives were seriously weakened.

Oil experts warn that the price of crude could soar beyond $100 a barrel if tensions between Iran and the West are not reduced.

Reuters adds: US vice-president Dick Cheney, taking a tough line toward Iran, described the country's government yesterday as a "growing obstacle to peace in the Middle East".

Mr Cheney, in a speech to a think tank, also accused Tehran of practising "delay and deception" regarding its nuclear programme and warned of consequences if it did not halt sensitive nuclear work.