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Secret Talks Led to Iran’s Enhanced Suspension of Uranium Enrichment
Iran’s agreement to expand its suspension of uranium enrichment activities came after three days of backroom negotiations with France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 26). The agreement appeared to resolve a nagging dispute over the terms of an Iranian promise late last year to suspend uranium enrichment activities. Following that commitment, Iranian officials said they would not enrich any uranium but would continue to assemble centrifuge equipment. The United States protested that such ongoing activity did not constitute a full suspension and Iran announced Tuesday that it would end its centrifuge assembly activity next week. “It took intensive contacts on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in particular until we got full agreement of the Iranians to a total suspension including the centrifuges,” a European Union diplomatic source said. Tuesday’s announcement would probably avert a possible move by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s governing board to report the matter to the U.N. Security Council, according to Reuters. “If there had not been an agreement on total suspension, it could have moved forward to open the (U.N.) sanctions process. But this agreement will allow Iran not to go to the Security Council and maybe not even have a Board of Governors resolution at all” when it meets early next month, the EU source said. EU officials said the agreement could lead to the exchange of peaceful technology with Iran, a promise the EU had held out in October in exchange for Iran opening its nuclear activities to international oversight. “It’s the beginning of mainstreaming Iran with Europe, which I think is very important,” said a senior official in Vienna. However, the three European nations are not in complete accord, with British officials expressing more caution on Iran than their continental partners. Prime Minister Tony Blair warned that Iran would have to end its pattern of nuclear secrecy. “I want to make it very clear to the Iranian authorities that there must be complete and total compliance with the IAEA,” he said (Charbonneau/Taylor, Reuters, Feb. 26).
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