UNITED NATIONS, June 23: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday that Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Motaki has assured him that his country will come to the negotiating table “without pre-conditions” in any talks on its nuclear programme — which it insists is for peaceful purposes, but the United States and others see it as a weapons threat.
“I hope it will give the sufficient answer before too long,” Mr Annan told correspondents in Geneva before leaving for New York. He made the statement after meeting with the Iranian minister, referring to the offer of incentives by the five permanent Security Council members and Germany in return for Iran’s abandoning its uranium enrichment programme.
Iran maintains that its interest in nuclear energy is purely for peaceful purposes, and I have stressed to Iranian leaders, including Mr Motaki, that it is very much in their interest to convince the world of cooperating fully with IAEA, Mr Annan added.
Despite years of inspections after the discovery in 2003 that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the IAEA has said it still cannot conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear activities although it has not seen any diversion of materials to nuclear weapons.
But it has called on Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for nuclear energy production or for making nuclear weapons. Iranian leaders have insisted on their right to enrichment.
Asked whether Mr Motaki indicated that Iran might be prepared to give up enrichment, Mr Annan replied: “Their point of view is that they are coming to the table without preconditions and that everything can be discussed at the table. That, I presume, includes the question of enrichment. They are considering the package very, very seriously.”
He was also asked if he thought the Washington should be more engaged in getting a diplomatic solution on the issue. “I think we saw a major shift in US policy when it indicated that it will be prepared to join the talks once the issue of the enrichment or its suspension thereof was resolved,” he replied.
“I hope that initial shift and signal will bear fruit as we move forward with the discussions with the Iranians, and that sooner or later –- and rather sooner than later –- we will see the US joining the talks.”
He also said he had discussed with Mr Motaki the timing of the Iranian reply to the latest offer.
