MADRID, June 1: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed scepticism on Friday that talks between Iran and the European Union would produce any commitment from Tehran on suspending uranium enrichment.

“The only question is are we getting to a point at which the Iranians are prepared to suspend so that negotiations can begin,” she said on a visit to Madrid.

“I don't see evidence of it.” EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's negotiator Ali Larijani met on Thursday in the Spanish capital but no breakthrough was reported.

A spokeswoman for Solana said on Friday that Iran was willing to discuss with the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “outstanding questions ... which are linked to information access and cooperation with the agency.” But diplomats in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, said the UN Security Council has already mandated, in two resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran, that Iran give the IAEA full cooperation in its investigation of Tehran's nuclear activities.

“Iran has promised several times in the past to give the agency information, and has failed to deliver, but they are actually obligated to cooperate,” said a diplomat.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei had reported on May 23 that Iran was actually increasing the scope of its enrichment work and still failing to give the additional cooperation demanded. “Unless Iran addresses the long outstanding verification issues,” the IAEA will not be able to “provide assurances . . . about the exclusively peaceful nature” of the Iranian nuclear program, ElBaradei said.

Prior to the meeting, Rice called on Iran to shift its stance of ignoring sanctions-backed UN demands to halt uranium enrichment work, but Tehran remained defiant.

Rice said on Friday: “Where we have been flexible is how we get to suspension. ... What we can’t do is to have negotiations while the Iranians continue to perfect their nuclear technology.” She said she had not yet spoken to Solana.—AFP