TEHRAN, 5 October 2005 — Iran said yesterday it would not accept resuming negotiations with Britain, France and Germany on its nuclear program if the EU continued to insist the Islamic republic abandon fuel cycle work. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will not accept any negotiations with preconditions attached,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters. “Instead of talking about negotiations and setting conditions, the Europeans would be better off resuming the talks because they were ones who cut them off,” he added.
Iran has in recent months hardened its position in its nuclear standoff with the West by rejecting proposals that it abandon fuel cycle technology in return for incentives and by resuming uranium conversion work in defiance of an agreement with Britain, France and Germany. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month adopted a resolution that finds Iran in “non-compliance” with nuclear proliferation safeguards — an automatic trigger for taking the matter to the UN Security Council.
Ali Larijani, secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council, said on Monday Tehran would review its membership of the NPT if its case was reported to the council. Hard-line parliamentarian Mehdi Kouchakzadeh said yesterday talks with the Europeans were a “waste of time.”
“Iranian officials should not wait for the EU’s shallow promises any more,” he told the official IRNA news agency. “We should also start uranium enrichment in Natanz and think about ending snap (UN) inspections.”
Iran also called for a high turnout in the Oct. 15 referendum on Iraq’s constitution and pledged it would respect the outcome of the vote. “We hope the voting goes well and that there will be strong voter participation,” Asefi said.
“The Islamic republic of Iran will respect the wishes of the Iraqi people.” Iraqis are due to vote on the draft charter which emerged last month after weeks of haggling between the different parties, although Sunni Arab leaders have maintained their objections to the document.
