Tehran sets deadline on atom talks

Tehran sets deadline on atom talks: " Tehran sets deadline on atom talks

By Nazila Fathi The New York Times

Thursday, April 21, 2005
Month or two at most is left, it warns Europe

TEHRAN Iran set a deadline of a month or two Wednesday for its negotiations with the three European nations over its nuclear program and warned it would walk away if they dragged on longer.
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Hassan Rowhani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said after a closed-door meeting with members of Parliament that Iran would abandon the talks as soon as it felt Europe was wasting time.
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'The negotiations have been going on for three months now,' the Iranian Students News Agency quoted him as saying. 'We might continue the talks for another month or two if we feel they are progressing. The minute we feel there is no progress, we will quit.'
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Rowhani also said in an interview with The Financial Times this week that Iran expected its proposal, which it recently put on the table with Europe, be the basis of the talks.
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'The Europeans should tell us whether these ideas can work as the basis for continued negotiations or not,' he said. 'If yes, fine. If not, then negotiations cannot continue. These ideas are the very last possible ideas that we could come up with as compromise options.'
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Despite that warning, Rowhani spoke optimistically Wednesday about the new round of talks with Europe, which began Tuesday. The talks are expected to continue on a more serious level in London on April 29.
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'The talks on Tuesday progressed very well,' he said. 'They were logical and technical. Another meeting resumed today and we hope the same atmosphere dominate the meeting on April 29,' he said.
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Since 2003 Britain, France and Germany have been negotiating with Iran toward a deal to convince Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program. The technology can be used for making nuclear fuel as well as nuclear bo"bomb.
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Iran has refused to stop the program permanently. It recently put forward a proposal to provide "objective guarantees," proving its program was for peaceful purposes. No details have been released about the proposal, but a diplomat familiar with the case said the Europeans were "looking at it seriously."
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Europe had said the only objective guarantee was cessation of uranium enrichment. But Rowhani said Wednesday, "Since March 24, we told Europe the subject of cessation is not on the table anymore."
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"We said the basis of the talks should be the ideas we have put forward," he added, "and how they should be implemented and how we should coordinate so that enrichment would continue without international concerns."
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